Diving with mantas is a big highlight of any trip to the Maldives.
These enormous creatures show such grace and elegance as they glide past that being in their presence is a memory that will never leave you.
Our guests are always enchanted by the experience and our crew will do all they can to ensure you get the chance to witness this magnificent spectacle whenever possible.
But, from an Emperor perspective, manta spotting has recently become even more special. Out there, somewhere, there is one named after our very own Asia CEO, Bernie McAteer.
Now eyes must be kept peeled for manta, especially the one officially known as ‘Emperor Bernie’.
The story to this goes back four years and a first trip with us for Peter Wallach.
We’ll let Peter himself take it from here…
“Four years ago – November 16th, 2020 – in the midst of the Corona crisis, I took my first jump from an Emperor Maldives dhoni. (Now) I’ll be making my 1,000th jump from an Emperor Maldives dhoni.
“It’s incredible. It’s really hard to believe, but it’s true. And it’s because of two people who made this possible. That is Alex Bryant, the owner of Emperor Divers, and Bernie, the CEO for Emperor Asia.
“As a small token of my appreciation, for allowing me to live a life I never dreamed possible, for our friendship and for the great respect I have for the job that you do, I have it confirmed by the Manta Trust, that there is now a manta, first seen in North Male, whose name is Emperor Bernie.”
So, there you have it. A very special tribute to the work of our (ever-modest) boss in Asia and, in turn, to the incredible team he looks after.
When the Maldives beckons you for your next diving holiday, and you get the chance to see manta first-hand, see if you spot Bernie!
