Manta rays are one of the smartest and most sociable creatures of the ocean – and diving with them has always been a major highlight of my scuba adventures - yet they are also among the most endangered marine species.

I secretly also believe that these gentle giants are my spirit animals, so decided to combine my dream of completing my first full marathon with fundraising for one of my favourite and incredibly high-impact charities, Manta Trust. As I challenge myself to run my first 42km, I hope you can support me by donating to Manta Trust's manta research and conservation efforts.

To find out more about these beautiful flappy ocean creatures and the risks facing them, check out this story I penned a while back about the world's largest manta ray fishery turned marine sanctuary: https://causeartist.com/conservation-nonprofits-worlds-largest-manta-ray-fishery-marine-sanctuary/

Please do make a donation if you can, even if it's just the cost of your daily coffee run - every $ counts and I - plus the mantas - would be forever grateful:).