Our heart’s meaning is about giving
About Martina Wing, Ocean passionate and manta ray advocate
Hi! I’m Martina Wing, and I’m a passionate manta ray expert and ocean advocate.
The ocean saved my life in 1998 when I was in my early thirties, and again fifteen years later… and every day in between and after.
It’s my turn now to give back to the ocean.
The Magical Healing Power of Manta Rays
Manta rays have an almost magical and completely transformational effect on people who meet them. We hear these stories every day, and it also happened to me.
When hurt and lost in my early 30s, the ocean surrounded me with hope for life.
1998, I went through dark times after losing my 1st husband to Leukemia at only 29 years old. The manta rays were there to help me through feelings of deep sorrow.
Cancer hit again in 2013; this time, I had to undergo treatment myself. And again, the ocean and the manta rays carried me towards healing.
I was incredibly fortunate to meet the manta rays, who healed my soul from pain and anguish. Ever since I have felt an undepletable sense of reciprocity: I am passionate about helping them preserve their natural environment and home.
I traveled to Hawaii searching for answers and understanding. What I found was my purpose - and the deepest meaning of life.
How I met my 2nd husband… and became an underwater camerawoman.
Back in 1998, I volunteered in Oahu, studying dolphin intelligence. I was a new scuba diver, and of course, that meant I signed up to swim with manta rays. It was life-changing in so many ways (more about that later)... but one of them was meeting my future husband.
James was the cameraman who taped my first encounter with the gentle giants. I bought the VHS video of the experience (VHS indeed - it was a long time ago!), and even though there was a bit of a language barrier (me being German), he offered to train me as an underwater camerawoman.
We ended up producing underwater videos for visitors to the island together - and somewhere along the way, we fell in love. We got married in Germany in 2000 and lived there for about a year, teaching elementary kids to scuba dive.
But Germany was cold and snowy, and Hawaii was calling us back.
When we arrived back in Kona in the summer of 2001, we started a company filming, researching, and educating the public about mantas. This all led to today’s passionate manta ray advocacy work. You'll find more about mantas (and about us) on mantarayadvocates.com.
My mission:
To save the manta rays…
The ocean helped me, and it’s my turn to help the ocean and all of its creatures.
I devote my life to preserving the livelihood of these mysterious, yet beautiful gentle giants of the sea - so they can continue to transform thousands of humans who visit them each year.
I’m on a mission to inspire, educate, and transform public consciousness with my images -ocean life video and underwater photography- and my words -I share information about the gentle giants on mantarayadvocates.com.
—> Check out my underwater videos on YouTube
—> Learn all about manta rays on mantarayadvocates.com.
I’m on a mission to protect and preserve the ocean and all its creatures.
… So they can save more people
Just like the manta rays were there for me, they’ve been there for hundreds, probably thousands of others since.
My hope is that you find peace and harmony in your life too, regardless of the situation.
If you are fortunate enough to travel to Hawaii and swim with mantas, we have materials available to help you prepare for the experience [find them here - the link will take you to a page on mantarayadvocates.com]
If you have no such adventure planned anytime soon, check out the guided video meditations with footage of manta rays in their natural environment I created with my friend and meditation teacher Amanda: click here.
Even if you never make it to see the manta rays in person, know that any aspect of nature can bring a healing touch into your life.
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Want to learn more about about manta rays, marine life around Hawaii, and protecting the ocean? Sign up below to hear from me every other week or so!