Today, on World Manta Day, we celebrate one of the ocean’s most extraordinary animals and highlight something essential to their future: collaboration.

For those of us working across the public aquarium and marine science community, collaboration is not just an idea. It is part of the work.

Caring for large and complex marine habitats brings together curators, biologists, aquarists, engineers, life-support teams, researchers and technology partners. At Orphek, we are proud to contribute to that collaboration through lighting.

Lighting marine habitats at extraordinary scale

Our systems are used in large-scale public aquarium habitats for manta rays, sharks, rays and other remarkable marine species, where lighting requirements go far beyond those of a conventional aquarium.

These environments can involve deep tanks, huge water volumes, long mounting distances and the need for high-output illumination. The challenge is to create the right environment while allowing visitors to experience these extraordinary animals.

Working alongside leading marine institutions

Our collaborations with institutions such as Nausicaá in France, Aquarium de Biarritz and Palma Aquarium in Mallorca have given us the opportunity to work at this scale.

At Nausicaá, Orphek lighting contributes to immense marine environments where visitors can encounter spectacular species including manta rays and sharks.

At Aquarium de Biarritz, our Amazonas lighting is used in a 1.5-million-litre, six-metre-deep shark habitat, demonstrating the demands of lighting marine environments at extraordinary scale.

At Palma Aquarium, our Amazonas systems illuminate The Big Blue, a vast deep-water habitat featuring sharks, rays and other marine life.

Technology shaped by collaboration

These projects continuously challenge us to learn more about light, depth, water, animal behaviour and the requirements of large-scale aquatic environments.

Because for us, collaboration means more than supplying a lighting system. It means working alongside the professionals who understand these animals and their environments best.

Today, on World Manta Day, we celebrate the manta ray and everyone working together to better understand, care for and protect the extraordinary life of our oceans.

Technology. Marine science. Expertise. Collaboration.

Together, we can help create stronger connections between people and the living world beneath the surface.

Planning a public aquarium or deep-water habitat? Contact Orphek to discuss your lighting requirements.