Wilmer Purizaca is an artisanal fisherman from northern Peru. In 2007, he became a volunteer for Planeta Océano. With a sharp eye to identify Giant Mantas in the wild, he began reporting manta observations to our team and soon became the organization’s field coordinator. It was in part, thanks to him, that we all learned about the challenges this species faced in Tumbes: pregnant and juveniles were often captured, greatly jeopardizing this vulnerable population in the region. As part of this project, Wilmer set out to identify fishermen interested in participating in manta ray ecotourism. As a fishermen himself, he knew how fishermen could become champions for conservation. That is how he met Mr. Periche, Mr. More, and engaged his own father, Mr. Purizaca, to pioneer manta ray ecotourism and conservation in Tumbes. The fishermen received project training, and Wilmer visited them frequently to follow-up on infrastructure development and continuously discuss manta ray conservation. One day, the fishermen and Wilmer took people on a breathtaking experience to observe the mantas: huge mantas jumping out of the water, mantas swimming all around, in one case over a dozen of them. People jumped into the water, took pictures, and the mantas curiously swam around. The fishermen were thrilled to see such excitement from the visitors. After all their training and hard work to implement their services, they could now witness the value of live mantas in person. The joy each tourist felt was enough to prove how this threatened species could provide a greater benefit if conserved alive. That day, Wilmer went back home proud. He had helped start an innovative model for sustainable development. Periche, More, and Purizaca, later shared their experience with other community members, inspiring a multiplier-effect for manta conservation.