About the project

Koamas (ކޯމަސް) is the Dhivehi word for dolphin. Dhivehi is the official language of the Maldives, spoken by the approximately 500,000 people who call this Indian Ocean archipelago home.

We chose the name because it roots the project firmly in the Maldivian community. These waters and the animals in them have been part of island life for centuries — long before modern science arrived. The name is a reminder that local knowledge and local stewardship are at the heart of what we do.

Dolphins are among the most frequently spotted cetaceans in the atolls. For many Maldivians and visitors alike, a koamas encounter is a defining memory of the islands. Koamas the project exists to turn those moments into lasting data.

Dolphins and whales are seen constantly around the Maldives — from dive boats, ferries, liveaboards, and resort jetties. Almost none of those encounters were ever written down. A sighting would happen, get talked about for a day, and then disappear — no record of where, when, or what species, and no way to ask what any of it meant over time.

That gap is what Koamas set out to close: not a research survey run for a few weeks a year, but a standing, always-open channel that anyone on the water can use the moment they see something — through the app already open on their phone.

Koamas is founded by Samay and James, working in collaboration with Reefscapers and Marine Savers to turn a shared interest in cetaceans into something structured enough to last: a bot to collect reports, a process to verify them, and a public map and dashboard to make the record useful to researchers, conservationists, and the public alike.

Koamas began in the Maldives, brought to life by a shared fascination with cetaceans and a deep respect for the ocean that connects these islands.

The idea began in response to a simple gap: dolphin sightings in the Maldives are frequent, but the information is often fragmented, unrecorded, or lost after a single encounter. Koamas was created to change that — to bring structure, continuity, and meaning to these moments at sea.

Koamas is a citizen science platform that collects, verifies, and publishes cetacean sighting data from across the Maldivian archipelago. Anyone who sees a dolphin or whale can report it in seconds via WhatsApp. Our team then reviews each report, confirms the species identification, and adds it to the public record.

The Maldives sits at the heart of the Indian Ocean, and its waters are home to at least 22 species of dolphins and whales. Despite this richness, systematic, long-term data on cetacean distribution across the atolls has historically been sparse. Koamas is building that record — one sighting at a time.

All verified sightings are visible on the public map and contribute to the dashboard statistics. The data is available to researchers, conservation organisations, and policymakers working to protect these species and their habitat.

Sightings are submitted through a WhatsApp bot. Each report captures species (as identified by the observer), approximate location, date and time, group size range, and an optional photo. Reports are logged immediately but are not published until reviewed.

Our verification team checks each submission against field guide criteria, photo evidence where available, and known distribution data. Uncertain identifications are flagged or downgraded to genus or family level. Only sightings that meet our verification standard receive verified status and appear on the map.

Location data is intentionally imprecise on the public map — coordinates are rounded to approximately 5 kilometres to discourage targeted boat traffic that could disturb cetaceans at known aggregation sites. Precise coordinates are retained privately for research use only.

Reporter identity is protected. Phone numbers used to submit sightings are stored only as a one-way hash — we cannot recover the original number, and it is never displayed anywhere on the public site.

Sighting data (species, approximate location, date, group size) is published openly once verified. Photos submitted with a sighting may be used internally for verification; they are not published without explicit permission from the submitter.

We do not sell, share, or otherwise transfer personal data to third parties. The only data shared externally is anonymised, aggregated sighting records for research and conservation purposes.