Trip Report Raja Ampat 2024

[Dan]

I just came back from Raja Ampat on Blue Manta for 19-29 February 2024 trip. It’s my 10th time there and the best one, so far.

The route for the 11 day trip is as shown, below.

Table 1, below, shows the daily activities.

And here’s the trip video:



About Blue Manta
You can check directly at their website:

White Manta Diving - KM Blue Manta

www.whitemanta.com

 

[Dan]

The highlight of the trip, as far as fishes & critters is as shown, below:

Seeing Blue-ringed Octopus in Friwinbonda, Flamboyant cuttlefish using our dive light to hunt for mantis shrimp in Crazy Zoo, Oceanic Manta in Pelee's Playground, were unexpected surprise. We even saw two different kind of Wobbegong Sharks, Tasseled Wobbegong and Ornate Wobbegong.

 

[Living4Experiences]

What a great show! I should have had some popcorn! Thanks for putting in the locations and fish I.D. I saw many of those critters for my first trip to RA last December, but didn't know what they were called. Great job!

 

[Dan]

What a great show! I should have had some popcorn! Thanks for putting in the locations and fish I.D. I saw many of those critters for my first trip to RA last December, but didn't know what they were called. Great job!

Thanks!

I use my fish ID "bibles", i.e.,

Reef Fish Identification
Tropical Pacific
by Gerald Allen, Roger Steene, Paul Humann, Ned Deloach
ISBN 978-1-878-348-36-4

and

Reef Creature Identification
Tropical Pacific
by Paul Humann & Ned Deloach
ISBN 978-1-878-348-44-9

 

[Dan]

This trip has been a long-wait trip for some of us. The original trip was put together by @anchochile and I back in December 2019. He then posted the group offer in Scubaboard on 5 January 2020 for 10-20 February 2022, as shown in the link, below.

Raja Ampat with Blue Manta, 10-20 Feb, 2022, with 16% off group rate

I’m putting a group together, along with @Dan, for an 11-day, 10-night liveaboard in Raja Ampat in February 2022 with the best liveaboard operator for the area, White Manta Diving - Home. You can see a promotional video of the trip: And a video about our vessel, the KM Blue Manta: Raja...

scubaboard.com

Then Covid-19 hit the world and shutdown Raja Ampat for 2.5 years, which changed, not only the trip was being rescheduled to another two years later, but also the group members. We rescheduled the trip to 19-29 February, 2024. Four of us had to back out due to this schedule change or other reasons. This is a trip to Raja Ampat, however, so we had no problem in finding their replacements.

For the original 3 member (including me), it sure is worth the wait. We even are already preparing for our next trip back to Raja Ampat in February 2026.

 

[Living4Experiences]

I'm returning in March 2025, this time on the White Manta, largely because of the positive feedback from SB members, and there are few quality liveaboards with the low 20% single supplement/penalty. I hope to go back every year.

 

[Dan]

I'm returning in March 2025, this time on the White Manta, largely because of the positive feedback from SB members, and there are few quality liveaboards with the low 20% single supplement/penalty. I hope to go back every year.

BTW, It was only 10% single supplement back in 2022. They raised it to 20% last year.

I’ll be on White Manta too in January 2025.

$742 off on White Manta, Misool-Triton Bay, 15-24 January 2025

Hi all, I’m putting together a group trip on White Manta liveaboard, crossing from Sorong to Kaimana, diving in Misool, Fak Fak, and Triton Bay from 15 to 24 January, 2025. Here is a link to the White Manta trip & booking details: 2025 January Misool to Triton Bay Trip I reserved 7 spots for...

scubaboard.com

 

[Fibonacci]

BTW, It was only 10% single supplement back in 2022. They raised it to 20% last year.

Does that apply if you are a solo traveller, willing to twin share or only for those who want to be guaranteed a single berth in a twin cabin?

 

[Dan]

Does that apply if you are a solo traveller, willing to twin share or only for those who want to be guaranteed a single berth in a twin cabin?

The latter, it applies to those who want to be guaranteed a single berth in twin cabin, as there is no single cabin on the boat.

Solo traveler, willing to twin share, pays no single supplement.

The boat has 14 twin cabins for a maximum of 22 passengers in the boat. That allows up to 4 twin cabins to be used as single cabins.

Each cabin is huge, 200sf (20 sq. meter).

 

[Dan]

This video shows your liveaboard experience besides diving.