Diving with Mantas in August - Where to?

[tholden1]

Thank you Dan_T. That is great to hear. I have heard great things about Komodo and I have always wanted to visit Bali. My information has only come from general research from sites that say the current can be strong there. I had not gotten that from any true accounts of diving there during that time. Hearing that it may not be that bad makes me consider it again.

Did you do a LOB? I was recommended the Indo Siren LOB but it is more expensive than Maldive LOB in August and I decided it was a risk due to the currents. I'll be solo and want to get as much diving in as possible. That's why I'm leaning towards a LOB.

 

[Dan]

I've been there 3 x, all with LOB. However, I recently heard that Komodo Resort as posted here seems to be reasonably price & flexible schedule: New Pics from Komodo

You can see in the Manta video shot by @scipionems posted in his thread in the link above, there is not much current to speak of in Taka Makassar (Makassar Reef). I think the best time to go there would be around December-January time. The current there, if any, will be much milder than in the south (Manta Alley)

I went with Raja Ampat Liveaboard Diving, also Komodo, Alor, other Indonesia twice in June (Manta Alley) & December (Taka Makassar) & Mermaid Liveaboards | Liveaboard Scuba Diving Vacations | Hammerhead Indonesia once in August (Manta Alley). Saw plenty of mantas in all 3 trips. Both liveaboards are good. Grand Komodo is more on the budget side. Mermaid liveaboard is more on the luxury side.

I took the 10-day roundtrip Bali-Komodo-Bali with the fast metal boat of Mermaid 1. That is still one of the best liveaboard experience I ever had, better than the 7-day Galápagos Master that I paid twice as much for less number of dives.

 

[tholden1]

Thank you Dan_T. I'll look at those LOBs. A 10-day trip is what I was considering. And, given your experience on the Mermaid 1, I'll definitely look at them. I appreciate it.

 

[Christopher_B]

Maldives can have strong currents when diving the passes on rising tides (best time for shark action).
Bali has good reef manta sighting, and mola mola, but not much other big stuff. Tofo in Mozambique can be good, though sightings not as frequent as they used to be (daily). Raja Ampat can be good, though I hear Manta Sandy has been badly affected by over diving and poor diving practice. But August is not the time to see them there. September to June for reef manta, December to April for Giant manta in the Dampier Straits part of Raja Ampat.Revillagigedos Archipelago (aka Socorro) is amazing for giant manta, but late November to end of May is the season. Puerto Lopez, Ecuador is very good for giant Manta in August, south of Guayaquil.

 

[Matthew Whitlow]

Where is the best place to go in August to see Manta Rays? Right now I'm thinking the Maldives on a LOB. I don't want to fight strong current, so I think that takes Indonesia out of the picture. Fiji looks interesting but I think the Maldives will have more big stuff.

I don't care about corals, or macro life. I want the big stuff, and primarily Mantas. Where should I go?

Thanks.

Kona , Hawaii, kona dive company. 2 tank dive for 150.00. Manta Ray night feeding. I am headed there on aug 11th, diving on the 14th

 

[outofofficebrb]

Thank you Dan_T. That is great to hear. I have heard great things about Komodo and I have always wanted to visit Bali. My information has only come from general research from sites that say the current can be strong there. I had not gotten that from any true accounts of diving there during that time. Hearing that it may not be that bad makes me consider it again.

Did you do a LOB? I was recommended the Indo Siren LOB but it is more expensive than Maldive LOB in August and I decided it was a risk due to the currents. I'll be solo and want to get as much diving in as possible. That's why I'm leaning towards a LOB.

Komodo was my first LOB and my requirements were AC, private rooms (can be shared with another buddy but not dorm style), and a head that we could share in our room. I did Komodo Dive Center's LOB on the Mastro Aldo. I did 4 days but you can do 7. for 4 days it was $850. It included no equipment but included a DM with a 4 to 1 ratio. Tanks/air/weight obviously included. All meals and beverages except alcoholic but those were by the bottle and relatively inexpensiv (beer). See if Martyn is still on it - he was the best DM I ever had and I tipped him well to show him my appreciation.

Currents can be strong but if you have someone that knows the park well and the tides, it's good. I went with about 40 dives at the time and was a little nervous but ended up with an amazing time.

There are some sites where there will be current (drift dive) for the mantas but we just dumped all of our air, stuck our muck sticks into the sand or between the coral and hung on for the show.

 

[Dan]

Thank you Dan_T. I'll look at those LOBs. A 10-day trip is what I was considering. And, given your experience on the Mermaid 1, I'll definitely look at them. I appreciate it.

Travel half around the world from Texas to Bali, I usually take a minimum of 2 weeks (15-16 days if you leave on the weekends, leaving from Houston on Saturday & returning back in Houston on Sunday, 2 weeks later). You will also lose 2 days on the way there, but gain a day on the way home. So, if you leave on Saturday from Houston, you'll arrive in Denpasar on Monday morning (as you will lose Sunday when you pass the international date line). On the way home, you can leave Saturday evening 2 weeks later from Denpasar & arriving in Houston on Sunday afternoon. That gives us full 13 days there.

When I did this trip with Mermaid I in August 2014, I also dove for 3 days in Bali (Menjangan, Tulamben & Nusa Penida). On the last day in Bali, I went with 2-boat dive to Nusa Penida to see manta & Mola-Mola (see my avatar) in the morning before boarding the Mermaid in Benoa.

That's the nice thing about doing the roundtrip Bali-Komodo-Bali. You won't lose a day due to no fly time since you don't need to fly from Denpasar to Labuan Bajo. You would actually be cruising from Bali to Komodo & dive along the way to Komodo. Mermaid metal liveaboard is a fast cruiser, unlike the wooden phinisi liveaboard.

There is a dive site around Sangeang, northeast of Komodo, where you might see lava coming out of Gunung Api & flowing into the see, if you are lucky enough timing wise to be there at the right time. But, you would definitely see the natural gas bubbling out from the sea bottom while you are diving there. You would feel like diving in giant aquarium with all those bubbles in the water. A cool dive site. You won't be able to dive there if you just do the diving in Komodo NP, as it is out side of the marine park.

I hope the next year Houston-Denpasar roundtrip flight would still be as cheap as now. I bought my tickets with Singapore Airlines for $680 roundtrip for November trip this year. We (13 of us) are chartering a liveaboard to do 12-day crossing from Ambon to Sorong, passing Banda Sea & Raja Ampat.

BTW, you would need to buy the tickets & book the liveaboard about a year in advance.

Happy diving!

 

[Dan]

Maldives can have strong currents when diving the passes on rising tides (best time for shark action).
Bali has good reef manta sighting, and mola mola, but not much other big stuff. Tofo in Mozambique can be good, though sightings not as frequent as they used to be (daily). Raja Ampat can be good, though I hear Manta Sandy has been badly affected by over diving and poor diving practice. But August is not the time to see them there. September to June for reef manta, December to April for Giant manta in the Dampier Straits part of Raja Ampat.Revillagigedos Archipelago (aka Socorro) is amazing for giant manta, but late November to end of May is the season. Puerto Lopez, Ecuador is very good for giant Manta in August, south of Guayaquil.

There are other big fish to see in Bali, other than the Manta & Mola Mola. I saw this 5' brown-marble grouper & school of bumphead parrotfish in SS Liberty wreck in Tulamben. You just need to get the right timing & guide to see them.

 

[tholden1]

I met a guy this weekend that has done thousands of dives. He said that although Indonesia has some great diving, if I want to see a Manta Ray then I should go to Kona and do the night dive. He said I can see them all week long and they get very close. He said in Indonesia, they may get close and I may see them but nothing is really guaranteed.

Kona would be cheaper but there are no liveaboard options out there and I'll be there solo. I don't think Hawaii is the best place to go alone because most of the islands will be full of couples and such. A liveaboard would be perfect but their one and only liveaboard is full for all of August.

Still, I could travel there and stay in a hotel I guess.

Kona , Hawaii, kona dive company. 2 tank dive for 150.00. Manta Ray night feeding. I am headed there on aug 11th, diving on the 14th

 

[outofofficebrb]

I met a guy this weekend that has done thousands of dives. He said that although Indonesia has some great diving, if I want to see a Manta Ray then I should go to Kona and do the night dive. He said I can see them all week long and they get very close. He said in Indonesia, they may get close and I may see them but nothing is really guaranteed.

Kona would be cheaper but there are no liveaboard options out there and I'll be there solo. I don't think Hawaii is the best place to go alone because most of the islands will be full of couples and such. A liveaboard would be perfect but their one and only liveaboard is full for all of August.

Still, I could travel there and stay in a hotel I guess.

I dove Komodo for 4 days and saw them on the last day. We had 3 dives with them. They weren't at all their usual suspected places in September until the last place we tried. Then again, nothing is guaranteed but without the mantas, it is still AMAZING diving there. You would be surprised how inexpensive Indonesia is. On a per day basis with diving, food, and accommodations, Hawaii is much more expensive.