Diving with Mantas in August - Where to?

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That's too bad. Where did you go in February in Indonesia?

I went to Misool, Raja Ampat, specifically in dive site called Magic Mountain, 3 times around late December, late January & mid March. Always had good luck to see the giant oceanic manta. They are huge. My guess they are about twice the size of the reef mantas that I have seen in any other places (Manta Sandy, Manta Ridge, Manta Alley, Taka Makassar & Manta Point). I have seen the oceanic manta in Blue Magic, central Raja Ampat too.

These giants have a trade mark of white collar and wing tips (not all black top as you usually see on the smaller cousin reef mantas) as shown below:

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We see mantas on basically every other dive here, and we have seen the oceanic ones both here and in the Galapagos, so we weren't all that disappointed at all. I mean, Indo is amazing! We stayed in a resort in Lembeh, then took the SMY Ondina through Raja Ampat. I struggled with photos for the first few days in Raja because there is literally something going on everywhere. And the visibility was a challenge at times. Once I was dialed in with decent conditions, though, it was like taking candy from a candy machine!
 
There's a $600 up-charge total round-trip for the Elite Saver tickets. I assume that is the only way to get the plus size seats.

That's the problem with purchasing tickets in the last minute. I hope you find a good deal still.

Once you are there, the dives wil worth every extra $ you spend on the flight tickets. You'll see why I keep coming back there every year for the last 10 years.

August is the best month to be in Bali & Komodo for me. So, the same to you too, I hope.

This November I'm going back there to see this:

 
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That's the problem with purchasing tickets in the last minute. I hope you find a good deal still.

Once you are there, the dives wil worth every extra $ you spend on the flight tickets. You'll see why I keep coming back there every year for the last 10 years.

This November I'm going back there to see this:


I just did Komodo in September 2016 after Scubaboard successfully convinced me to go because I was hesitant about spending more money on a LOB after plunking down for one in Australia the month before. I wasted no time in booking a trip to Raja Ampat for October 2017 - so excited. I think I have been bitten by the same bug that has bitten you and has you making the voyage back so often. I've read and seen such great things about the Banda Sea and Alor regions that I'm sure I'll be hankering to go back when I get back from Raja! Thanks for sharing the awesome video with the schooling hammerheads. :)
 
If you can swing a trip to Indonesia go for it! You will more than likely not be let down. It's my "goto" for epic diving.
Only problem is you'll sell your left arm to go back.
Us Indo lovers have good reasons to recommend it, it has some of the best diving on Earth, wonderful people, and IMHO is the best value for your diving $ for quality and cost.

Palau is a good option for big stuff too, more sharky than Indo, and pretty nice reefs too. I would choose Indo over Palau as flights to Palau are pretty pricey and the cost of diving is less in Indo.
 
If you can swing a trip to Indonesia go for it! You will more than likely not be let down. It's my "goto" for epic diving.
Only problem is you'll sell your left arm to go back.
Us Indo lovers have good reasons to recommend it, it has some of the best diving on Earth, wonderful people, and IMHO is the best value for your diving $ for quality and cost.

Palau is a good option for big stuff too, more sharky than Indo, and pretty nice reefs too. I would choose Indo over Palau as flights to Palau are pretty pricey and the cost of diving is less in Indo.
YES! What @dirtfarmer said^
 
Does anyone have any pros/cons of Delta vs Eva Air for this flight? Delta would go through Sydney, Eva Air would go through Taipei. And, I'm thinking of not getting the Eva Air Elite, or Delta Comfort Plus since I think both airlines give you alcohol and for each, only one flight would even have the bigger seats (the longest flight at around 13 hours). Paying a premium for only one flight, and then only for a seat upgrade, seems not worth it. I'm 6'2" and so I appreciate more legroom, but I have read that on these planes it's not a big difference and the price difference for the flight is substantial.
 
It looks like Delta is a better airlines according to: Compare Airlines: EVA Air vs. Delta Air Lines

Distance wise, going through Sydney to Bali compare through Taipei, I'll choose Taipei. Sydney is way down under. I'll go there if I want to go diving in GBR.

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EVA.. and I think the elite seats are worth the extra money... Both my boys are 6.2 and they are miserable in economy. I think you also get your own bathroom..separated by curtain from economy.
I personally would always choose an airline from another country over a US based airline. Level of service and attention is just so much higher..usually. Having just flown through Australia 4 times this year, I would avoid it if possible. We had to collect our bags each time and go through customs then recheck and run to next gate. If you do choose to fly through Australia give yourself extra time between flights. I don't think you have to collect bags in Taipei.
 
Interesting. Having flown both airlines, my personal experience ranks EVA much higher than Delta, especially from a service/customer service (in-flight and ground crew) and amenities in flight perspective.

I have flown Delta from San Francisco to Sydney and back recently and flew EVA from Los Angeles to Hong Kong via Taipei. In general, I find all of the Asian airlines (Cathay, Singapore, EVA, ANA, JAL, etc.) all significantly better in service and experience than any of the American carriers.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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