Mantas in Thailand (Surin Islands)

[Zippsy]

I dive quite a bit around south east Asia and I am perplexed by how divers react to mantas when they show up and Koh Bon and Koh Tachai. Everywhere else I travel, everyone seems to do the same thing... if you see a manta, you get low to the sea floor, or close to the wall and watch. Normally the mantas will then stay around, often for a full dive. Diving that way gets you very long and close encounters in Komodo, Raja Ampat, Bali, Maldives, Anambas, the Spratleys, Sangalaki, etc.

In the Surins, on the other hand, divers regularly wait for mantas by hanging out in the blue, spreading themselves above the reef like little mines ready to explode when a manta is near. They wait, 5, 10, 15, 20 meters off the bottom surrounding cleaning stations. When a manta does come by, everyone races close to get photos or be the one guy in the photo within touching distance. What's up with that? It almost always results in the mantas just passing by and only 25% of the people getting a 15 second cameo and the rest of the people getting a brief glimpse at the most. The guides seem to encourage this behaviour and technique.

FYI, the reaction to whalesharks showing up isn't any better although divers don't seem to wait out in the blue for them.

I'm just curious why this seems unique to the Surins or have I just been lucky on my dives everywhere else.

 

[Tippytoes12]

I think that it is partially inexperience and partially poor briefings by guides. We too have had magical encounters with mantas in the areas you mention.....many Europeans first Asian drive trip would be to Thailand.

 

[Wingy]

Not sure how they are doing it now but I did notice mantas at richeleiu doing ''fly bys'' whereas ten years ago at manta point in n. lembongan it was wait on the cleaning station for them to show up and stay there.

 

[Zippsy]

I think that it is partially inexperience and partially poor briefings by guides. We too have had magical encounters with mantas in the areas you mention.....many Europeans first Asian drive trip would be to Thailand.

But many of the guides were chasing the mantas and hanging out up in the water column too.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Well then Zippsy, there's your answer. Educate the guides/DMs to give better instructional briefings and behave themselves too. Do you see any potential for benefit were you to contact the owners/managers to discuss?

 

[Zippsy]

Hmmmm.... getting all the dive shops in Phuket / Khao Lak together to agree the proper way to dive with big critters. That would be ideal but I fear a pipe-dream. I guess my original post was more of a rant than a plea for a solution.