Night Manta Ray Dive Advice

[WarmWaterPursuit]

Hi... I'm doing the night manta ray dive next week. If you've done it before, what would you do differently this time, if you were doing it again?

I'm looking for tips at maximizing my trip.

Thanks for your time!

 

[fisheater]

If you're taking pictures, RE-FRICKIN' relax and don't forget the basics. The mantas around you appear to command all of your attention. Don't let them.

It wasn't until my dive was almost over that I realized the reason why my exposures were so bad was that I'd forgotten to turn on my strobe!! All of that fiddling with exposures was for naught.


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[Paco II]

Not sure what the OP's night diving experience is, but if it isn't much, don't stress it at all. It's a super easy dive. Barely a dive at all - just drop down and get comfy. Watch the mantas, have fun.

 

[sffrenchman]

I would recommend that you do the twilight dive, just before the night dive (some ops offer that). You may get to see mantas during the twilight dive as well (we did).

I would also recommend that you do it twice (that's what we did). The first dive was overwhelming (in a good way), and since we knew what to expect, the second dive was even more pleasurable. One other advantage of doing two dives, is that you could be right in the middle of the action on the first and a little removed on the second to get different perspectives.

Don't bother with pictures, they usually have a videographer on the dives and splurge for the DVD.

Finally, you may get a visit from crazy frank, the resident and very friendly moray eel.

Have fun, it is an unforgettable experience.

 

[tsays]

Agree with sffrenchman - video is worth the splurge. We did it with Kona Honu Divers and they did a great job getting lots of footage of everyone and editing it for your specific group. Well worth it.

PacoII is right not much movement on this dive. We had a short detour dive on the way up, but it wasn't the majority of the dive. Used so little air one our dive, I think I had like 800psi upon surfacing.

Wear a warmer than usual wetsuit, you won't be moving around much and even though it isn't all that deep, it can get a little chilly (although we went in April, and the waters are warmer now) and consider a couple of extra pounds so that you sit easily on the bottom. Other than that - get comfy on the bottom and enjoy!

The experience is one of the most beautiful of my diving experiences. I liken it to an eerie ballet in space. Its really amazing to look up see bubbles, light and mantas dancing on them. You'll never forget it.

 

[ItsBruce]

I agree with the warmer wetsuit and the extra weight.

I've gone with Kona Honu several times. They have the biggest most comfortable boat, which makes packing up at night much easier. On one of the dives, the mantas did not show up. We did a nice night dive and then returned to the boat. The owner turned on the boarding lights for us ... and that finally attracted the mantas.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

A little extra weight if there is any surge at all. Other than that, have fun!

 

[JJColorado]

I would say try for one of the smaller operations like Wanna Dive. There will be other boats at the site and being with a smaller group is always nice. It is an amazing experience and was one of my most exciting dives.

 

[WarmWaterPursuit]

Thanks Everyone! You guys are great!! I appreciate the responses....

I'm also doing a 3-tank advanced dive, with Jack's Diving Locker. I'm looking forward to that as well. I'm not entirely sure at this point where the dives will be, but it sounds like a good outfit.

 

[Abidon]

I'd say to make sure you have a very reliable mask that doesn't leak. You're going to spend a lot of the dive looking straight up. Even a tiny bit of water in your mask will immediately run down your nose; making the dive less comfortable. Luckily, my mask performed like a champ during my manta dive and I only had to experience this once. However, I did notice other divers around me who had this problem more frequently.