What's the best manta experience between Bali and Komodo north/south?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

qwimjim

Contributor
Messages
250
Reaction score
40
Location
Canada
# of dives
50 - 99
If we ignore all the other diving, and just focus on the Manta Bay/Point/Alley type dive sites in Nusa Penida, Komodo North and Komodo South.. which one offers the best experience? Ie. Most manta's, biggest manta's, best vis, easiest currents/conditions?

I'm trying to plan a trip to Indonesia and I'd like to spend a week in Bali, and a week in Komodo, but having trouble figuring out exactly what is the best month to do it. And if there are manta's virtually year round at Nusa Penida, then maybe I don't have to go to Komodo during peak manta season there, since I will have already gotten my fix in Nusa Penida. Unless the experience is much better in Komodo, or the manta's are bigger, more plentiful, clearer waters, etc?

Has anyone done both?
 
Why go that far when you will get so many mantas so often at socorro you'll get bored with them?

My trip in 2019 was amazing

 
Unless the experience is much better in Komodo, or the manta's are bigger, more plentiful, clearer waters, etc?

Has anyone done both?
I don’t recall of any Manta dive in Bali, but I’ve seen Mantas at both Nusa Pendia and Komodo. The waters and visibility at NP was murkier and poorer when I went. Komodo was a much better and grand experience.
 
I don’t recall of any Manta dive in Bali, but I’ve seen Mantas at both Nusa Pendia and Komodo. The waters and visibility at NP was murkier and poorer when I went. Komodo was a much better and grand experience.
Yes, by Bali area I mean Nusa Penida, what time of year did you go?
 
Yes, by Bali area I mean Nusa Penida, what time of year did you go?
Been multiple times…always usually the month of August IIRC
 
NP offers 2 manta sites : Manta BAY good for snorkeling, the mantas feed at surface, no current but some surge hence there is a sh*tload of small boats with snorkelers starting from 9AM better be there early. Diving away from the coast and deeper, it happens I've also seen 3 Mola Mola on this spot in the afternoon, but I guess it was pure luck on this dive.
The other point is called Manta POINT further south from NP where mantas can be seen at a cleaning station 5m deep also in quite murky conditions. You an also continue the dive further away from the coast and down, there will be other manta cleaning spots.

Manta bay at surface


Manta Point deeper cleaning spot


In Central Komodo there are many spots where you can see the mantas roaming.
The main manta cleaning site is Makassar reef, it can be currenty as it is a kind of sand and rubble "runway" for the mantas. There is sometimes diver overcrowding on this site, I remember while I was the only diver on a small speedboat in august there were more than 20 diveboats mooring for lunch in the bay next to this site. Guess where they were offloading their divers one hour before of after...
It's a much better experience when you encounter mantas in the regular coral dive sites around this site such as Mawan, Cauldron, Shotgun or Golden Passage.

Manta on Makassar Reef



Manta early morning near to Golden Passage
 
Because for the price of one week in Socorro I can spend a month in Indonesia :) But one day I will go to Socorro or Malepo... one day!
I guess I got the deal of a lifetime with ~$2600 usd and a free flight to Cabo lol
 
I’ve been to Komodo 3 times & saw Mantas in either the north or south Komodo on each trips, but only in Nusa Penida I was be able to see Manta & Mola Mola at the same trip.

 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

Back
Top Bottom