You can now scuba with Explorer Ventures in Indonesia!

[EVMia]

EXPLORER VENTURES LIVEABOARD FLEET ANNOUNCES TWO NEW INDONESIA VESSELS

From pygmy seahorses to Komodo dragons, experience all that the Indonesia Archipelago has to offer!

Explorer Ventures is proud to announce its new partnership with White Manta Diving, Indonesia. The addition of the M/V Blue Manta Explorer & the M/V Raja Manta Explorer expands the Explorer Ventures Fleet's offerings to include the beautiful waters of Indonesia.

The Blue Manta Explorer offers itineraries through Ambon, Banda, Forgotten Islands, Komodo and Raja Ampat. The kaleidoscopic reef color, incomparable biodiversity and photographic opportunities in these regions are unsurpassed anywhere else on earth! The large steel-hulled vessel can accommodate from 18 to 22 guests, depending on the charter, and measures 45 meters in length (148 feet) with 14 spacious ensuite cabins situated over three decks. Single travelers desiring privacy pay a low 10% single supplement. A sundeck with lounge chairs for sunbathing and a covered area for shade are ideal spots for relaxing between dives. The vessel provides both open alfresco and indoor air-conditioned dining areas to enjoy one of the many scrumptious meals prepared by the vessel's three top quality chefs! The salon, located on the main deck, has a plasma TV, DVD and media server. The ample dive deck is equipped with individual rinse tanks and a sizable camera room. With 20 highly trained crew members, the Blue Manta Explorer is dedicated to providing exceptional service and thrilling dive adventures, while maintaining the highest safety standards.

With a major makeover in 2016, the Raja Manta Explorer is a boat designed for divers, by divers. Offering exciting itineraries through Ambon, Banda, Sangalaki and Raja Ampat, the 37 meter (121 foot) steel-hulled vessel is stable, strong and reliable, making it perfect for extended itineraries in the fabled Coral Triangle. With 8 ensuite cabins and 3 shared-facility cabins, the Raja Manta Explorer can comfortably accommodate up to 22 guests served by her 18 crew. There is an enormous dive deck, designated rinse tanks for cameras, worktables and charging stations. You'll savor the warmth of the tropical sun while unwinding between dives on the vessel's spacious full-length sundeck. The outdoor dining area is the perfect place to relish the three plentiful meals prepared daily by our fantastic Thai chef. The chef's blend of Western and Asian cuisine is sure to delight! The large indoor salon features a digital media center, sound system and widescreen plasma TV for your entertainment.


Learn more about the M/V Blue Manta Explorer & M/V Raja Manta Explorer!


With the addition of Blue Manta Explorer and Raja Manta Explorer, the Explorer Ventures Liveaboard Diving Fleet grows to 8 liveaboard vessels operating in 6 destinations including the Northeastern Caribbean (Saba/St. Kitts), the Turks & Caicos Islands, the Galapagos Islands, the Maldives and the Indonesia Archipelago. The M/V Turks & Caicos Explorer II also spends 10 weeks in the winter/spring offering snorkeling with Humpback Whales on the Silver Bank, Dominican Republic, under charter to Aquatic Adventures.

For more details on these Indonesia itineraries or those in any of Explorer Ventures’ unique destinations, visit www.ExplorerVentures.com, call 800-322-3577 (US/Canada), +1 307-235-0683 or email info@ExplorerVentures.com.

 

[drrich2]

Good to hear. One thing I noticed that bears singling out (no pun intended):

Single travelers desiring privacy pay a low 10% single supplement.

A quick scan over your site and this thread left me with an observation, and a couple of questions.

Observation: Your boat's schedules vary a lot in trip duration - like 6 to 10 days, and it seems kind of random. Is this because of groups booking the boat, changes in itinerary or what?

Looking and trip durations that seem common in trip reports, let's take 2 trip durations, a 7-day and a 10-day Raja Ampat trip, for examples. If the weather's pretty good, about how many dives would be offered on each of those?

Looks like both vessels offer nitrox. Any word on whether they'll offer tank sizes over 80 cf?

Thanks.

Richard.

 

[Lorenzoid]

What's the advantage of a partnership with White Manta Diving? I took a Komodo trip with them aboard the Black Manta. Great outfit, I thought of White Manta. Based on that, I wouldn't hesitate to take their Blue Manta or Raja Manta. So is this just sort of a co-branding thing? Or is Explorer Ventures adding something?

 

[Trailboss123]

Good to hear. One thing I noticed that bears singling out (no pun intended):



A quick scan over your site and this thread left me with an observation, and a couple of questions.

Observation: Your boat's schedules vary a lot in trip duration - like 6 to 10 days, and it seems kind of random. Is this because of groups booking the boat, changes in itinerary or what?

Looking and trip durations that seem common in trip reports, let's take 2 trip durations, a 7-day and a 10-day Raja Ampat trip, for examples. If the weather's pretty good, about how many dives would be offered on each of those?

Looks like both vessels offer nitrox. Any word on whether they'll offer tank sizes over 80 cf?

Thanks.

Richard.

I took a bit of a deeper dive into the website and found some details on itineraries and expected # of dives per day. Here is one example. Like you, very happy to hear about the 10% single supplement! Wow!
Blue Manta Explorer - Komodo Itinerary - Explorer Ventures

 

[Trailboss123]

and here:
Sample Itinerary Komodo North & South 8D/7N 20 Dives (schedules are subjected to changes according to weather and sea condition).

Day 1. (1-2 dives) Our staff will meet you in Labuan Bajo Airport and transfer you to Blue Manta Explorer. Depending on arrival time, we do check dive at Bidadari and night dive at Pulau Sebayor in Central Komodo.

Day 2. (4 dives) North Komodo; Castle Rock, Crystal Rock, Shotgun, Gili Lawa. Pinnacles, drift dives and reefs full of action with hunting pleagics, jacks & sharks!

Day 3. (4 dives) North/Central Komodo; Tatawa Besar & Kecil, Batu Bolong, stunning coral gardens with amazing fish life. On to Wainilu for an amazing night dive.

Day 4. (4 dives) Central/South Komodo; Padar Island; one of our favorite regions in the park with some stunning and diverse dive sites such as Three Sisters and Pillarsteen.

Day 5. (4 dives) South Komodo; Manta Alley provides some of the best Manta Action in the region with large aggregations of these marine mega stars visiting for both cleaning and feeding action.

Day 6. (4 dives) South Komodo; Nusa Kode; Cannibal Rock, Yellow Wall, Torpedo Alley, Crinoid Crack. Macro; nudibranchs, octopus, frogfish, pigmy seahorses, & more.

Day 7. (2 dives) Central Komodo; More Manta Action at Makassar Reef followed by a final dive in Current City. Finally enjoy a walk on the wide side in search of Komodo Dragons, and then back on board to relax as we sail towards Labuan Bajo, where you spend last night on Blue Manta Explorer in Bajo Port.

Day 8. (0 Dives) 6am-12pm; check out after Breakfast, farewells and transfer to airport. Take your pre-booked flight from Labuan Bajo.

Trailboss says: Looks more like 20-24 dives to me-- they probably state 20 to cover themselves.

 

[EVMia]

Hi everyone!
Thanks for checking all the info out - I want to make sure I have all the answers right (everything is so new!) and then I'll get back to you.
We're so excited about being able to now offer this exquisite destination to you all!
Mia

 

[drrich2]

I notice for other destinations you're already servicing you've got airfare booking capability. I don't see that for Indonesia yet, and it would be useful. When planning a U.S. or Caribbean trip, I generally research and book it myself. Not hard to do. When considering a trip half-way round the world, with very long flights and multiple connections including places where English is not the dominant language, very far from familiar people and places, where one might want to arrive a day or two early and stay at a hotel as insulation against delayed or cancelled flights, etc..., it seems like a travel agent would be the way to go. Especially since a number of the regional boats would be businesses a U.S.-based diver would have no familiarity.

I've not been there; I've got this tentative pipe dream that maybe someday if I'm blessed with a good retirement, maybe I can celebrate by taking off a couple weeks to go to a 10-day live-aboard in either Raja Ampat or Komodo. I figured I'd contact Maduro or Caradonna or similar.

If Explorer-Ventures combines a near-U.S. good brand name with effective 'travel agent' capability to provide a 'turn key' product (in other words, I show up at, say, Nashville Airport with my bags, and the trip just happens from there), that could be great.

Richard.

 

[Lorenzoid]

We're so excited about being able to now offer this exquisite destination to you all!
Mia

That's what isn't clear to me. They are (or at least have been) White Manta Diving's boats, and they have been offering these destinations for some time. What's Explorer Ventures' role in this "partnership" with White Manta Diving? Why would I not just book a trip via White Manta's website as before?

 

[charlier]

Explorer Ventures provides another web portal and publicity for the Blue Manta and Raja Manta. One can easily book via their web site, but many divers prefer to work with a USA representative that can also provide airline and hotel bookings. Full disclosure, I used to be a dive guide on the White Manta.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Explorer Ventures provides another web portal and publicity for the Blue Manta and Raja Manta. One can easily book via their web site, but many divers prefer to work with a USA representative that can also provide airline and hotel bookings. Full disclosure, I used to be a dive guide on the White Manta.

I see. I have never found booking air and hotel to be difficult--again, these days it's as easy as a click of the mouse--but I suppose I can see the allure of a "package" if they offer that. If airfare, transfer hotels, etc., could be lumped together into a package that costs less than I could book it separately, I would be interested. Someday I will take a group trip and sit back and let someone else deal with the logistics.

What happened to @Zippsy ? He hasn't been seen on SB in a few months. Is he still with White Manta?