Just to check back in and say: that was an awesome liveaboard! Granted, I’m somewhat easy to please, but the Blue Manta operation was so stellar.
Rooms: 5 star. I had one of the “lowest end” rooms below deck and I felt like it was the high end of rooms on other liveaboards, if not better. Great views, comfy beds, lots of table space, and nice sized bathrooms, holy moly!
Crew: One million stars. Egoi’s briefings and wake up announcements were so much fun, he even sang Feliz Navidad over the loudspeaker for the Christmas wake up call
He was also great in organizing sites for us during their less crowded times. Also, I’m not the most comfortable in certain types of currents (those with up and down drafts) but the DMs helped me a ton with this. There was only one time I had to reef hook in (Manta Ridge) and they helped me figure out how to do it *and* enjoy it (I was so distracted with trying to make sure my slack was just right on my hook and that I didn’t touch coral, that I wasn’t looking anywhere but down, and Batman came by and “told” me to look up so I could enjoy the *tons* of mantas just above and ahead of me). I had one or two other small issues on a couple other dives, but they were great with assisting on that.
Diving style: Oh my gosh, I loved the laid back pace. I usually skip one dive on every liveaboard because they try to cram 5 dives in a day, with maybe an hour and a half at most between them to scarf food and scramble back into gear. Blue Manta’s pace is perfect for me, nice long SIs and nap times. I was actually able to enjoy the boat and the company of my fellow shipmates.
I also really liked how easy gearing up was. They carried everything to the dinghies and you geared up onboard, so much easier that way!
Boat itself: Dive deck is so well organized, I never felt too crowded even with a full boat. The upper deck was beautiful. And it was super stable.
Dive sites: Very cool. Every area had something I enjoyed, though I think Manta Ridge and Melissa’s Garden were my favorites (I’m a coral “architecture” fan and the variety and density at Melissa’s was so wonderful). The only dives I decided not to participate in, other than a few due to ear issues, were Cape Kri and Blue Magic, because I knew in advance of this trip that they are the most current-extreme, and that I wouldn’t enjoy the stress of it. The videos I saw from the people who did dive those spots, with their downward bubbles and cheeks flapping in the current, didn’t make me regret that decision
The only sad thing to see in some areas is that, while the Blue Manta crew is super eco conscious, other operators didn’t seem to care what their patrons did. We saw a boat where everyone was wearing gloves at Manta ridge, and they were just splayed all over the coral. We saw these operators dump people on top of Manta cleaning stations, where they ran into corals and mantas in their attempts to take selfies during descent. I can’t help but think that the only solution here is for tighter government regulation of sites, because clearly the bad operators and patrons seem to outnumber the good ones.
That aside, now I need to figure out my next trip!
