Indonesia - January or May/June ?

Ashantiashanti · Nov 25, 2012

Hello there,
was wondering; when's the best season or time to do some diving in Indo? We might be able to go this Jan, otherwise sometime in May/June.
We're Manta Lovers, and according to this website Top 5 Dive Destinations For Manta Ray Encounters the best time is around May. But again other searches state all year, such as Queen of Mantas

And due to the Mantas, our #1 destination will be Raja Ampat, especially after finding out that one can find budget accommodation in Raja Ampat. But any other budget, yet not over-crowded dive destinations in the region? (We have just been in Egypt diving, and despite having a private guide with private car, we couldn't stand the massive resort groups.)

We're thinking about spending three to four weeks.

jake11 · Nov 25, 2012

We were in Komodo in June one year and saw lots of mantas at Manta Alley! We were in RA in Feb. and saw only 1 manta on the whole trip????
You will still love diving RA no matter what! Have a great trip!

gnulab · Nov 26, 2012

Crossing bali to another island call Nusa Penida, there there are 2 dive sites where you can see manta rays.
Among the locals, they are commonly referred to as manta cleaning station (old) and manta cleaning station (new).
Difference? Not much really, but I find that the manta rays at the old cleaning station tend to be bigger.

Apart from those at Bali, try Komodo and Sangalaki, though at Sangalaki I wasn't as lucky when I was at Hanifaru.

Hope that helps
Henry

Mike Veitch · Nov 26, 2012

For Raja Ampat your best bet is January for sure, weather is quite good at that time of year, whereas it deteriorates starting around May..
If you want to go in May/June then Bali or Komodo would be the better options for sure.

Magrone · Nov 26, 2012

Ashantiashanti:
Hello there,
was wondering; when's the best season or time to do some diving in Indo? We might be able to go this Jan, otherwise sometime in May/June.
We're Manta Lovers, and according to this website Top 5 Dive Destinations For Manta Ray Encounters the best time is around May. But again other searches state all year, such as Queen of Mantas

And due to the Mantas, our #1 destination will be Raja Ampat, especially after finding out that one can find budget accommodation in Raja Ampat. But any other budget, yet not over-crowded dive destinations in the region? (We have just been in Egypt diving, and despite having a private guide with private car, we couldn't stand the massive resort groups.)

We're thinking about spending three to four weeks.

We went to Raja Ampat in March 2011 and had two back to back dives at Manta Sandy with 12 mantas that circled us on the seafloor, almost smothering us when they dropped down to get close. This lasted for an hour and a half. Unforgettable Experience.

MA · Nov 26, 2012

I dived komodo in May, Manta alley was very busy with so many manta's i honestly couldn't keep count. One manta after checking me out for a while, came right up, looked me in the eye then gave me a hug. This actually happened, well the wing wasn't wrapped around me exactly like a hug, but it was over me!

Ashantiashanti · Nov 27, 2012

Oh my, seems most are in favor for May... Which is inconvenient for us now, as it would fit almost perfectly with Jan.. =/
I talked to a liveaboard regarding Komodo in Jan and they claim that the diving is still as great, but that it is the beginning of the monsoon but that they could just go Southwards when the bad weather comes. I'm not sure if this is a market strategy or the truth.

Mike Veitch · Nov 27, 2012

Komodo is great in January yes, can be more rain and the north can be rough.. but, the south in places like Horseshoe Bay and Manta Alley are great at that time of year as the prevailing winds come from the north so the south is protected. The south has blue and warm water in January, whereas in the June-Oct its cold and green... January is one of my fave times for Komodo! And the north can be fine as well, it just depends on what weather system happens to show up when you are there..
However, there doesn't seem to be as many mantas there at that time of year

For mantas in January you are better off in Raja Ampat

Ashantiashanti · Nov 30, 2012

Mike Veitch:
Komodo is great in January yes, can be more rain and the north can be rough.. but, the south in places like Horseshoe Bay and Manta Alley are great at that time of year as the prevailing winds come from the north so the south is protected. The south has blue and warm water in January, whereas in the June-Oct its cold and green... January is one of my fave times for Komodo! And the north can be fine as well, it just depends on what weather system happens to show up when you are there..
However, there doesn't seem to be as many mantas there at that time of year
For mantas in January you are better off in Raja Ampat

Sounds good! Jan/Feb it is then.

Thanks for the input from the rest!

Ashantiashanti · Dec 4, 2012

Another quick question,

We're planning on leaving around 10th of Jan to around 10th of Feb, and have decided to check out both Komodo and Raja Ampat.
We''re coming from Europe, so we'll be flying into Jakarta. Does anyone know what the easiest way would be to do our trip? (in terms of
flights )Raja Ampat then Komodo or vice-versa?

Indonesia - January or May/June ?

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