Where am I going to dive with Mantas?

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caymaniac

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Is Yap the only spot that I could be guaranteed to dive with Mantas, does anyone know other choices?
Thanks,
Caymaniac
 
may be a bit late...but my brother dived with a 3m span manta off hastings Reef 10 days ago two hours out of Cairns, and a smaller speciman was spotted the night before. He didn't have time to don his gear, so was snorkelling with it for twenty minutes. He swears there was intelligence in its eyes, being only a foot away. He boasts it even gave him a goodbye nudge as it glided away. Definately excited I had to perservere for an hour as he described it to me over the phone from the boat. Definately blown away..he spoke so fast i only got every second word....the DM on board was spittin chips he missed it.

Davo
 
Guarantees are hard to come by anywhere, but Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii comes pretty close for manta sitings. There's a guy named Keller Laros who has carved a little niche out for himself taking people out to dive with the mantas - he works for Jack's Diving Locker and also runs an outfit called Manta Pacific.

Nice, if voluble guy, with a terrific track record. There are other dive outfits (and some of them are very good) in Kona that will take you out, but this guy is the big Kahuna.

Manta Pacific

Jack's Diving Locker

Steven
 
I've only been to Yap...and it was awesome! Apparently, it was a bad time of the year (october) because the mantas were switching from one side of the island to the other. But, we saw mantas on every manta dive, including one that actually "flew" over my head and touched me gently with her wing. I could have reached up and touched her, but I was frozen at that point. It was incredible.

Besides the mantas, the fish and coral life is SO beautiful! These corals are untouched, and I saw more baby sharks in the channels then I could count.

Best thing about Yap (no, I'm not a travel agent..I just LOVE the island) is the culture. It is so untouched by western society, and it is their choice. They, somehow, managed to keep their culture in tack in spite of everything. The stone money, which is still used to buy land and seal agreements, is centuries old. There isn't alot to do topside, except watch the sunset, drink straight from coconuts, and forget everything...to me, its magically and definitely worth the trip.
 
I recently (Just got back on the 17th) dove with Keller (Jack's Diving Locker) and the Manta Rays twice at Garden Eel cove off the coast of Kialua-Kona and it was FANTASTIC. Keller also shoots great video of the dive. As I said, we saw Mantas both times we went out. They claim thier success rate is about 75%.

If They do show, the dive is unforgettable. The Mantas are HUGE, and Keller has them all cataloged... He recognizes individuals by the spot formations on thier bellies.
Big Bertha... a large female that was there on the second dive is 16ft across, and according to Keller around 1500 lbs !!

These were not short encounters... They looped and curled around us for 30+ minutes each time. When they glide over you thier bellies brush your head. (the DM's even have you remove your snorkels for this dive as they might scratch the rays. As an additional plus the Moray eels come out at night, and lurk by the lights waiting to grab one of the goat fish that are attracted to them. The dive is incredible, dont miss it if you get the chance.
 
Ishigaki in Japan (Okinawa) is meant to be good but I think the season is now....

Jonathan
 
Every day in the Manta Channel on Bora Bora, French Polynesia. It will cost you a zillion dollars to see them but they are there.
 
I'm not sure about a gaurantee, but saw a couple in Belize May 2001. I was on the Blue Hole dive trip (highly recommended) and it was the actually the dive after the blue hole. We saw two that were about 6-7 feet accross.

Amazing creatures.
 
Sangalaki (East Kalimantan, Borneo) is a good bet. There was one dive where they were feeding and were flying all over the place; our heads could not swivel around fast enough to catch them all...
They virtually guarantee you sightings of the mantas there - and the island is wonderful, real fantasy desert island stuff..

Also saw mantas in the Maldives - and I have been told that if you go in October, they are just ALL OVER the place...:eek:
 
I did the dive with Keller at Jack's Diving Locker on the Big Island (Hawaii). It was great. We did an late afternoon/early evening dive. At some point the DM's placed lights on the bottom facing straight up. While on surface interval we were watching the lights and saw one go out for several seconds and then come, then go out and come back. The manta's had arrived.

We all suited up and went to about 30 feet where we knelt and watched about 6 mantas feed on the plankton that the lights were lighting up. We sat behind the lights, and they came right at us.

Another place is Ishigaki. A small island which is part of Japan. It is located south of Okinawa and close to Tiawan. We went in March and didn't see any, but I hear you have about a 90% chance in October.
 

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