Real Time Blue Manta Review: Banda Sea 9 – 19 Sept 2019

[scubaNYC16]

Yes, 5 showers with soap and shampoo. After our dives they had benches for you to sit down and get your wetsuit off. Anytime I struggled to get my hooded vest off, one of the crew would help me.

 

[outofofficebrb]

ATTENTION BLUE MANTA:

It may be wise to NOT state the specific location(s) that we found sharks.

Shark finners might well monitor this site.

- Bill

It would be best to not post that hammies have been seen until the end of the trip or at the very least until another day. There are apps that track and offer info on where specific boats by name are around the world in real time.

 

[acidrush]

It would be best to not post that hammies have been seen until the end of the trip or at the very least until another day. There are apps that track and offer info on where specific boats by name are around the world in real time.

Yes I agree, especially it is a lesser known site that most other boats don't visit. I have been on a few other boats on banda sea trips and they don't dive that site.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Better. Water temperature is still the same, 24-25C. Diving with schooling sea snakes is unique experience in Manuk.

What has improved your feeling cold and "starting to hate" the trip? Has it been improved because seeing hammerhead and diving with snakes warmed you up?

 

[outofofficebrb]

What has improved your feeling cold and "starting to hate" the trip? Has it been improved because seeing hammerhead and diving with snakes warmed you up?

Or he’s just numb from the cold and can’t feel it anymore

 

[Dan]

Yes, 5 showers with soap and shampoo. After our dives they had benches for you to sit down and get your wetsuit off. Anytime I struggled to get my hooded vest off, one of the crew would help me.


View attachment 540437

The warm water couldn’t keep up with 21 divers with freezing buns.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I'm getting nervous about my compressed 5mm suit. Debating whether even a Frogskin top underneath and a Frogskin hood will be enough. I can also bring a 1.5mm zip vest...and a 5mm hooded vest. That will put me into a 2nd checked bag but I am prone to feeling cold. I was just in a 75F pool last night with a 3mm and was cold. #warmwaterwhimp

 

[Dan]

What has improved your feeling cold and "starting to hate" the trip? Has it been improved because seeing hammerhead and diving with snakes warmed you up?

The choppy surging waves were pretty much flooded the loading deck to as far as below the knees. At one time the surge almost took my wetsuit away (after I remove it & place it on the bench for the cold shower) to the sea. The sea level loading deck on the stern is a bad design for choppy weather.

To date the visibility has been murky. Forget about taking picture of the hammerheads at such condition without lights.

 

[Dan]

Dan, If I remember correctly, the Blue manta has hot water showers on the back deck (I might be wrong). Get some warm water into your wetsuit before the dive. Better still rinse wetsuit with warm water before getting it on.

Thanks for the tip. I’ll try to imagine a nice warm water coming out of them shower.

 

[Dan]

I'm getting nervous about my compressed 5mm suit. Debating whether even a Frogskin top underneath and a Frogskin hood will be enough. I can also bring a 1.5mm zip vest...and a 5mm hooded vest. That will put me into a 2nd checked bag but I am prone to feeling cold. I was just in a 75F pool last night with a 3mm and was cold. #warmwaterwhimp

You’ll be fine. By October it’ll be a bit warmer, but the hammerheads may move elsewhere for colder water though.