Well, let me start this off by writing I do not work for any dive center and I have been living and working in Thailand for about 3 years. The Black Manta is my second liveaboard. I was previously on a more expensive and upscale boat (Philkade) about 1.5 years ago (Oct 07). The master cabin on the Philkade is amazing. Too rich for my wallet 
It is perfect if you really want to impress you partner. The Manta is not as posh but very nice indeed.
The Boat:
It is very comfortable. There is plenty of room to move about. The deluxe is worth the upgrade to get the private bathroom IMO. Being on the 2nd level you can open the cabin windows. This is really nice if you tend to get congested from air conditioning. The dining area had several tables making it easy to move around and chat with divers in different groups.
The Crew:
First rate! Owen, Chris and Ohn did a great job as dive guides. I think Ohn has the best eyes of any dive guide I have been with so far. A few divers had issues with their private gear and the crew easily made adjustments by swapping in SPGs and first stages. Nothing slowed the diving down. The choice of music and good humor of the support crew made for a really nice atmosphere. When coming back to Phuket the boat encountered a school of dolphins. The captain slowed down and made several slow speed wide circles to the delight of everyone on board. Time was not so much the issue but rather marine life was. The Thai crew seemed to be equally delighted by seeing about 15-20 dolphins swimming around the boat.
Food:
Mostly Thai, but with a lot of variety and plentiful. You will not go hungry, that is for sure! The beer choice was limited to Singha. Bring some of your own... for the evenings.
Dive Conditions:
The Similans Temp 28-29, vis in the 30m range on average.
Two large Mantas on Tachia Pinnacle. One was about 4m across. The diving tends to be deep and a bit of current is to be expected. You really should be AOW with a few dives under your weight belt to get the most out of it. You will routinely be at depth nearing NDLs, so bring a computer or at the very least rent one from the boat.
Criticism:
When leaving the boat only one van was provided for 8 people. That was not so much the issue, but the gear in the back of the van was a bit too cramped together. I hate seeing my gear bag and regs with heaps of other luggage on top of it. I think they should have split the group up.
I know of at least two others that were on this trip that are active on SB. I hope they share their thoughts as well. Not to mention some of the great pictures they took. I organized a small group this year and would highly consider doing the same trip on the Manta next year as well. I think we really lucked out at a few sites as we had some to ourselves. I went at the beginning of the season last time and found it much better this time. Much calmer water and more big fish.
It is perfect if you really want to impress you partner. The Manta is not as posh but very nice indeed. The Boat:
It is very comfortable. There is plenty of room to move about. The deluxe is worth the upgrade to get the private bathroom IMO. Being on the 2nd level you can open the cabin windows. This is really nice if you tend to get congested from air conditioning. The dining area had several tables making it easy to move around and chat with divers in different groups.
The Crew:
First rate! Owen, Chris and Ohn did a great job as dive guides. I think Ohn has the best eyes of any dive guide I have been with so far. A few divers had issues with their private gear and the crew easily made adjustments by swapping in SPGs and first stages. Nothing slowed the diving down. The choice of music and good humor of the support crew made for a really nice atmosphere. When coming back to Phuket the boat encountered a school of dolphins. The captain slowed down and made several slow speed wide circles to the delight of everyone on board. Time was not so much the issue but rather marine life was. The Thai crew seemed to be equally delighted by seeing about 15-20 dolphins swimming around the boat.
Food:
Mostly Thai, but with a lot of variety and plentiful. You will not go hungry, that is for sure! The beer choice was limited to Singha. Bring some of your own... for the evenings.
Dive Conditions:
The Similans
Temp 28-29, vis in the 30m range on average. Two large Mantas on Tachia Pinnacle. One was about 4m across. The diving tends to be deep and a bit of current is to be expected. You really should be AOW with a few dives under your weight belt to get the most out of it. You will routinely be at depth nearing NDLs, so bring a computer or at the very least rent one from the boat. Criticism:
When leaving the boat only one van was provided for 8 people. That was not so much the issue, but the gear in the back of the van was a bit too cramped together. I hate seeing my gear bag and regs with heaps of other luggage on top of it. I think they should have split the group up.
I know of at least two others that were on this trip that are active on SB. I hope they share their thoughts as well. Not to mention some of the great pictures they took. I organized a small group this year and would highly consider doing the same trip on the Manta next year as well. I think we really lucked out at a few sites as we had some to ourselves. I went at the beginning of the season last time and found it much better this time. Much calmer water and more big fish.
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