Our first liveaboard and our first trip to indonsia. There are few reports about this boat. Anyone have any insights, suggestions, or tips? Not sure what to pack or what to.expect. it is our 30th anniversary and we wanted the best diving in the world. Thanks Bill and Dee Dee
Blue Manta info
- Thread starter wildbill9
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runsongas
Contributor
Bring antacids, indonesian food tends to run pretty spicy. If you are prone to seasickness, bring your patches/pills. Ginger candy also works for mild cases. The manta boats have AIS, so a nautilus lifeline is a good idea. if you plan on having a few cocktails during the trip, i recommend bringing your own spirits. there is a small risk of malaria in indonesia, I took doxycycline for my trip last year.
billt4sf
Contributor
- Messages
- 2,561
- Reaction score
- 1,151
- # of dives
- 500 - 999
I don't know anything about Blue Manta but here are few tips (feel free to ignore ha ha ) for first-timers to Indo:
If you're prone to "the runs" like I am
(or maybe even if you're not), take 4 Pepto Bismols / day as a preventative. Some studies show about 30% of international travelers getting traveler's diarrhea. It's not due to bad water.
Travel a few days early to the region. Sometimes people have trouble with customs or getting their baggage, etc. We like to go diving locally in Bali before a big trip to get all out gear (and our heads) squared-away before we get on a boat we're paid lots of money for.
Bali can be a nice spot before or after your trip. Traffic is awful though.
Jet lag coming to Asia isn't NEARLY as bad as jet lag going East back to the US.
If you get on the boat and the dive guide isn't working out, talk to him. If that doesn't work, ask the trip leader for a change.
Make sure you're squared-away regarding seasickness before you go. My wife wears the scopolamine patch on all boats, I'm almost always good on any boat.
You WILL have currents. The issue is how strong and what types they are. Resident DMs should be pretty good at spotting the bad ones, but no one can predict the ocean. Be sure to bring all your safety gear and know how to use it. If you're not used to currents, go somewhere like Cozumel to get some experience, it will help you be more relaxed. Being able to shoot an SMB from depth and to deal with a blue water ascent could be very useful. Your profile says 500 - 999 dives, so probably not a problem but there are a lot of currents here.
I hope this is useful. Feel free to ignore me, no worries!
- Bill
If you're prone to "the runs" like I am
(or maybe even if you're not), take 4 Pepto Bismols / day as a preventative. Some studies show about 30% of international travelers getting traveler's diarrhea. It's not due to bad water.Travel a few days early to the region. Sometimes people have trouble with customs or getting their baggage, etc. We like to go diving locally in Bali before a big trip to get all out gear (and our heads) squared-away before we get on a boat we're paid lots of money for.
Bali can be a nice spot before or after your trip. Traffic is awful though.
Jet lag coming to Asia isn't NEARLY as bad as jet lag going East back to the US.
If you get on the boat and the dive guide isn't working out, talk to him. If that doesn't work, ask the trip leader for a change.
Make sure you're squared-away regarding seasickness before you go. My wife wears the scopolamine patch on all boats, I'm almost always good on any boat.
You WILL have currents. The issue is how strong and what types they are. Resident DMs should be pretty good at spotting the bad ones, but no one can predict the ocean. Be sure to bring all your safety gear and know how to use it. If you're not used to currents, go somewhere like Cozumel to get some experience, it will help you be more relaxed. Being able to shoot an SMB from depth and to deal with a blue water ascent could be very useful. Your profile says 500 - 999 dives, so probably not a problem but there are a lot of currents here.
I hope this is useful. Feel free to ignore me, no worries!
- Bill
Dan
Contributor
Hot out of the press: KM Blue Manta, the Banda Sea, Forgotten Islands, Alor trip report in Undercurrent, Consumer Reporting for Serious Divers Since 1975 February 2018 Issue.
The bottom line:
7 of us are booked for Ring of Fire Sep 9-19, 2019 trip on this boat
White Manta Diving - Maumere-Alor-Banda-Ambon
The bottom line:
7 of us are booked for Ring of Fire Sep 9-19, 2019 trip on this boat
White Manta Diving - Maumere-Alor-Banda-Ambon
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