MAJESTIC MANTAS

Liveaboard trip 05/10 2008 – 14/10 2008

Bali - Komodo
INDONESIA

Mermaid I

It’s all about balance. You know, yin-yang, hot-cold, plus-minus etc. So, after two awesome days in Horseshoe Bay, with all the Nudibranches you could possibly ask for, it was time to work on that delicate balance a bit. Heading to South Komodo and Manta Alley would do the trick, we reckoned, and sure enough, it did indeed! We spent a glorious day with these magnificent animals. Lots of them! The Mantas lined up to get cleaned, they scooped up plankton at the surface, mouths wide open, but most of us opted for the actual alley, where the huge rays were hanging out in the current.

But let’s get back to Rinca Island, and the world famous divesites Cannibal Rock and Torpedo Alley. We had many photographers onboard this trip, and let’s say they were busy! Never have memory cards filled up at this rate. Frogfish, Orangutang Crabs, Longnose Hawkfish and Pygmy Seahorses did their best to grab the attention, but, seriously, this was THE nudi-trip! Pacific Thecacera (a.k.a. ”The Bunny”), Fried Eggs Tambja, Golden Gymnodoris, Psychedelic Sagaminopteron, Spanish Dancers, Sea Hares and the whole collection of Chromodoris, Glossodoris, Nemrotha, Flabellina and Tambja families made these dives very special!
We also stayed two days in North Komodo National Park, and had the chance to dive with Dolphins, Grey Reef Sharks, Whitetips and massive schools of Surgeonfish. Balance!

Rounding this trip off, we did a muck-dive at Sumbawa Island, with Ghost Pipefish, Clown Snake Eels, Harlequin Crabs and a beautiful juvenile Zebra Batfish, before returning to Angel Reef, with its crystal clear water and rich marine life.

PJ Widestrand

Video-Pro
Mermaid I

Live-aboard trips to Thailand, Myanmar, Bali - Komodo and the Andaman Islands.