MANTA MADNESS!

Liveaboard trip 24/10 – 2/11/09

Bali - Komodo Safari
INDONESIA

Mermaid I

What a Grand Finale THAT was : at the very last trip of the Komodo season, we had the fantastic opportunity to dive with 40 (that’s right, folks, forty!) Manta Rays in South Komodo. Wow!! Positioned like stars in the sky, they just stayed in the current for more than an hour. Something to remember indeed! We all came back to the boat speakless, not quite knowing how to handle the experience.

Even though it was hard at the time to remember anything else, we did actually see a whole lot of other things as well. At Cannibal Rock, we found two super rare Rhinopias – one yellow, one orange, Pygmy Seahorses, a blue and red Giant Frogfish and an explosion of Nudibranchs, including a huge Tambja Affini, complete with a pair of Imperial Shrimps onboard.

The nightdives delivered, as they always do on these trips. We had Stargazers, Upside-down Jellyfish, Catsharks and Spanish Dancers.

The last day, we found the very rare (and very shy!) Wonderpus at Sumbawa Island. Walking across the seagrass bed, it didn’t seem to mind too much about all the photographers snapping away.

So, another fantastic season came to an end, and it was time for Mermaid 1 to head back home to Thailand and Phuket. But we’ll be back again in May 2010!

PJ Widestrand

Tourleader and Video-Pro
Mermaid I

Liveaboard trips to Thailand, Burma, Bali - Komodo and Andaman Islands.