Manta Mania in Komodo!

Liveaboard trip 06/10 – 13/10 2007

Bali - Komodo
INDONESIA

Mermaid I

Unbelievable manta action at Manta Alley, South Komodo!! Over the two dives we did here, we had so many of them we simply lost count… Slowly gliding in to get fixed up at a cleaning station, feeding near the surface, playing in the currents, you name it. We repeatedly saw 10-15 mantas together at the same time. A day to remember, indeed!

We were also very lucky with the smaller stuff; Zebra Crab with eggs, a rare Magnificent Ceratosoma nudibranch, Denise Pygmy seahorses, Upside-down jellyfish (carried round by a Decorator crab!), Giant Frogfish, Xeno Crab, Spanish Dancers and Skeleton shrimps, just to mention a few…

Crystal Rock and Castle Rock delivered as usual, with huge schools of fish, several turtles and plenty of sharks. My favourite here? The five whitetip babies under a table coral!

For underwater scenery, it’s hard to beat Sangeang Volcano. Beautiful soft corals, crinoids and anemones against the black lava sand. In the shallows, you swim between rock formations, with bubbles coming up from the bottom. If you put your hand down, you can feel how hot it is (the volcano is still active). Very special! This place is also good for spotting Blue Ribbon eels, Pegasus-fish, nudibranchs, frogfish and Leaf Scorpionfish.

After a couple of pleasant dives at Moyo Island, it was time to head back to Bali. Most of us spent the afternoon showing photos and videos from the trip, specially from the dives with the mantas!

PJ Widestrand

Video-Pro
Mermaid I

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