Blue Manta Explorer

Blue Manta Explorer, 45-meter (148-foot) a steel-hulled vessel accommodates 18 guests in 14 spacious en-suite cabins. It took very little time after her launch for her to become a real favorite.

A word from Dom : ” Boasting a high crew to guest ratio, Blue Manta Explorer offers top-quality service, loads of personal space & she gets rave reviews. She’s a photographer’s dream and is now part of the Explorer Ventures Fleet which has so successfully managed boats in Galapagos and the Maldives. I’m definitely a big fan.”…. Dominick Macan

ON BOARD BLUE MANTA EXPLORER

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STABLE, SUPER SPACIOUS WITH EVERY AMENITY YOU DESIRE

The size and steel construction of this vessel ensure stability and comfort on the long crossings in Indonesia. In spite of her extra size, however, she is designed to take only 18 divers (although there are 14 roomy cabins & a maximum of 22 passengers is possible for a full charter).

For your relaxation hours, you can chill out on the huge top sun deck, which features lounge chairs for sunbathing as well as a covered area. Below that, on the upper deck, you find an good-sized al-fresco aft deck dining area. Also, six of the cabins, all with picture windows, are located on this level. On the main deck is the indoor air-conditioned room for dining in cooler weather as well as the interior salon, equipped with a large, flat screen plasma TV, DVD and media server entertainment system, plus comfy seating, Four more cabins are situated in front of the salon. The dive deck & big swim platform are situated aft on this deck with an unusually large camera room, with everything a photographer needs, conveniently located just next to it. The final four cabins are on the lower deck.

Meals are truly plentiful and prepared by top quality chefs. They consist of both Indonesian and Western fare served buffet-style. You’ll enjoy a Nespresso coffee-making machine for your daily fix. Amongst the crew, you’ll find two masseuses and you’ll enjoy a warm towel, hot drink and fresh fruit after every dive. The Wi-Fi is connected via Satellite with 24/7 connection.

LAYOUT & SPECS

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DECK PLAN

LOWER DECK

MAIN DECK

UPPER DECK

SPECIFICATIONS

Length overall: 148 ft (45 meters)
Beam: 29 ft (9 meters)
Main engines: 3 x Yanmar, 826 hp
Generators: 3 x Yanmar
Cruising Speed: 10 knots
Fuel Capacity: 11,887 gallons (45,000 liters)
Safety Equipment: Life rafts (2), life rings/strobes, life vests/strobes, emergency position locator, flares, oxygen and first aid equipment
Air Systems: 3 electric Bauer compressors with nitrox membrane, producing 32% nitrox, bank storage
Tenders: Rigid hull inflatables (3), used for passenger transport and diver pickup
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ITINERARIES

The Blue Manta Explorer offers 3 main itineraries: Raja Ampat, October to April … Ambon, Banda Sea & Forgotten Islands, March, April, & mid-September to December … Komodo, which is generally best from May to November. {slider View the itineraries for Blue manta ….. open |dest|closed}

Forgotten Islands – The dive sites vary greatly, with many presenting exciting pelagic encounters and large, swirling schools fish … while others offer up weird and wonderful creatures hidden away in healthy, colorful corals. You get, at one end of the scale: stargazers, stonefish, ghost pipefish … while at the opposite end jacks, giant trevallies, barracuda, hammerhead sharks, and on certain trips, divers are treated to a salt-water crocodile at one site!

Komodo – perhaps the most diverse of all diving in the Indonesian archipelago. There are seamounts, walls, canyons and pinnacles as well as the spectacular coral gardens. There a hot spring at an underwater volcano, great night dives on black sand slopes with creepy, crawly critters. Numerous sites tout pelagic fish, sharks & mantas but, be assured that at each dive site, you’ll experience something different.

Banda Sea, Alor – In Alor & the Banda Sea, you’ll find clear waters full of masses of fish & loads of invertebrates … plus alluring critters. As to topography, you’ll find shear drops, huge pinnacles, great walls … all covered with rich & thriving corals which attract diverse fish life. Add to that, visiting pelagics and you have a magical mix.

Ambon – If you love crazy critters, Ambon is hard to beat. Get your lens ready for rhinopias, pegasus sea moths, countless varieties of frog fish, seahorse, flamboyant cuttlefish, ghost pipe fish and star gazers. Lesser known is the south side of Ambon, which features great colourful walls, caves, swim throughs and healthy reef life with large fish … and more critters.

Raja Ampat – Indonesia’s shining underwater jewel, Raja Ampat has something of nearly everything a diver could want. You’ll dive channels, plateaus, walls & caves … and just plain mud, for the delight of “muck” diving. You’ll swim amongst great swirls of fish and feast your eyes on sponges & corals in scintillating colors. You’ll meet up close & personal, everything from pygmy seahorses to colossal manta rays.

ITINERARY MAPS

KOMODO

RAJA AMPAT

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READ ABOUT INDONESIA DIVING

TRAVEL & CRUISE LOGISTICS

RAJA AMPAT

Raja Ampat trips start and finish in Sorong, West Papua. Blue Manta representatives will meet you at Sorong Airport (SOQ) and transport you to to the boat. It is easiest to fly to & from Sorong (SOQ) via Jakarta (CGK), Makassar (UPG Ujung Pandang), Bali (DPS, Denpasar) or Manado (MDC). You’ll leave port by 5pm the first day and the last dive ends by 12pm on the day before you leave the boat. Blue Manta Explorer sails back to Sorong where she spends her last night After breakfast the final morning, the crew will transfer you to the airport.

AMBON, BANDA SEA & FORGOTTEN ISLANDS

There are several different embarkation & disembarkation points for the Banda Sea diving safaris. Some trips begin or end in Raja Ampat (Sorong) and others in Flores (Maumere). The most common access is from Ambon. Wherever your trip starts and finishes a representative will be there to collect you at the airport on the day of departure and transfer you to your departure airport at the end of your trip. We’ll provide all the details for the specific itinerary you’ve chosen.