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.
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.