On the 10th of May, the Jaya set off from Labuan Bajo to start Wicked Diving’s first Manta Ray Education trip of this Komodo season. Joining us was returning guest Dan from Australia, who was making his third trip of the row on the Jaya, Chang-Le and Fiona, dive buddies from Oz, Manoj from India, who was especially interested in the education part of the trip as he works in conservation, Michael from Denmark, who has only recently got into diving, but is now hooked, Zdenek from Czechoslovakia who hadn’t dived for a while and was thrilled to get back into the water again and Zach who had already joined a Wicked trip in Thailand and was also super enthused about learning more about the big, graceful rays. Martyn was leading the trip and dive guides were Jo from the UK and Gafur from Komodo island. Also joining was Yadi from Komodo who is also training to be a dive guide. Not to mention the Jaya crew, best crew in Indonesia!
This was a 6 day 5 night trip, and the longer schedule allows us to hit parts of the national park that are too far away for us to get to in a 3 day trip, namely the South of Komodo and the famous Manta Alley. We headed out in the afternoon of the 10th and arrived in Sebayor Kecil in time for a check dive before sunset. We started off in style with lots of schooling fish, leaf fish, cuttlefish, lots of nudis and even a turtle thrown in. After we surfaced, the sun was setting over the beautiful volcanic island of Sangeang. It was then time for a relaxing dinner and for everyone to get to know their fellow passengers.
The next day it was an early start and we headed straight into the park. We began with a lovely dive at Tatawa Besar. The vis was sensational and the stunning coral garden was a treat for all to see. After that we headed to Batu Bolong. The tide was changing to slack, which meant we were able to circumnavigate most of the dive site – unusual and always pleasing. We saw a multitude of fish; giant trevallys cruising, large napoleon wrasse and turtles popping up for air or having a morning feed. Suitably satisfied, we started to head south and after lunch, we made our final dive of the day at 3 Sisters, near to the island of Padar. The site features three submerged pinnacles at varying depth and really is a treat, as long as conditions are right. Luckily for us, it was perfect. The current and surge were both mild, and the vis, although murky in the shallow water, really opened up at depth. We cruised the site and were rewarded with many strange creatures such as sea apples and tube anemones. On top of that we saw turtles and hunting trevally raced through one dive group, giving them quite a fright! For some of the divers, they struck gold when they saw two devil rays cruising just off the main pinnacle. This was an ideal sighting, and led perfectly into the evenings planned talk, entitled, ‘Manta Ray Biology and Ecology’. Jo gave a talk to all guests which discusses mantas, the differences between mantas and devil rays, distribution, feeding habits and mating. Lots of questions came at the end and everyone was starting to get very excited for our dives tomorrow at Manta Alley.
The morning came and we left our sheltered sleeping spot and headed around the south coast of Komodo. We were greeted with waves and swell, quite common for this time of year. Everyone held on their hats, and soon we were tucked in the sheltered cove. It was time for dive one – Manta Alley. Gafur and Martyn checked the current and didn’t get any sightings, however, we kept our fingers crossed and in we jump. Within the first 5 minutes, all groups had already spotted these glorious rays, which were spending time in one of their favoured cleaning stations on the west of the dive site. We hung around for a while, and as the current was only mild, we managed to take in more of the dive site, heading into the mouth of the alley itself. Here, out of nowhere, 8 mantas flew in, at speed, one after another. The following males, were all going for the female out in front. This is recognised courtship activity, which we had spoken about only the previous evening and now we were witnessing first hand. Incredible! Thirteen mantas were counted on total for that dive. After everyone had an opportunity to see mantas for real, Jo gave a second talk to the team. This time is was about identification; how to tell males from females, reefs from giants and also a little on data collection and ID shot photography. Then it was time for another dive. Mantas again, and we had quite a different experience. We watched four mantas calmly cleaning and swimming in and out of the cleaning station. It was a great example of the different types of behaviour we can witness from these gentle giants! At the end of the dive, most divers also saw some mantas at the surface, and Marwan, our dinghy driver, also had a close encounter when he jumped in for a snorkel. The weather had changed a little and the swell was picking up, so we left our sheltered cove and travelled back up to this island of Padar for our third day dive at The Arch. The Arch has only just been discovered and not many boats are diving it, it’s certainly a site we want to keep secret. Smothered in fish, this underwater reef system is comprised of plateaus, walls, ridges and canyon, and of course a large swim through which gives the site its name. There were schools is snappers and sweet lips. Clouds of anthias, hanging over the beautiful coral reef top. Divers played around in the surge, and right at the end of the dive spotted the strange looking bamboo shark. Everyone loved the site, with Fiona putting it in her top 3 dives ever! After that there was a little time to go to the famous Pink Beach, which gets its name from the red coral that breaks down and gives the sand a pink hue. A few games of Frisbee, a bit of jump-rope and a pretty sunset, it was time to head back to the boat for the night dive. The night dive presented the normal array of nocturnal critters, with highlights being the rare and beautiful two spot lionfish, a large broadclub cuttlefish and an inking juvenile squid! Needless to say, everyone was a little pooped after four dives, so it was off to bed, ready for an early start in the morning.
Waking up with the sunrise, everyone brightened up with coffee and then it was time to dive the pinnacle at the front of Pink Beach. It was a very fishy dive, with cuttlefish, turtles and big rays spotted. Then it was time to change the pace a little – walking with the dragons. This trip we went to Komodo for the trek and the rangers delivered, with 5 dragons wandering freely between the forest, view point and savannah area. Not only that, but deers, pigs and jungle turkeys were spotted. Gafur, who spent his childhood growing up with the dragons, successfully brought everyone back safely and off we went to Mauan in search of more manta rays. It was a little hit and miss, mantawise, with only one group spotting a lone manta flyby. However, it was a great dive all the same. We had a bit of a relax and then we stepped up the pace with our first big current dive of the trip – Siaba Kecil. This can be a pretty rapid drift and everyone was amped. We jumped in and it was a rollercoaster. We sped along, whizzing past the schools of fusilier and giant trevally. After about 15 minutes, we rounded the corner and headed into the lee area, where the current was a lot milder. Here we also encountered lots of turtles and some lucky divers got a glimpse of the shy and beautiful mandarin fish. The evening’s activity saw Jo giving the last talk in this three part series, which focuses on ‘Manta Ray Threats and Conservation’. This is probably the saddest and of course the most serious talk of the trip, but it’s also part of the reason for running these types of trips. In a change from last year’s trips, we moved more towards what divers can actually do i.e. their style of diving and responsible interaction with manta rays.
The next day, we started at Karang Makassar, the place to be for mantas in the centre of Komodo. It was an almost slack tide, not much current. It couldn’t have been more different in respect to sightings; Jo’s group saw none, Gafur’s five and Martyn’s twenty!! No matter what experience level, our guides always want to show their guests the best of Komodo, however there are never any guarantees with wildlife! After that, we cruised to the north of Komodo – Cauldron time! Here we spotted the normal sharks, GTs and great big groupers, but some small stuff too, five bargabanti seahorses on one fan and then rays – one honeycomb whipray and two mantas circling! It was an amazing dive and it showcased just what the north of the national park has to offer. Then it was time for Castle Rock…always a big site, on a full moon this dive site can be particularly challenging and this was certainly not a site time for beginners. The site gave sharks, hunting, reef, current and a host of marine life. Even in 15m vis, it can’t fail to stun people with its beauty. Today was a special day, not just because of the diving. It was Gafur’s 30th birthday today, and head chef Ahmed made an amazing cake to celebrate. Then it was time for the new addition to the manta education trip schedule – Martyn’s Manta Song. All of our guests loved it as he took the floor and described lyrically the experience of diving with a manta. It is now a confirmed event in any manta trip! After that it was time for a documentary – Andrea Queen of the Mantas, introducing everyone to this incredible lady and all her work with mantas across the globe.
Unfortunately, we had now reached the last day and last dive and we had a relaxed morning, before jumping in at The Golden Passage. Martyn had planned the dive just right for current and marine life, and the beginning of the dive was spent searching for small things while the second half was drifting along looking at sharks, turtles, GTs, schooling batfish and a school of 50 barracuda on the safety stop. A perfect last dive for a perfect trip After that, sails up, we headed over to LBJ again. On the way we found time to stop for a swim and snorkel. Everyone was eager for a final quiz and Zach was crowned the winner. We are always very passionate about our education trips, and to have guests who were as involved and passionate as this bunch really made it all worthwhile. Divers have a huge part to play in the conversation of the environment they love and we hope all of our guests will spread these messages far and wide. To everyone who joined, thanks so much! We can’t do this without you and we hope to see you again sometime. As for the final meet up and Manggarai Caci Dance performance, well you’d better look out on Facebook for the pictures. Zdenek was the star of the show, putting the Flores warriors in their place. Thanks everyone. Hope to see you again soon.
