Days of true adventure – wandering through the remote areas of the Komodo National Park. These trips are focused on the sites with Sharks or Mantas – depending on the month. We aren’t just “looking at fish” but we’ll be documenting the sightings and special training on these big species and – in the case of Mantas – documenting them through photos and submitting our data. This is done in conjunction with the Manta Trust. All that – plus some of the best food around, fun staff and the only ecologically aware dive boat in the region…the only thing missing is you!
Never Seen a Manta Ray or only briefly? Only seen a shark or two in passing? This trip is where we get down and dive right with them!! We schedule these trips specifically to be at the sites where we have the most encounters and at the time when we are most likely to see them and we time each dive of the day to hit the tides just right. these trips are not just diving – we focus on learning about these species. Not only do we teach, give presentations and have guest lecturers – but we also issue a unique Certification card as well. The sites we visit on these trips are off the beaten path…so we expect to be the only boat at many of the sites. As these trips are only once a month, on the dates that coincide with the best lunar tides it is important to plan far ahead – Check our trip schedules to see which trip suits you.
These are NOT luxury trips! Diving from a traditional Phinisi schooner you are actually aboard piece of living history – not a luxury boat. In our emphasis on reducing the environmental impact of our trips we have several unique options – gravity-fed showers, low volume toilets, biodegradable shampoos and soaps as well as low impact diving. We have chosen to offer our guests the serenity and relaxation of having a “silent” boat at night, so no generator or engines running (except during transit) – thus we do not offer air-conditioning. With battery powered fans, custom made cross-ventilation systems and the breezes off the Andaman sea, this has not proved to be a issue for any of our guests – rather most people prefer the luxury of sitting silent in the middle of the ocean 
Our Komodo Liveaboard trips are offered to enjoy the world, not escape from it. Rather than offering luxuries like TV, aircon, or wireless internet while located in these remote locations, we prefer the luxuries of human interaction. Having our boats set up the way we do, it encourages everyone to gather in the common area which the source of the majority of the complements of our guests. We know that you can go diving with anyone, but that you chose Wicked Diving because our staff strives to make each trip the most memorable it can be by creating an amazing group atmosphere and creating friendships that last well past the end of the voyage. And while we might not have things like aircon, we do supply some very nice amenities – from our handmade organic soaps (locally made) to the massive sun decks for relaxing, there is plenty to make these trips adventurous, fun and memorable.
ask-usManta Ray Research
On the Manta Ray research trips we will dive at sites where manta rays are most frequently encountered. Then we will try to “tag” the Manta Rays – through pictures! With the photos and accurate descriptions of any marks, scars and gender – we add our collective pictures to a worldwide database for Manta Ray sightings. The is pooled with hundreds of other encounters and helps track migratory patterns, population density and much more. That is, if we find Manta Rays!! These, like many creatures, do not abide the will of man and we can only intend to have a Manta encounter, not guarantee one. We will however guarantee you interesting lectures by our staff with lots of information on the life, physiology and threats of these amazing creatures.
On our Komodo Manta Safaris we are looking for images which best show the spots on the underside (ventral surface) of the manta rays. These spots are unique to each and every manta ray, just like a fingerprint they can be used to identify every single individual. Other images which show the top (dorsal surface) of the manta rays, or the tail (ventral) area, can also be used to identify the specific species you encountered and/or the sex of the individual.
Using complex mathematical algorithms, the system automatically locates manta rays within digital images. The computer uses artificial intelligence to learn the features of manta rays so that it becomes better and better at recognising individuals with every new image which is added to the database. Once a positive ID is made, the automated animal recognition technology (ART) generates a biometric-ID from the spot patterns on the manta’s underside. The biometric-ID is then matched against other manta rays in the global database. Where there is a match, the time, date and location are added to the manta’s history file. If there is no match, then a new manta ray history file is created along with its movement data.
Why the Manta Ray Research Matters:
Currently there are no comprehensive management programs for manta rays anywhere in the world, yet they are listed by the IUCN as ‘near threatened’ to extinction. This conservation assessment has not been updated since the discovery of two distinct species. The recent reclassification of the genus has major implications for the conservation assessment of the two species. Each species faces different and specific threats in various regions of the world, and the worldwide IUCN status of the genus requires urgent revaluation in light of this revision.
Wicked Diving offers a unique opportunity to benefit the local community, improve the world around us and have a great diving vacation! We use 2% of all income to support local projects that support the local community, marine research or marine conservation (or all three!). When you dive with Wicked, you make a difference. Please read up on our various projects, and policies on the Ethical Diving page.
