Blue Manta Liveaboard

This was my first liveaboard and I wasn’t sure about what to expect. From the moment I was picked up at the hotel in Labuan Bajo I was impressed. The Blue Manta is a large, comfortable boat. My cabin was nicer than the two different cruise ships I’ve been on, with a full bathroom, plenty of space for clothing and lots of outlets—even USB ports. Didn’t need to use the outlets, though, as a fully equipped camera room had plenty of outlets for battery recharging. The dive deck is exceptional—each diver has their own station for the week and gear is returned there after each dive. Nitrox fills were great and divers analyzed each tank before diving. The diving was wonderful—diving with mantas was magical. The end of each dive was also a treat—step off the speedboat onto the dive platform to one of six hot showers. Crew help divers take off their wet suits (even pulling off booties and socks) and while divers shower, crew rinse and hang wetsuits and gear and have everything back at your diving station for your next dive. Fresh towel is ready at the end of every dive as well as hot tea or hot chocolate. As if that wasn’t enough, the food was exceptional —special requests (like vegan) were easily catered too with tasty options. The boat does travel to some remote areas so Internet access via onboard Wi-Fi and cellular service were not always reliable—that was the only challenge: having to wait to upload pictures and videos for friends at home to see. Overall a great experience. I would definitely recommend Blue Manta to others considering a trip to one of the areas they serve.

We spent a week on the Blue Manta with the most amazing crew and staff. The locations could have not been better but what makes the trip here so special is the staff and crew. You will experience the entire crew on deck helping to get divers in and out of the dinghies. This is concierge diving and though we were not used to it, it is easy to get spoiled. Raja Ampat is an spectacular destination and we will return.

The journey was seamless and flawless, top quality service and diving experience, everything went absolutely to plan. Which is quite amazing in this part of the world...! Better service than in many parts of Europe even. I recommend it to anyone, you won’t be disappointed xxx