Want to see Manta? Alex Mustard did!
A breath taking encounter that only happens in this special lagoon
Head to Monsoon and Hanivaru this October for a spectacle you will never forget! Each summer vast hoards of manta follow the plankton into Hanivaru Lagoon in Baa atoll, looping and rolling before your eyes. This is one of nature’s great wonders and needs to be seen to be believed. Alex Mustard, one of the UK’s premier underwater photographers, headed out to Monsoon to see the spectacle for himself. Nor were he or the team disappointed…
“It is one on the hottest tickets in diving right now: the amazing aggregation of mantas at Hanifaru lagoon in Baa atoll. As soon as I announced I was running a photographic trip there, it was full almost instantly! Unsurprisingly, the group contained some of the UK’s best underwater photographers (who tend to be well informed about the latest hotspots) and a few friends from other countries.
So what of the mantas? Well Hanifaru is an amazing dive. The lagoon acts as like a giant net. When the tide is right the water flows through the lagoon and out over the reef. The plankton don’t want to be washed into the shallows, so swim down into the deeper water of the lagoon and get concentrated in a dense soup. Ideal food for mantas. At times there can be several hundred mantas feeding here in one of the most spectacular sights in the underwater world. The tides never quite aligned during our trip, so we “only” got about 20-30 mantas. Poor us! It was still totally spectacular!
We have weekly departures on Monsoon
We still have spaces this October on Monsoon – dive Hanivaru on the only liveaboard that regularly sails in the Northern Atolls. With her seasoned dive guides and crew, you too can join the action and prepare to be blown away! The focus is certainly the manta but you can also find whalesharks in the midst, following the plankton trail.
Don’t miss out on what is undoubtedly the best diving in the Maldives.
Call the travel team today on 0800 072 8221
to book your spot on your magical manta experience
James Bromige!
Can you spot the fish? Now that's what I call camouflage
This August we asked for your pics of camouflage fish. There are loads of different fish that fall into this cattegory but they are all distinctive for being.. well hard to spot! Scorpion fish, stone fish and frog fish are all adept at blending into the surrounding reef so well done to everyone that has managed to get some great pics of these guys. Chris Frost and David Nurse’s images particularly stood out.
But it is James Bromige that bags the £50 Scuba Travel voucher for this flounder (or is it a plaice…). It is perfectly masked against the sand. It took everyone here a moment to find him amid the background which seemed very apt to the spirit of the competition.
Check out our facebook page for all this month’s entries!
Did you pick up a copy of the Daily Mail this weekend?
If not, then you might have missed their article about Grand Sea Serpent. Our very own luxury liveaboard hit the press with a review about the joys of diving with sharks… an experience most divers rate up there with their fave underwater moments.
As the journalist Anna plunged the depths of the Southern Red Sea and the marine parks, she recalls her inspiring encounters with hammerheads. Just divine! She also enjoyed being spolit rotten on board Grand Sea Serpent 
Follow this link to read the article in full
Call the travel team today on 0800 072 8221
to discuss your next shark adventure
Egypt, the Maldives and Indonesia hit the headlines
Egypt: This week is one for celebration! Martin Warner cunningly enlisted the help of his dive guides on Cyclone to plan a surprise on the Thistlegorm. With their help distracting his buddy, Martin unrolled an SMB with “Will you marry me?” written across it. Eileen turned around to find him on the bow of the Thistlegorm with his proposal. Once she recovered from the shock he got a firm thumbs up. Congratulations to both Martin and Eileen!
Maldives: The Maldives has been hot hot hot this week and all of the action has been at Hanivaru. Monsoon is the only liveaboard to dive this manta filled lagoon every week and Alex Mustard, along with a bunch of talented fellow photographers, enjoyed a special week focusing only on the manta. The lagoon was the main focus but every diver also enjoyed a close encounter on the surrounding reefs too. Orion has made a longer than normal trip up from Male to witness the manta action at Hanivaru too. Their guests found no less than 40 manta and 2 whalesharks waiting. Does it get any better?
Indonesia: The guys in Bali are getting very excited. They are in the process of launching a new catamaran for the diving tours in Bali. The new boat will make the diving all the more comfortable with better facilities on board and more space than ever. It is the perfect compliment to the Bali voyage of discovery. This is a great diving adventure that takes in the real highlights of Bali and from the new catamaran, you can soak up this exotic destination.
Call the travel team on 0800 072 8221
to join these or any of our holidays
Looking for a last minute getaway? Look no further!
The schools are going back, the evenings getting short but the end of the UK summer does not mean the end of the sunny weather… not with Scuba Travel! We still have a few places left on some mind bending special offers.
So if you want to getaway and top up your tan without hurting your pocket, grab one of our last minute diving holidays before it’s too late! Pick from the marvelous northern Wrecks & Reefs, thrilling wall dives in the Southern Red Sea or enjoy a relaxing shorebased break at the Marriott.
Call the travel team on 0800 072 8221
or book online today!
