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Manta Alley, Komodo

A truly epic dive site above and below water, Manta Alley is one of the most dramatic dive sites in Indonesia to see manta rays.

Manta ray close-up in the shallows, Manta Alley, Komodo
Manta ray close-up in the shallows, Manta Alley, Komodo © chris@divehappy.com

Manta Alley sits at the very far south of Komodo island, right at the edge of where liveaboards venture. The weather and tides have to be right to let boats safely arrive here, and once at anchor, you can see why: beyond the towering rocks of Nusa Duawaj, there’s just open ocean.

Nusa Duawaj looming over Manta Alley, Komodo
Nusa Duawaj looming over Manta Alley © chris@divehappy.com

The steep cliffs of the rocky islands around Manta Alley dwarf the liveaboard boats that sit in their shadow. The dramatic topside scenery surrounding Manta Alley sets the scene for what lies below the surface.

Manta Alley, Komodo - the view above water
Manta Alley, Komodo – the view above water © chris@divehappy.com
The alley is a channel hewn through the rock of the island, and manta rays like to congregate on either side at cleaning stations and pass through the channel too.

Manta ray with scars, Manta Alley, Komodo
Battle scars, Manta Alley, 2024 © chris@divehappy.com

At depth, it can be quite dark and murky, but if divers stay still and keep low, the mantas remain happily circling the cleaning station, sometimes cruising off into the deep and then circling around behind divers and coming very close. As you’d expect, there can be a lot of current here, but you can always be out of the current on either side of the alley depending on your dive plan.

I have a hazy memory of diving Manta Alley back in 2009 and seeing six or seven mantas stacked up pyramid style in the alley, just hovering in the current and feeding on whatever was being filtered through their gills.

Manta ray in the darker depths, Manta Alley, Komodo
Manta ray in the darker depths, Manta Alley, Komodo, 2024 © chris@divehappy.com

On this trip, we saw seven mantas on one dive, four circling the deeper cleaning station at 22 metres, two more including a black manta showing up as we left, and then one solitary big manta wheeling around in the shallows which made for the most epic safety stop ever. The mantas at depth would have been an awesome dive on their own, but the manta in the shallows in the sunlight and surf of the waves crashing against the rock was just spectacular.

Manta ray close up, Manta Alley, Komodo
Close Encounters, Manta Alley, Komodo, 2024 © chris@divehappy.com

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Start Planning Your Indonesia Dive Trip Now!

:: Check the availability and pricing of liveaboards in Indonesia and book online.


:: Find the cheapest flights to Indonesia - one search will show you the prices and times from scores of airlines for your trip. A real timesaver. You'll typically need to fly into Jakarta and then get a connecting flight to Sorong (SOQ) for Raja Ampat, Labuan Bajo (LBJ) for Komodo, Biak for Cenderawasih Bay (BIK) - but check with your liveaboard operator on optimum flights


:: Make sure you don't forget to bring any of the essentials for your scuba diving trip with our comprehensive Liveaboard Packing List


:: World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while traveling and claim online from anywhere in the world.


:: Find available places to stay in Indonesia on Booking.com - usually you can reserve a room with no upfront payment. Pay when you check out. Free cancellations too. The Jakarta Airport Hotel, located in Terminal 2, is convenient for a transit stayover.


:: Need inspiration? See our Best Places To Dive In Indonesia for ideas of where to go and what to do.


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