Good location in Indonesia for Manta rays, Whale sharks?

[44556j]

Hello,



I am trying to find a place in Indonesia that has all three of these animals: manta rays, whale sharks, and mola mola (ocean sunfish, title had no more space). I know you can find both reef and oceanic mantas in Raja Ampat, Whale sharks in Cenderawasih Bay, and Mola mola in Crystal Bay in Bali. I also heard that Triton Bay is a good area to observe whale sharks. I read that sometimes you can observe both species for example in Triton Bay or Raja Ampat but it is very rare, I am looking for a place where they are more common together (I know of the Maldives but I am not going to that country).



I need someone who has dove in all three or one of these locations in Indonesia to tell me if you observed both manta rays and whale sharks and if it is possible to encounter both species in what area along with mola mola (or if mola are only common in Crystal Bay).



Thanks

[SeaRat]

Somehow, I don't think any of our participants will be able to answer your questions about seeing mantas, whale sharks and Mola Mola somewhere in Bali. We mostly concentrate on vintage dive gear, including older regulators, scuba outfits, and auxillary equipment such as fins and masks. Mostly, we test this gear in freshwater or nearby saltwater. While a lot of us would enjoy seeing these marine life forms, I don't know that any of us have actually done so.

John

[artc]

I concur with John’s assessment. I live in Hawaii and while these fish have been recorded in Hawaiian waters, according to Gosline and Brock, authors of the Handbook of Hawaiian Fishes, sightings here are very rare. In my almost fifty years of diving in Hawaii, I’ve never seen these species of fish and don’t ever expect to see them. The Mola mola is is a deep water species, so if I do ever see one, it will be at the local fish market caught by an ocean going fishing trawler.

[nikeajax]

The Sea of Cortez, AKA The Gulf of California in Baja California Sur, Mexico has all three of these fish: just saying...

Did you know the water in the Sea of Cortez is something like 25% more saline than the Pacific ocean, you're more floaty!

JB

[vance]

I went on a snorkel trip in Baja a couple of years ago. There's a National Underwater park at Cabo Pulmo. It's a bit remote, and requires driving on dirt roads (doable with passenger cars). It takes 2-3 hours from Cabo San Lucas.

While enroute to the normal places, the captain sighted a whale shark, and went off trail to catch up. We jumped in and watched it move effortlessly away from us. The captain got us all back in and we followed it again. This time he anticipated its path and got us in front of it, and we got in to see it as it passed.

Amazing.

I go to Baja pretty much every other year, and have done Cabo Pulmo many times. Scuba isn't as good as snorkeling here, imo. Too many restrictions on scuba divers. But it's an amazing place!

[scubalawyer]

I have not been to Indonesia, but have seen all three species on multiple trips to the Sea of Cortez (Mexico), Cocos Island (Costa Rica), and Galapagos Islands (Ecuador). My 2psi. M

[nikeajax]

"Technically", you should be able to see all of them in Monterrey California, and depending on your diving skills, Cordell Bank

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordell_Bank_National_Marine_Sanctuary

That last one was a joke, as diving this area is likely to kill you and not advisable...

JB

[Matt Hedrick]

I spent some years operating live aboard dive trips throughout Indonesia and while the likelihood of encountering these species is greater in some areas than others, as you have identified, there are no guarantees anywhere. Choose a spot that appeals to you and go enjoy the diving. What you do or don’t see on any particular trip is up to mother nature but you can have a great time and do some fantastic diving anyway if you keep an open mind…

[vance]

Mar 14, 2024 11:55:16 GMT -8 artc said:

I concur with John’s assessment. I live in Hawaii and while these fish have been recorded in Hawaiian waters, according to Gosline and Brock, authors of the Handbook of Hawaiian Fishes, sightings here are very rare. In my almost fifty years of diving in Hawaii, I’ve never seen these species of fish and don’t ever expect to see them. The Mola mola is is a deep water species, so if I do ever see one, it will be at the local fish market caught by an ocean going fishing trawler.

I see sunfish often. Sometimes hundreds of them of them are washed up on Del Monte beach in Monterey. These are small ones, about 1 ft in diameter, not the huge adult fish. Apparently, sealions will snag them, rip their fins off, and gut them for sport. It's said that they are sealion frisbees.

I read that sunfish grow the most of any known species. That is, the fry are tiny when hatched and can grow to 10+ ft, 2500 lbs. The Monterey Bay Aquarium had one that got too big and had to be helicoptered out of its tank in order to release it into the bay.