Manta Reef is one of Mozambique's best and youngest dive reefs famous for its many mantas.

Name Dive Site:	Manta Reef
Inserted/Added by:	john
Rated:	Rated 5.0, 2 votes
Specifications:

Send us your images for this dive site [Add Image][Add Movie]

Experienced Dive Masters will introduce you to the reef's inquisitive Manta Rays and diving protocols to interact with them. If you manage to tear your eyes from the reef, huge schools of Devil Rays can also be seen near the surface. The following can be regularly seen: Giant frog fish, Painted frog fish, Paper fish, Flying gurnetts, Sea moths, Bonded shrimps, Crowned emperor shrimps, Up to 13 species of nudibranchs, Honeycomb eels, Giant moray eels, Long horned box cowfish to mention just a few. AGFA's award winning wildlife photo for 2003 was taken at Manta Reef. An absolute Photographers Paradise.

This reef is approximately 12 km north of the launch site and therefore can only be reached when the sea is relatively calm. This reef is large and offers a great variety of dives ranging from 18m – 35m on the outer ledge. There are two sites on the reef “Manta Pinnacle” & “The Canyon”. As it is situated in the main current, sightings of manta and devil rays are common. Whale shark, sharks and various pelagic fish are often seen. There are three-manta cleaner stations that provide the reef with manta rays all year round. “ Manta Pinnacle” offers unbelievable diving with vast shoals of reef fish as well as game fish to be seen. Spanish dancers have been seen swimming in broad daylight. “The Canyon” has a pair of long nose hawk fish and the marbled leopard grouper is common on the reef. This reef regularly produces world class diving!

[Add Message]Messages from readers:

Name: barraresorts

This is the world famous Manta Reef on everyone's must dive list. Not only is the topography of the actual reef absolutely stunning but also close encounters with Manta rays are practically guaranteed at the three cleaning stations, making this a phenomenal dive site.

We have a north and south drop depending on the current. Our North drop is onto Manta Pinnacles, the first cleaning station and a massive pinnacle of rock that rises from 26m on the sand to 18m on top. The wall is a steep drop of 8m with a swim thru and huge overhang, which hides a resident Potato Bass. Red Fang Trigger fish cover the reef along with huge schools of Yellow Snappers, Bigeyes, Fusiliers and Trumpet fish. This is also the place to see Spanish Dancers swimming midwater during the day, quite a rare sight. From here we swim along the top of the reef over colourful soft corals to the second cleaning station. We'll stop and make ourselves negatively buoyant and let the Manta's swim up to and over us (we think they like our bubbles tickling their bellies) and just take in this amazing sight, being careful not to touch them. Then depending on the dive time we either carry on to Manta Canyon, the third cleaning station, or start our ascent to the safety stop. The Manta's carry on being cleaned by Cleaner Wrasse, Goldies and Butterfly fish below us and sometimes we encounter curious Devil rays on the way up.

Our South drop is onto Manta Canyon, a huge wall that drops down to 30m on the sand, with lots of cracks and ledges to look into for Eggshell Cowries, Long nose hawk fish and giant Moray eels. We hide behind the ledge at 24m to let the Manta's come over us, and when we carry on the dive we head over the reef to Manta Pinnacles.

General Info: This reef is rarely affected by strong currents or surge.Because of the distance to, and the quality of, this reef we like to ‘double tank' this dive site and the boat ride there and back gives us plenty of opportunity to find dolphins and whale sharks to swim with.

[Add Divelog]Divelogs from members:

Take a look at all the pictures!