Where and when to see manta rays

Reef mantas visit cleaning stations and feed on plankton close to shore, while oceanic mantas range further offshore. Both follow plankton, so monsoon winds and upwelling seasons decide when they are most reliable.

This guide documents sightings in 26 Good Dives regions.

Colored-pencil illustration: one reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi).

Where to plan your trip

Our picks for a trip focused on manta rays, chosen for the encounters below. Calendar peaks describe timing, not a ranking of destinations.

A manta night dive
Scuba diving
Kona (Big Island)
Garden Eel Cove offers a guided night encounter where lights concentrate plankton. Choose Kona for this after-dark experience; manta attendance still varies with natural conditions.
Target: reef manta
Ask about: Garden Eel Cove (Makako Bay)
Sources
- Garden Eel Cove daylight dive (Kona Diving Company)
Oceanic mantas on an offshore expedition
Scuba diving
Socorro (Revillagigedo)
Choose Socorro for giant oceanic mantas around remote volcanic dive sites. Cabo Pearce has documented close encounters; plan for liveaboard travel and open-ocean conditions.
Target: giant oceanic manta
Ask about: Cabo Pearce
Sources
- Giant manta encounters at Cabo Pearce (Nautilus)
Reef mantas at a cleaning station
Scuba diving
Nusa Penida
Manta Point offers a reef-manta target on a Bali dive trip. Exposed conditions can change the plan, so allow more than one day and follow local guidance on swell and current.
Target: reef manta
Ask about: Manta Point
Sources
- Bali & Nusa Penida diving guide (nusapenida.org)
Seasonal surface-feeding aggregations
Snorkeling
Baa Atoll
Hanifaru Bay is a feeding hotspot for a snorkeling visit during its manta season. Scuba is not permitted in the bay; confirm conditions and entry arrangements with a local operator.
Target: reef manta
Ask about: Hanifaru Bay
Sources
- Hanifaru Bay feeding encounters and snorkel access (Visit Maldives)
Different manta sites on one reef trip
Scuba diving
Raja Ampat
Blue Magic, Manta Sandy and Manta Ridge offer different manta opportunities. Ask your guide which sites currently suit reef or oceanic mantas.
Target: reef manta · oceanic manta
Ask about: Blue Magic · Manta Sandy · Manta Ridge
Sources
- Raja Ampat target animals and sites (Papua Diving)

Manta rays sighting calendar

Calendar months, every year

Regional overview rows show presence. The animal rows below each region show their individual peak months.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Kona (Big Island)United States	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Kona (Big Island): reef manta	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Socorro (Revillagigedo)Mexico	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Socorro (Revillagigedo): giant oceanic manta	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Nusa PenidaIndonesia	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Nusa Penida: reef manta	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Baa AtollMaldivesFeatured encounter: snorkeling					●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Baa Atoll: reef manta					●	●	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	●
Raja AmpatIndonesia	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Raja Ampat: reef manta	Peak	Peak	Peak	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	Peak	Peak
Raja Ampat: oceanic manta	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	●					●	●	Peak
Ari AtollMaldives	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Ari Atoll: reef manta	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Deep South MaldivesMaldives	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Deep South Maldives: reef manta	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Deep South Maldives: oceanic manta	●	●	Peak	Peak	●
HalmaheraIndonesia	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Halmahera: reef manta	●	●	Peak	Peak	Peak	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
KomodoIndonesia	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Komodo: reef manta	Peak	Peak	Peak	●	●	●	●	Peak	Peak	Peak	●	Peak
Milne BayPapua New Guinea	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Milne Bay: manta ray	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	Peak	●	●	●
Ningaloo ReefAustralia	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Ningaloo Reef: reef manta	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
PalauPalau	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Palau: reef manta	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	●	●	●	●	●	●	Peak	Peak
Rowley ShoalsAustralia	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Rowley Shoals: manta ray	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Solomon Islands: manta ray	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Southern GBRAustralia	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Southern GBR: reef manta	●	●	●	●	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	●	●	●	●
TofoMozambique	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Tofo: reef manta	●	●	●	●	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	●	●
YapMicronesia	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Yap: reef manta	Peak	Peak	Peak	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	Peak
New CaledoniaNew Caledonia		●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
New Caledonia: manta ray		●	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	●
North Malé AtollMaldives					●	●	●	●	●	●	●
North Malé Atoll: reef manta					●	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	●
South Malé AtollMaldives					●	●	●	●	●	●	●
South Malé Atoll: reef manta					●	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	●
GalápagosEcuador	●	●	●	●	●							●
Galápagos: manta ray	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	●							●
Northern GBR & Coral SeaAustralia				●	●	●	●	●	●
Northern GBR & Coral Sea: manta ray				●	●	●	●	●	●
Similan IslandsThailand	●	●	●	●	●							●
Similan Islands: manta ray	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	●							●
Mergui ArchipelagoMyanmar (Burma)		●	●	●	●	●
Mergui Archipelago: manta ray		●	Peak	Peak	Peak	●
Sudan Red SeaSudan								●	●	●	●
Sudan Red Sea: manta ray								●	Peak	Peak	●
Tubbataha ReefsPhilippines			●	●	●	●
Tubbataha Reefs: manta ray			●	●	●	●

Peak = best odds · ● = regularly seen · blank = unlikely.

Calendars describe animal presence, not weather or site access; check each region’s dive season. For grouped animals, a marked month may apply to only one member of the group. Sightings vary by site and dive.

Where and when to see manta rays

Where to plan your trip

Manta rays sighting calendar

Explore all 26 documented regions