Manta Point for a group: what to expect and what not to promise

Manta rays are wild animals, and the honest line for a company is that they are common here and never guaranteed. Whether a group meets one on the day depends on tide and current, not on the boat or the crew. Manta season runs roughly from December to February and from July to September, so a team that sails in those months has the better odds, and a team that sails in April or October has the calmer water instead.

The stop is also known as Karang Makassar. It is not the same place as the Taka Makassar sandbank, though the two are often visited on the same day. Depth over the reef runs from about 3 to 15 m, a snorkel session lasts 30 to 60 minutes, and the current is strong. That current is the character of the stop, not a defect.

Do not promise the team a manta in the invitation. Promise the reef, the drift and the chance, and let the water add the rest.

Manta Point is the one water stop on the route where we say plainly that not everyone should go in. A short rule set keeps it simple for a group of 28 or fewer.

• Confident swimmers, or guests who wear a life jacket, go in; the others stay aboard and watch from the deck.
• The crew drifts snorkellers along the reef with the current rather than anchoring in one spot, so the group follows the crew's instruction and stays together.
• Snorkelling gear and life jackets are on board every Zada boat, and the swimming level of each guest goes in the medical and dietary line of the checklist.
• Nobody has to go in. A guest who sits out has not missed a paid item.

We give no medical advice and do not grade swimmers. The captain and the crew decide the entry point and whether the current allows the stop at all, and the stop can be dropped or swapped for Taka Makassar on the day.