Is It Safe to Swim with Manta Rays in Komodo?

Swimming with Manta Rays: Safety and Etiquette

Swimming with manta rays in Komodo is completely safe. Mantas are gentle, intelligent animals that pose absolutely no danger to humans. They have no stinger (unlike stingrays), no sharp teeth, and no aggressive tendencies whatsoever.

Manta Ray Safety Facts

Encounter Guidelines

• Let mantas come to you: Stay still on the seabed or hover in the water. Mantas are naturally curious and will often approach divers who remain calm and non-threatening.
• Do not chase: Pursuing mantas causes them to flee and ruins the encounter for everyone.
• Maintain 3-metre minimum distance: Park regulations require this, and it is also the best way to observe natural behaviour.
• No flash photography: Strobe lights can startle mantas and disrupt cleaning and feeding behaviour.
• No touching: Mantas have a protective mucus coating on their skin. Touching removes this coating and can lead to infection.
• Control your bubbles: Position yourself so your exhaled bubbles do not rise directly into a manta's path — bubbles can startle them.

For Snorkellers

Snorkellers swimming with mantas at the surface should stay horizontal and streamlined, avoid splashing, and let mantas approach rather than swimming toward them. At Manta Point, mantas regularly come within arm's reach of snorkellers — patience is rewarded with incredible encounters.