Komodo: Manta Alley Dive Site – Komodo National Park

Site Overview

Manta Alley is one of the most famous and reliable manta ray dive sites in Indonesia, located in the southern section of Komodo National Park near Komodo Island. The site features a series of cleaning stations on a shallow reef slope where reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) gather daily to be cleaned by small fish and to feed on the abundant plankton carried by the currents. The mantas are resident in the area year-round, with the highest numbers typically observed from September through January when plankton concentrations are greatest. Multiple mantas are commonly seen on a single dive, often passing within meters of divers as they circle the cleaning stations. The shallow depth profile of 5 to 25 meters means that encounters happen in comfortable diving conditions, making Manta Alley accessible to a wide range of divers and excellent for snorkelers who can observe the mantas from the surface. The currents that bring the plankton also sustain healthy coral growth on the surrounding reef, which supports whitetip reef sharks, marble rays, schools of sweetlips, and abundant tropical reef fish. The site is regularly visited by both day trip operators from Labuan Bajo and liveaboard vessels, and is considered a must-dive for any visitor to Komodo National Park. The combination of reliable manta encounters, easy conditions, and stunning coral scenery makes Manta Alley one of the most popular dive sites in all of Indonesia.