Manta Ridge

Best months: Dec–Apr

Why dive here

With 297+ marine species recorded in the area - including barracuda, blacktip reef sharks, giant moray eels, grey reef sharks and seahorses - Manta Ridge offers some of Yap's richest diving. Water ranges 29-30°C, warmest June, July, October.

Best timeDec–Apr

WetsuitA 3mm shorty or thin full wetsuit

Marine lifeBarracuda, Blacktip Reef Sharks, Giant Moray Eels, Grey Reef Sharks and Seahorses · 297+ species recorded

Water29-30°C · warmest June, July, October

Charactermax 10-20m

StandoutExceptional marine biodiversity

Manta Ridge is exactly what it sounds like. We’ve drifted this site more times than we can count, and it’s always delivered. It’s essentially a gently sloping channel, 10 to 20 metres deep, where the mantas cruise in for their daily scrub-down. You wedge yourself behind a coral head, find your neutral buoyancy, and just wait. The surge pushes you gently back and forth while you scan the blue. Then, a dark shadow emerges, growing larger and larger, until a manta glides right over the ridge, sometimes so close you feel the displacement of water. They circle back, almost performing for the camera, utterly oblivious to the row of divers. We’ve seen up to ten at a time here, a truly mesmerising ballet. This isn’t a site for searching out tiny critters, though the odd floral wrasse or blue parrotfish might zip past. Manta Ridge is about one thing: mantas, guaranteed year-round. It suits anyone comfortable with a gentle drift and happy to spend their dive watching these magnificent animals. Our best tip? Go early, beat the crowds, and try to catch them when the light is still a bit soft.