Perhaps the most famous and easily accessible Manta Encounter in the world. Nusa Penida is an island just to the east of Bali and at the base of the steep south coast cliffs that are pounded relentlessly by Indian ocean swells is a place known as Manta Point.

Just below the surface is a cleaning station that is almost always host to Reef Mantas (Mobula alfredi) coming in for some pampering. They can often be seen forming trains (as in the image above), taking it in turns to slow down and hover above the rocks and allow the small reef fish to nibble away at dead skin and parasites. After their turn they will loop back around and come in again and again.

This population has been well studied and tracking data has revealed that they are making a journey of more than 400km east to Komodo and back again.

Don’t forget the little one. Easily over looked when there are bigger specimens to be seen. Here is a tiny little shrimp goby resting on the sand just outside the entrance to its little burrow, which is kindly maintained by an equally tiny shrimp. They have a symbiotic relationship whereby they each derive benefit from the other. The shrimp digs and maintains their home and the goby provides protection. As this is a long term partnership they live and grow together. So if you look carefully on the sandy bottom of dive sites you will find pairs of more or less equally sized shrimp and their buddy gobies, and they quite possibly have been besties since they were little. Shot on the East Coast of Bali.