Whitsundays · Australia · Reef · Sand slope
Manta Ray Bay
A resident Maori wrasse called George, and a slope to 30 m
Area photo: Elemaki · CC BY-SA 3.0
Manta Ray Bay is a sheltered Hook Island bay dived shallow around a maze of coral bommies, with the outskirts of the maze published at 14 to 16 m. Its best-known resident is a Maori wrasse the boats call George, which comes to divers alongside giant trevally and batfish. A steep slope on the edge of the bay drops to 30 m.
Where it is and how deep
20.0611° S, 148.9569° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
You drop into the bay over a maze of coral bommies and dive it shallow, in sheltered water, with the outskirts of the maze published at 14 to 16 m. The heads break the bay up into gaps and blind corners, so navigation is a matter of picking a line of bommies and following it rather than covering distance. It is a slow dive, and the fish are the reason to do it rather than the topography.
George, the Maori wrasse the bay is known for, is used to divers and comes in close; giant trevally and batfish hold around the same coral. If you want depth instead, the slope on the edge of the bay falls away steeply to 30 m, and whitetip reef sharks are the payoff when they are there — no guarantee, so treat the deep leg as a bonus, take it early, and keep the shallow bommies for the back half of the dive and the safety stop.
Marine life and season
- Napoleon wrasse
- Trevally & jacks
- Reef sharks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Whitsundays: May–Sep is dry with the best visibility; Nov–Mar is the wet season with cyclone risk and stinger suits required inshore.
Know before you go
- Marine stinger season runs November to May in the Whitsundays and box jellyfish are present, so dive inshore in a stinger suit through those months.
- At least two people have died from Irukandji stings while snorkelling off Hook Island, so cover up on the surface as well as underwater.
Dive videos
Getting up-close-and-personal with the Whitsundays' Maori Wrasse at Manta Ray Bay · The Sailing Adventures of Brilliant II on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Manta Ray Bay?+
The published figures are 14 to 16 m out towards the outskirts of the bommie maze, with shallower diving inside the bay itself. A steep slope on the edge of the bay drops to 30 m for divers qualified to go there.
What will I see at Manta Ray Bay?+
The bay is known for a Maori wrasse the boats call George, along with giant trevally and batfish around the coral. Whitetip reef sharks turn up on the deeper slope, but they are luck rather than a fixture.
Sources
- Manta Ray Bay dive site — Scubago / SSI MyDiveGuide
- Hook Island — Wikipedia
- Queensland — Wikivoyage
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