Urban Manta LLC

Urban Manta operates as a highly specialised mobile diving centre, bringing expert instruction to diverse environments across the United States and Mexico. With established presences in Raleigh, Marianna, and Playa del Carmen, as well as training sessions in New York, the centre is designed for divers who demand more than just basic recreational skills.

Founded by Sandra Clopp, the centre is built on a philosophy of rigorous technical standards. From the very first Open Water Diver course, students are taught to prioritise trim, neutral buoyancy, and environmental awareness—skills that form the bedrock of safe and efficient diving at any level.

The centre is led by Sandra Clopp, a premier instructor with affiliations to SDI, TDI, and RAID. With over 2,000 dives to her credit, her experience spans the full spectrum of technical diving, including rebreather, sidemount, and doubles, with certifications allowing for trimix dives to 330 feet.

Training is conducted in small groups to ensure a high level of personalisation. This approach allows for a meticulous focus on technique, ensuring that every diver, whether a beginner or an advanced technical candidate, develops a solid foundation in buoyancy and gas management.

Urban Manta offers an extensive curriculum that bridges the gap between recreational and technical diving. Beginners can start with the Open Water Diver and Advanced Open Water Diver programmes, with additional paths like the Advanced Adventure Diver. As you progress, the centre provides specialist training in Deep Diving, Wreck Diving, Navigation, and Night/Limited Visibility diving.

For those moving into the technical realm, the course catalogue includes advanced certifications such as Nitrox, Advanced Nitrox, Deco Procedures, Helitrox, and Normoxic Trimix. The centre is also highly equipped for advanced technical disciplines, offering training in sidemount, backmounted doubles, rebreather (CCR) systems, and full cave exploration, including hypoxic trimix training.

The centre provides a comprehensive range of equipment for hire, including regulators, BCDs, and various fin options. For those diving in cooler environments, drysuits are available, alongside Fourth Element thermal undergarments. Specialized technical kit, such as wings and sidemount configurations, can also be rented.

Gas support is robust, with Nitrox and Trimix available for those requiring advanced breathing gases. For technical divers, stage cylinders in both aluminium 40 and 80 volumes, complete with rigging kits, are available for use. Argon is also provided for those using drysuits.

In the North East, the local diving season typically runs from April to November. Divers should be prepared for varying conditions depending on the specific location, whether training in the freshwater environments of Pennsylvania or the coastal waters of Florida and Mexico.