Komodo Diving

Dragons On Land, Paradise Underwater

Approaching the islands of Komodo and Rinca on an Indonesian liveaboard boat, you will feel like one of the voyagers of old who gave fame to the islands by marking on a map “Here Be Dragons”!

Few places enjoy Komodo’s reputation for being a remote and inspiring place and diving Komodo and the surrounding area evokes the same feelings. These small, brown scorched-earth islands fringed with sandy beaches are lapped by the clear waves of the national park, where you may even see the dragons patrolling the beach or viewing you from a high rocky outcrop.

Unlike other parts of Indonesia, the reefs around the south of the islands have suffered relatively little damage from dynamite fishing. Much of the area now lies within the protection of the national park. The shallow reefs between Flores and the northern region however, were bombed in the past but are now recovering their former splendour. The affected area covers around 15% of the archipelago, and even here steep drop-offs and current-swept points offer excellent Komodo diving.

Besides the sheer excitement of simply being somewhere like Komodo, you are also cruising over some of the most exciting dive sites in Indonesia. The water is not always warm, in fact it can be decidedly cool. The seas are not always calm, in fact the currents can rage. But the abundance of pelagics, more critters and interesting macro-action than you could imagine, the dazzling colours and diversity, make diving here truly the stuff of legend.

• Komodo tourist information

• Komodo National Park

• View map of Komodo

The Diving Season

The season is year round with November to January seeing the best conditions as far as visibility is concerned. The seas can kick up a little in different areas, such as the northern sites during January to March and the southern sites during July and August, although these rarely interfere with the liveaboard schedules to any great extent.

Komodo Reef Basics

Great for: Large animals, small animals, wall dives, underwater photography, drift diving, reef life and health, and advanced divers
Not so great for: Wrecks and beginner divers
Depth: 5 – >40m
Visibility: 5 – 30m
Currents: Can be very strong – up to 8 knots
Surface Conditions: Can be rough
Water Temperature: 20 – 27°C
Experience Level: Intermediate – advanced
Number of dive sites: >35
Distance: ~490 km east of Bali (24 hours)
Access: Liveaboard cruises from Bali
Recommended length of stay: 6 – 11 days

Dive Sites

More detailed information on the Komodo dive sites:

• Batu Bolong • Cannibal Rock
• End Of The World • Gili Lawa
• GPS Point • Manta Alley
• Pillarsteen • Red Beach
• Tatawa Island • White Angels
• Yellow Wall Of Texas

 

Dive The World Recommendations: GPS Point, Cannibal Rock and Pillarsteen.

Other sites that can be visited as part of a Komodo liveaboard cruise:

• Alor • Banda Islands
• Flores • Sumbawa

 

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• Indonesia scuba diving enquiries

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