Komodo, The Dragon Island Komodo Island is home to a multitude of marine life. It harbours more than 1,000 species of fish and 70 species of sponge. Amazing things happen when two oceans meet, Pacific are forced into relatively shallow water and then flood into the Indonesia Ocean. Divers and snorkellers will be delighted by the spectacular coral reefs teeming with fish of every colour, patrolled by squadrons of manta rays. Diving in Komodo is world class. Thrilling drift dives, Manta Ray aggregations, and some of the worlds richest and most beautiful coral reefs.  Komodo island is home to some of the world's most amazing creatures. From island to sea and underwater. Komodo island lies between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores. These islands run east west and each are over 300 km wide. As a result the 80 Km wide passage and island between them experience a huge tidal flow. This constant tidal flow combined with upwellings of cold, nutrient rich water from the Indian Ocean, delivers a constant stream of food for the coral polyps, and the reef fish. It has laos lead to two distinctly different marine environments. In the north we have clearer waters and pristine hard coral reefs typical of tropical areas. But in the south the cooler richer waters favour the growth of soft corals and other invertebrates. These islands act like a dam, holding back the warmer Pacific waters, which are then forced through various straits, creating a pressure void along the park's southern side. This allows cold water from the Sumba Sea to rise up, effectively replacing the water removed by the currents at the surface. With the cold water comes a bloom in phytoplankton, forming the basis of Komodo's super-charged food chain. It is a very, very special place indeed. The results of these crazy upwellings are best experienced at Horseshoe Bay on Rinca's southern side. Horseshoe Bay's famous site is a pinnacle known as Cannibal Rock (named after a monstrous Komodo dragon seen eating one of its own kind nearby), where dense swathes of black, yellow and red crinoids jostle for space. It's a great place to test buoyancy skills, because crinoids stick to neoprene like glue; any contact whatsoever and you've got yourself a hitchhiker. Just outside Horseshoe Bay is a fascinating site known as the Great Yellow Wall of Texas, renowned for its soft corals. Visibility here was reminiscent of British shore-diving standards, and the coral polyps were all retracted Mind you! The waters that surround the islands are turbulent and current prone. It is an exciting place to dive, but it is also a very challenging place to dive. An experienced operator and dive guide is essential for safe and comfortable diving in Komodo. There are over 50 dive sites that we like to visit encompassing a huge range of environments. Fringing reefs, rock pinnacles, walls, canyons, sea mount, channels, sea grass beds, to extraordinary critters in muck. We have comprehensive knowledge of the dive sites, conditions, and the ecology of komodo's marine environments. Critter-loving guests got a mouthful at Pink Beach and Cannibal Rock. Nudibranchs everywhere, many Frogfish, Mushroom Coral Pipefish and an Indian Walkman. Just to mention a few. Best nightdive this trip was at Torpedo Alley, with the highlight beeing a super-rare Bobbit Worm. Water temperatures range from 18- 28 Degrees Celcius. Usually 21 to 24 degrees C in the south and 24-28 Degrees Celcius in the north. We reccomend a full length 3mm Suit for most sites but for liveaboards visiting the south a 5mm and Hood are sometimes required. Visibility extends from 15 to 40 metres. Usually clearer in the warmer northern waters. Sea Conditions are usually very favourable. The Archipelago offers great protection from open ocean swells and many safe calm anchorages. Weather is also very favourable for most of the year. Jan February do experience the north western monsoon. With wind and Rain. But we also have some of the clearest and warmest water on the southern sites at this time of the year. Komodo National Park Komodo National Park is a World heritage site, encompasses Komodo, Rinca and several neighbouring islands and their incredible rich surrounding coral reef, mangrove and seas. With Rp. 40,000.00 park entrance fee and the conservation fee (USD 15 for adult and USD 7.50 for under 16s), collected on arrival by rangers, buy three-day permit for both Komodo and Rinca. Hiring a guide (Rp. 30,000) is both mandatory and very useful, as all speak some English and are very knowledgeable about the islands’ flora and fauna and very carry a big stick. A Camera permit is another Rp 25,000.00. Komodo is one of the driest corners of Nusa Tenggara and heavy rains are not common. However the seas are calmest between April and September. Komodo Activities Rugged Komodo, its gulley ridden hillside frazzled by the sun drying winds to a deep rusty red for most of the year, is the largest of the islands in the national park. The accommodation cam of Loh Liang, run by PHKA, is on of the east cost of the island. Various treks around the island can be organized with the PHKA office located here. A half hour walk south of Loh Liang is the fishing village of Kampung Komodo. It’s friendly Muslim Bugis village of stilt houses that full of goats, chicken and children. The inhabitants are said to be descendants of convicts exiled to the island in the 19th century by one of Sultans in Sumbawa. Dragon Spotting You are likely to see Dragons all year and Banu Nggulung, a dry river bed about a half hour walk from Loh Liang. The organized feeding of goat the dragons is a things of the past and dragons are now only fed here when PHKA wants to do a head count. Banu Nggulung still attracts dragons, but since the feeding stopped fewer dragon are turning up. A Little “grandstand” overlooks the river bed where the dragons gather. Spectator are fenced of from the dragons – don’t expect to walk up to the dragon and have them say “cheese”. A telephoto lens is handy but not essential. It’s possible to spot dragons on some of the other walks, and a few “pensioner” dragons (and lazy ones) can often be seen around the camp looking for food. Hiking Mosy visitors stay one night at Komodo and only visit Banu Nggulung, but Komodo has a number of other hikes and offer. All hikers must hire a guide to accompany them. Walk from Loh Liang include the climb to Gunung Ara (mount Ara, 538 meter), around 3.5 hours return. The chance of seeing a dragon are slim, but there are expensive views from the top. Poreng Valley, 5.5 km from Loh Liang is another favorite dragons haunt and has a more out in the wild feeling than Banu Nggulung , the trail continuous to Loh Sebita. Event if you don’t spot Komodo, there is plenty of other wild life, such as buffaloes, wild boar and some of Komodo’s bird life. Snorkeling, Diving and Liveaboard Snorkeling and Diving in Komodo can arranged from Loh Liang , equipment coast about Rp. 50,000.00 and boat rental is Rp. 225,000.00 for 4 people. Good under water view can be found at Pantai Merah (Red Beach) and the small island, called Lasa island near Kampung Komodo. Batu Bolong, North Komodo Batu Bolong (Hollow Rock) is a bare rock and exposed to the full force of the curents that that rage through the Linta strait. On a high slake tide, when currents abate and the diving is less stressful. Batu Bolong is very popular dive site in Komodo for land base operator or for liveaboard operator. Due to the rock's topography and exposure to strong currents the reef has not been targeted by fishermen and is in superb condition. Giant trevally, mantas and dugongs have been ancountered here. Hard corals and sponges cover the walls and slopes, but the main beneficiary here must be the fish life. The volume of fish here is awesome, right from the deeper water areas where Napoleon wrasse and whitetip reef sharks cruise, to the shallow where thousands of smaller reef fish battle it out for territorial and feeding rights. Hawksbill turtles are frequent feeders on the sponges and tunicates, giant sweetlips lurk in the gullies and overhangs, palette surgeonfish dance across the current swept upper reaches of the rock. Stay a while here if you can as this Komodo dive site is really a great place to educate yourself and witness the full gamut of what being a reef fish is all about. Fish mating, fish laying and guarding eggs, fish hunting, fish hiding, fish fighting, fish feeding - it's all here on display from dawn 'til dusk. Perhaps the most spectacular side of the pinnacle is the north side, which is much steeper than the other gentler sloping sides. It has a small submerged pinnacle in the north east, and a huge deep gully from the surface down to about 27 metres. You can choose to drop down to depth here and either zigzag up the northern face, or spiral around the whole rock if the currents allow. Batu Bolong should not be dived if the currents in north Komodo are very strong since the site is small and there is no opportunity to drift. Slack tide is really the only occasion that you should dive here. Cannibal Rock - Rinca Island, east of Komodo Cannibal Rock is a more versatile site and can be dived from sunrise on through night. Just located one kilometre off the northern coast of nearby Nusa Kode. This site, which is at the doorstepof a small promontory, is sloping and feature mini-walls huge boulders with valleys and giant terraces at over 30 meters. You can just make out the top of the pinnacle, marked by breaking waves as you approach, but this belies the phenomenal marine life diversity once you enter the water. It is a truly world-class dive site and one of the top sites in Komodo scuba diving. There are two meters red gorgonian fans that periodically – typically during cold water upwellings – host red pigmy seahorses and ghost pipefish, the rare lacey scorpionfish has been sihgted nearby. The rock covered in sea apples. A rare and brighly colored – in hues of purple, green, blue, red and yellow – temperate sea cucumber and trully fascinating sight when its feeding tentacles are extended. There are also three species of venomous urchins found on the rock, one of which hosts up to five different species of commensals. When the current runs, the fish schol and there have been regular sightings of mantas, large sharks and minke whales. Descend to the south to find the deepest diving section and where you'll find enormous green and blue magnificent anemones swaying back and forth. Sea apples (Pseudocolchirus Violaceus) are abundant, their bodies decorated in amazing maroon, studded with golden beads with bright yellow or cream tentacles that they use to filter feed on plankton. Out of the depths, you may be visited on your dive by curious black-blotched stingrays, out on a hunting foray. Black snappers are also prevalent here with many juveniles, conspicuous in their black and white striped colours. Making your way east and north you'll be astounded by the sizes of the purple gorgonian fans, some over two metres tall. These fans are home to the pygmy seahorse, always a thrill to spot. Dense thickets of lime green whip coral ferns and yellow and white spiral corals mark your trail. Be on the look-out for yellow-ribbon sweetlips - endemic to Komodo - and sweeps of gold-striped fusiliers. Green turtles are also frequent visitors to this dive site to feed on the soft corals. The shallows are loaded with featherstars of all colours, and blue tunicates add ultraviolet shades to the already colourful diving Komodo kaleidoscope. End Of World (Tala) Tala is the alley, which features large, lazing schools of manta ray on November through March. This site located just south of the southernmost part of Komodo Island, offering some excellent dive sites. It is one of the most southern Komodo liveaboard diving sites. Divers between Tala and Komodo proper is shallow and has ripping currents, but the southern point of the island has The End Of The World to the west in very deep water. Tala is a sheer wall of rock, broken up by some nice cuts, overhangs, and sandy shelves down to about 40 metres, and from there on a flat, black plane. There are white-tip sharks, rays, morays and rich coral growth in the cuts and shelves. Flat areas of the wall are covered with extensive fields of marigold cup corals, a beautiful and vivid effect against the dark rock. Gili Lawa Laut, North Komodo There are three great dives to the North of Komodo island of Gili Lawa Laut - Crystal Rock, Castle Rock and Lighthouse. All sites have good hard and soft coral cover, and swarms of schooling fish. Lighthouse has a “honey hole” on the point, which is home to school of sweetlips and bathfish. Mantas are frequently in evidence on the safety stop here. Crystal Rock is a pinnacle that just breaks the surface off the northern side of the two small islets to the north of Komodo main island. It is another excellent dive site and very similar topographically to the famous GPS Point. The reef is packed with bronze and rust coloured sponges and soft tree corals. The shallows host thousands of anthias and damselfish, large cuttlefish, pyramid butterflyfish, hawksbill turtles and several red octopus. On the north west side of the pinnacle is a submerged mound that rises to 14 metres or so, with a 20 metre deep saddle between the two. Due to the strong easterly currents you'll need to make a quick descent to reach this area in anything other than slack tide conditions but the reward can be worth the effort since there is always great schooling action here. There are schools of yellow-ribbon sweetlips, black snappers, bluefin and bigeye trevally, and whitetip reef sharks. One kilometre further north from Crystal Rock is Castle Rock, another submerged mound. This site is even more exposed to the prevailing Komodo currents but for the experienced diver this is a exceptional treat. Whitetips, blacktips, grey reef sharks and giant trevally all frequent this site. The fish life is simply stunning with groupers, midnight snappers and frequent schools of fusiliers passing through. In recent times a pod of bottlenose dolphins have made this spot one of their favourite hunting grounds, and you can often see them on a dive. These creatures are amazingly agile at work and to watch them in their natural environment is an experience not to be missed. The Passage between Gili Lawa Laut and Gili Lawa Darat islands is a good option for a late afternoon or sunset dive as the bottom is only 20 metres or so deep. Currents can be very strong but the narrow strait often hosts several manta rays, and mobula rays that hunt the silversides in the shallows. Strong currents can prevent dives on Gili Lawa and the correct conditions must exist before undertaking any dive here. One of the delights of diving in Indonesia is that the area is so large and the dive sites so numerous that it is possible to come across fantastic sites which are still relatively unchartered. GPS Point, Gili Banta Island, North East of Komodo. GPS Point GPS Point is a submerged rock of the north west of Banta Island’s largest bay. This is one of the only site where shark are regulary found and up to five species can be identified in a single dive.Invariably divers encounter strong currents here, which is way GPS Point is swarming with jacks, tuna and schools of baracuda and surgeonfish. On any given dive, be prepare to scan gorgonian fans for pigmy sea horses and the deep blue for eagle rays and mantas. GPS Point is famous dive site and must on any liveaboard cruise here and is often considered the best northern site in Komodo scuba diving. It attracts lots and lots of fish. The top of this small sea mount rises to just 5 metres of the surface and hosts snowflake morays, cowries, spider and hermit crabs, nudibranchs, scorpionfish and cuttlefish. The soft coral growth at GPS Point in particular is excellent, and the entire surface of the sea mound is richly overgrown with invertebrates. In some areas there are dense fields of staghorn corals overflowing with gold and orange anthias. The deep waters provide the opportunity for encounters with hammerhead sharks and Napoleon wrasse as well as the more common snappers, batfish, white-tips, grey reef sharks and nurse sharks. If the currents are running too strong on GPS Point, operator have other option only minutes away. Star Wars is gentke slope that bottoms out in sandy floor at 30 meters. He currents, which can range from calm to raging, tipically flow eastward, away from the shallow point. Strong currents often to 3 knots can sweep the top of the mount making safety stops a little problematic. Things settle down at around 25 metres deep or so, but this is not really a beginners dive. Visibility here is variable, and can drop below 10 metres due to plankton, but it is usually clearer at depth. Manta Alley Manta Alley located about Tora Langkoi Bay was described in the briefing as a deep gully that funnels the changing tide at up to 3-4 knots at the top and bottom of the tide, and could still be running at up to 1 knot during our dive at "slack water". A bit of a giveaway from the name of the site, but this signature Komodo dive is the main location in Komodo to find manta rays - often as many as 10 or 20. It's a rock islet that just punctures the sea's surface in a small craggy chain, inside the bay along the south coast of Komodo. Streamed out on the end of your reef hook, are exposed to the full force of the current, so your valve free-flows as you face into it, your hose vibrates like a guitar string and mask is likely to fill with water whenever turn a head You'll start your dive to the east of the rocks where another submerged mound rises to just a few metres below the surface. In the lee area between this mound and the rocky islet, where the maximum depth is 15 metres, there are almost always a couple of juvenile mantas playing around. Another option however, is to drop down the steep eastern slope of the mound to the site's deepest section. Follow the slope of orange soft corals and encrusting invertebrates down to depth where giant trevally, white tip and black tip reef sharks roam in search of food. Make your way round to the north and in the direction of the islet chain, keeping alert for some huge black fantail rays resting on the bottom of the reef's substrate. Eventually you arrive at a series of 3 underwater channels that run between the islet and its most northerly rocky protrusion. The channels are 18 metres or so deep and quite wide. Often schools of large bumphead parrotfish hang out here and mantas circle this area too. Once you're through the channels onto the west side of the islet, you'll be out of bottom time and making your way up to 5 metres. Again the shallows here seem to be a favourite jaunt with manta rays. If the rays are not present then watch the surge areas close to the rocks. These are home to some formidably sized fish such as mangrove red snapper, emporers and giant sweetlips. Great barracuda often patrol here too. Manta Alley is always one of the most frequently requested dives on any Komodo liveaboard, provided that you can handle the chill of these southern waters. Pillarsteen, Padar Island, East of Komodo South Komodo has other distinctive dive sites off island od Padar and Tala. Pillarsteen is off south Padar and is topographer’s dream with huge chunks of rock buckled into channels and canyons, caves, swim-throughts and chimneys. This dive is totally different from other diving in Komodo – it is fun and action filled when the current are running. W Reef, a few hundred meter to north of Pillarsteen, is a series of four underwater pinnacles extending perpendicularly from island to a depth of 30 meters. To the south lies deeper water and a series of caves, chimneys and rocky outcrops. Here you'll find large mid night snappers, huge boxfish, and six-banded angelfish. To the west Pillarsteen's walls are painted yellow, green and orange by the dense colonies of soft corals. Yellow and white sea squirts are found here in their thousands. With funnel-shaped bodies and spout-shaped open mouths, these colourful creatures can easily be mistaken for aqautic versions of pitcher plants. In the shallow waters the wall ends and becomes a sloping reef. Here are masses of gigantic soft brown leather corals (Scleronephthya, Sinulana and Sarchphyton). You'll see tiny bright yellow sea cucumbers attached to most of the corals. They look surprisingly like members of the sea slug family, but Pentacta Lutea are indeed Holothurians. Strong surge can make this area hazardous amongst the rocks and corals, especially with the presence of highly toxic but brightly coloured red and purple fire urchins. Off north west Tala is The Alley, which feature large, lazing schools of manta rays November – March. Langkoy Rock is fully exposed and so buffered by strong current, which explains the regular pressence of large pelagics. It is reputedly a mating site for gray sharks in April. Lehoksera is a high-voltage dive on the southeast tip. Dive begins midly enough, with a gentle current that allows divers to get ready with reef hooks, gloves and other accountrements. Red Beach or Pantai Merah Red Beach or Pantai Merah is a main station and old dragon feeding are located. Pantai Merah extend from surface down to 20 plus meters and is richly adorned in all manner of colorful sea life. Pantai Merah represents a trantition between tropical and temperate water habitats, north and south, and with fabulous fish and corals is a good introduction to Komodo. Snorkelling here is excellent over a healthy shallow reef. Diving is at the sloping reef edge where the bottom drops down to 25 metres. Half way along the beach front is the best spot, where the reef slope gives way to a more abrupt wall with lots of green branching cup corals and stinging hydroids. Thousands of fish of every colour and shape are here including yellow damsels, regal angelfish, checkerboard wrasse, masked unicornfish and schooling reef fish such as striped fusiliers, against a beautiful backdrop of acripora corals, gorgonian fans and sponges. Frogfish also hang around the wall, blending in colourfully with their host sponge and surrounds. Mantis shrimps are always in attendance with their housekeeping as they remove rock from their burrows. Their darting bulbous eyes are thought to be the most complex in nature, and they can strike prey with a crustacean karate chop from its claw, hard enough to crack a pane of glass. Other common residents on the rubble and sand substrate are crocodilefish, shrimp gobies and burrowing jawfish, protecting their broods of eggs in their agape mouths. Tatawa Island Tatawa Besar (Big Tatawa) and Tatawa Kecil (Big Tatawa) are two bare rock in close proximity and exposed to the full of the currents thar rage through Linta strait. The first stage of your dive can happen rather quickly and will require all of your attention as you are hit with an up-current just before you reach the split in the current. Then you'll descend down the endless sloping reef of orange soft corals that runs along the western coast of this island, to around 20 metres. Turtles seem to be everywhere and you can expect to see many as you navigate the site. Before you leave the currents behind watch out for the blacktip reef sharks, giant trevallies, great and black-tail barracudas. Manta rays also make occasional guest appearances. Once you round the southern corner, the rollercoaster is over for this dive and you'll have time to appreciate the remainder of your stay at this beautiful Komodo scuba diving site. Bumphead parrotfish are resident here and you're likely to meet quite few of them in loose groups. Further south and slightly west of Tatawa Besar is a rocky islet called Batu Besar, meaning big stone, and this is the location of a dive site called 'Current City'. Diving in Komodo often takes the form of drift dives. East of the Batu Besar, as the name suggests, currents can regularly exceed 3 knots, making for some serious drift diving. If the current is this strong along the east face however, it is usually fairly calm along the west. The west face of Batu Besar offers a series of steep drops to about 30 metres, and several interesting coral caves. The soft coral cover is very good, and there are lots of fish, including large schools of sweetlips. Sharks are again common here, as are turtles and very large fantail stingrays. Also to the south of Tatawa Besar is Tatawa Kecil ("Little Tatawa"). It's best to dive the west coast of this island to explore its vibrant shallow coral gardens full of anthias. Its caves and boulders are perfect harbours for larger groupers. There are also large schools of humpback snapper, titan triggerfish and the occassional orange-spotted trevally. Seboloh Kecil is already situated outside the national park boundaries close to Labuan Bajo. Here we had very good visibility and dived on an under-water mount covered with hard- and soft corals. Pulau Sangeang On the way back to Lombok there are still some very good dive spots on the way. Plan in some time to dive Pulau Sangeang, an impressive volcanic island off the north-eastern tip of Sumbawa. Close to the lighthouse we found on black volcanic sand a lot of critters and there are pigmy seahorses in the gorgonian fans. White Angels White Angels located in north west Gili Bata and have steep reef and wall are at their best early morning when pelagic fish are out to feed on the bounty provided by the swift currents. White Angel one of famous dive site in Komodo and have wanderful underwater scene. From a shallow sheltered bay the reef quickly drops to 35m and then beyond. You'll need to swim against a current over a short distance to gain the corner of the bay, but once around it's all plain sailing as you drift along assisted by the currents with queen mackerel, yellowtail tuna and grey reef sharks. A quarter of an hour or so into your dive and you'll come into a shallower reef section in still water. Here you'll find a fantastic array of sponges and corals. Lionfish, batfish and oval-spot butterflyfish are here, along with countless and colourful nudibranches. Yellow Wall, Rinca Island, East of Komodo Premier dive sites in the south are found in the horse shoe bay between Rinca and Nusa Kode. Divers are divided between Canibal Rock and Yellow Wall as to which is their favorite site, as each has its own merit. Yellow Wall running down the east coast of Nusa Kode, to the south of Rinca Island. The shallows are very rich in fish life, particularly plankton feeders. Fork-tailed fairy basslets swarm around the drop-offs in great orange and purple schools. Pairs of colourful butterflyfish forage in the reef crannies for small crustaceans or coral polyps. Yellow Wall is actually two walls, one atop another, second of which is an overhang that plunges 50 meters to the floor. The site is covered in yellow soft corals and is rich invertebrate life, yellow pigmy seahorses, colonial blue tunicates, myriads of nudibranchs, and blue-ringed octopus. Yellow Wall faces west and light is best from middary onwards. Clown triggerfish, perhaps the most distinctively marked of all the reef fishes with its black body, round orange mouth, yellow face band, white-spotted underbelly and yellow tail, stake out their territory along the face of the reef. In the deeper waters a couple of white-tip reef sharks may swing around to give you a close look. Red snappers with bright yellow eyes will keep a wary distance, and green turtles often row by. Yellow Wall of Texas is best dived in the afternoon, when the sun provides more natural lighting.