a unique region because it offers divers the choice of both tropical and temperate diving within the scant space of 10 kilometers. The volcanic thrusts and limestone uplifts combined with a half meter differential between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean have created a topography conducive to wild and unpredictable currents. Upwellings from the southern seas add to the unique mélange of planktonic life found here, hence the unimaginable, prolific and dense marine life that characterizes Komodo! If you can find shelter from the tempestuous currents, you’ll discover an astounding array of rare and unusual critters to photograph and to marvel at. That’s what Komodo is all about—the rare, the unique, the special, and the colors are out of this world!
DIVING THE SOUTH
South Komodo is undoubtedly a diver’s dream come true and from late October through early May is when it has the most to offer. Then the sky is blue, seas are calm and there is enough of a breeze to cool sunburned bodies. Between November and January visibility (10–15 meters) is as good as it gets in such plankton-rich seas, and the soft coral, invertebrate life and fish are nothing short of spectacular. South Komodo is difficult to dive from May through September due to the southeast trade winds, which generate huge swells and howling winds. The south used to be accessed by liveaboards only, but since more land-based operators with powerful boats have opened up in Labuan Bajo, such as Blue Marlin Komodo, three dive day trips covering all areas of the park are now possible.
Some of the best dive sites in the south are found in the horseshoe-shaped bay between Rinca and Nusa Kode, such as Yellow Wall and Cannibal Rock.
Yellow Wall is actually two walls, one atop another, the second of which is an overhang that plunges 50 meters to the floor. The site is covered in yellow soft corals and is rich in invertebrate life—yellow pygmy seahorses, colonial blue tunicates, myriads of nudibranchs and blue ringed octopus. Yellow Wall faces west and the light is best from midday onwards.
Cannibal Rock is a more versatile site and can be dived from sunrise on through the night. The site, which is at the doorstep of a small promontory, is sloping and features mini-walls, huge boulders with valleys and giant terraces at 30 plus meters. There are 2-meter red gorgonian fans that periodically host red pygmy seahorses and ghost pipefish, typically during cold water upwellings. The rare lacy scorpionfish has been sighted nearby. Cannibal Rock is covered in sea apples, a rare and brightly colored temperate sea cucumber in hues of purple, green, blue, red and yellow, and a truly 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 school, and there have been sightings of mantas, large sharks and minke whales.
Komodo is not just about big fish. There is immense diversity of all marine species, including invertebrates such as these cuttlefish.
Other sites in Horseshoe Bay are Crinoid Canyon, Boulders, Pipe-dream and Torpedo Point, renowned for its torpedo rays and frogfish.
South Komodo has other distinctive dive sites off the islands of Padar and Tala. Pillarsteen is off south Padar and is a topographer’s dream, with huge chunks of rock buckled into channels and canyons, caves, swim-throughs and chimneys. This dive is totally different from other diving in Komodo. It is fun and action-filled when the currents are running. W Reef, a few hundred meters to the north of Pillarsteen, is a series of four underwater pinnacles extending perpendicularly from the island to a depth of 30 meters. This structure is covered in pristine coral and regularly buzzed by mantas and schools of bumphead parrotfish. Off northwest Tala is The Alley, which features large lazing schools of manta rays November through March. Langkoi Rock is fully exposed and so buffeted by strong current, which explains the regular presence of large pelagics. It is reputedly a mating site for grey sharks in April. Lehoksera is a high-voltage dive on the southeast tip. The dive begins mildly enough, with a gentle current that allows divers to get ready with reef hooks, gloves and other accouterments. The current picks up faster and faster until divers reach a slot created by the main reef and a smaller pinnacle offshore. In the middle of this slot, there is a small bommie at 30 meters, which is buzzed by large groupers, turtles, sharks and schools of every fish imaginable. The current spits divers out onto another gently sloping reef, which is very rich in soft corals and hard coral formations.
Exploring Komodo by liveaboard opens up many hard-to-reach spots that have the best diving.
DIVING THE NORTH
Australians Ron and Valerie Taylor pioneered diving in Komodo and the site they first discovered was Pantai Merah, at the entrance to Slawi Bay. Pantai Merah (or Val’s Rock) extends from the surface down to 20 plus meters and is richly adorned in all manner of colorful sea life. Pantai Merah represents a transition between tropical and temperate water habitats, north and south, and with its fabulous fish and corals is a good introduction to Komodo.
Considered by some as the best dive in the north, GPS Point is a submerged rock to the northwest of Banta Island’s largest bay. This is one of the sites where sharks can be regularly found, and different species can be identified in a single dive. Invariably, divers encounter strong currents here, which is why GPS Point is swarming with jackfish, tuna and schools of barracuda and surgeonfish. In addition to sharks, be prepared to scan the gorgonian fans for pygmy seahorses and the deep blue for eagle rays and even passing mantas.
If the currents are running too strong on GPS Point, operators have other options only minutes away. Star Wars is a gentle slope that bottoms out in a sandy floor at 30 meters. The currents, which can range from calm to raging, typically flow eastward, away from the shallow point. There are several gorgonian fans, which have been known to host the ubiquitous pygmy seahorse, invertebrates and sharks. The myriad smaller schooling fish like anthias, basslets and fusiliers that swim amongst each other look like they are playing out an outer space battle of epic proportions, hence the name. Highway to Heaven on the opposite point is a wild ride that must only be done on slack tide or during gentle currents. A vertiginous wall extends around the point and is covered in soft corals, fans and sea whips, home to countless juvenile angelfish. But the highlight of the dive is the 40 meter plus deep bommies, around which schools of snappers, two different species of barracuda, sharks and rays are known to swarm. Continuing on to the backside, mantas and eagle rays play off in the blue. For end of the day muck dives with no current, It’s a Small World, a sand slope fringed by a healthy reef, has resident stargazers, frogfish, leaf scorpionfish and a host of invertebrate life. It is no small wonder that Banta is a must stop for live-aboards visiting Komodo.
A pair of Coleman shrimp (Periclimenes colemani) living in their host fire urchin.
Sabolan Kecil, north of Labuanbajo, is a site regularly visited by land-based operators. To the east of the island are two sea mounds at 20 meters, a site called Shark Bank. The hard coral cover is minimal but the soft corals and large gorgonians are excellent. The fish life, particularly sharks, makes this site well worth visiting. Work your way down the valley between the two mounds as you pause to view the pelagics.
Tatawa Kecil and Batu Bolong are two bare rocks in close proximity that are exposed to the full force of the currents that rage through the Linta Strait. On a high slack tide, when currents abate and the diving is less stressful, these are two more popular sites for land-based operators. Giant trevally, mantas and dugongs have been encountered here.
Diving around Komodo offers seasonal exceptional visibility and an abundance of Moorish idols
