Underwater Komodo Adventures
Gregg A. Hollomon partakes within the exhilarating, high-current dives of Komodo National Park to photograph the large as well as smaller delights This kind of region has to offer.
The Komodo archipelago can be truly an adventure getaway, although most importantly the people are lovely, as well as the diving can be straight out of a Jules Verne episode. My wife as well as I decided to make a last minute trip to Komodo National Park, prior to our final departure through Indonesia as permanent residents. within the planning phase, I soon found of which last-minute booking of a dive boat can be an adventure in itself. My advice can be to start at least six months out, as Komodo can be almost as well-known with the international crowd as Raja Ampat (particularly during high season of September to November).
Fortunately, a newly constructed airport in Labuan Bajo, Flores currently serves daily flights which drastically shorten the trip out through Bali or different Indonesian locations. The town can be a smaller port which can be loaded with dive operators, light industry, homestays as well as restaurants. Once you land, of which can be very simple to get around with available transportation. Many of the two-star-as well as-up hotels offer free shuttle into town.
During our week of diving, I truly didn’t have a chance to reflect on all the beauty, diversity as well as exhilaration the northern Komodo waters have to offer. Most of the diving days were followed up having a night dive, even though we were exhausted through the daylight hours. of which was truly a situation where you felt you just didn’t want to miss out on encountering something exciting just around the corner. Over the week, we managed 16 dives, all of which were of variable in topography, currents, special critters as well as large feeding pelagics. The best dive sites (personal opinion) are Castle Rock, Crystal Rock, Manta Point, as well as Batu Bulong (hole within the rock).
Check Dive
Our first dive was a slope as well as shallow wall off Sebayur Kecil Island. In 2013, a rogue wave hit This kind of beach as well as six-metre waves destroyed the upper reef of principally big table corals. Below the a few-metre mark, life abounds. of which was very exciting to see a large cuttlefish locating eggs while two males (or females?) spar of which out for dominance. Further on, we found unicorn fish hunting smaller sardines while on the upper bommies, thousands of spectacular glass fish fill the water. Masked rabbitfish mill around during This kind of whole show.
After an absolutely amazing sunset we headed back down for a night dive at This kind of same site. We descend a sandy slope looking for flying gannets then headed east to another beautiful pristine wall. Purple glowing bioluminescence was everywhere. Jimmy, our guide through Flores, can be a particularly not bad night spotter. Hidden within a crevasse of the wall was a large solar-powered nudibranch of over 20cm. As if of which wasn’t enough, a companion shrimp was lurking on his back cleaning off parasites. Just a metre up can be a sleeping green turtle. As my wife states, This kind of dive was of a thousand eyes made up of cleaner shrimp, banded boxer shrimp, glass shrimp decorator crabs, flatworms as well as spawning soft corals.
Favourite Dive Site
My favourite dive of the week was Crystal Rock, north of Gili Lawa Laut. The top of This kind of rock sits at wave-base as well as can sometimes be difficult to spot. The base of the monolith drops to over 35 metres although most of the fish action can be at less than 27 meters. This kind of site can be known for big currents as well as must be dived during slack tide, which just means you can get down to depth prior to being swept off-site. Jump within the water as well as get down fast. Water temperatures range through 28 degree Centigrade near the surface to 19 degrees through deep water upwelling.
A fantastic fish bowl menagerie, the site offers giant cod as well as sweetlips at cleaning stations while huge schools of yellow-striped sweetlips as well as surgeonfish allow you to join in their ranks.
Surrounding all This kind of action are scattered trevallies, jackfish as well as encircling white tip sharks.
Manta Encounter of a Third Kind
At Manta Point (Karang Makassar), we jumped into some highly churned water as well as started out to drift-rip along the bottom at 17 metres. a few minutes later, we come across a huge manta which Jimmy later explained was a pregnant female. She was at a smaller cleaning station as well as floating into the current just about 60cm above a smaller set of rocky corals.
I came in upstream as well as latched my reef hook onto a rock to start the photography session. Before I knew of which, she had further progressed in my direction as well as settled about 30cm right over me. I have never heard of a person getting crushed by a manta although the thought crossed my mind as This kind of encounter played out. After a few moments she moved laterally away to my sigh of relief. Further down current we bumped into a few more mantas with one completely black, known as Darth Vader.
The scariest dive of the trip happened to be a simple dive at Seiba Kecil Island. Jimmy checks the local conditions although can be unsure which direction the current will take us so he jumps within the water to look at the fish orientation. After he can be satisfied, we drop down to 18 metres as well as go with the current. Almost immediately we are hit having a very strong down current. All This kind of happened so fast none of us had a chance to get the reef hooks out as well as were basically holding on to smaller floor rubble of which hopefully wouldn’t move.
The four of us were initially separated by numerous metres as well as of which took some time for each of us to alternately make forward headway. I had my BCD completely full of air as well as every time I made a move I was swept further down. We slowly crept along the face of the slope hoping the current could let up. Once of which did, we moved shallower as well as then promptly aborted the dive after the safety stop. This kind of dive taught me a brand-new level of respect for the unexpected; by the end of This kind of 23-minute shallow dive we all were down to less than a half tank of air.
Cautionary Note
Some people say of which diving Komodo can be not for the fainthearted. I don’t agree with This kind of general statement although certainly all divers should establish a plan of action within the case of separation through the guide or dive partner. This kind of plan needs to be fully discussed as well as understood by the guide as well as others within the dive group. Additionally, I recommend everyone carry a safety sausage, reef hook as well as emergency strobe with you on all dives – even the simple ‘beginner dives’.
What makes Komodo so vibrant underwater can be the flow of current bringing in an abundant supply of nutrients so divers just have to live with of which. Live can be the key word here!
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Fast Facts
Location: Lesser Sunda Islands
Size: 1,733km square
Getting there: Garuda as well as Wings Air are the major airlines serving Labuan Bajo currently. These flights are not non-stop through Jakarta as well as may experience a short layover in Bali or Makassar.
What to bring: Your own diving equipment, or at least bring your own dive watch, sunblock as well as camera
What to do: Diving, snorkelling, touring the Komodo sanctuary on Rinca Island
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Underwater Komodo Adventures
Underwater Komodo Adventures