Scuba Diving in Komodo National Park
Komodo National Park comprises the area’s three major islands: Komodo, Rinca, Padar and many smaller islands, the macro areas of Sangeang volcano and Sumbawa, and the barrier reef of Moyo Island.
Komodo and surrounding islands are located in the straits within the Lesser Sunda Islands between Sumba and Flores. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991, the islands have a dry savannah landscape with pockets of thorny green vegetation, white and red sandy beaches, and lagoons for swimming and snorkelling.
In addition to the spectacular diving, Komodo National Park is home to the world’s largest lizard, the Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis). Komodo dragons are endemic to eastern Indonesia and mainly found on the islands of Flores and Komodo. In 2021, the Komodo dragon was entered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) ‘Endangered’ list. This means it has a “high risk of extinction”.
Diving Komodo National Park
Being part of the Coral Triangle, Komodo National park offers some of the richest marine biodiversity on Earth.
Liveaboard diving is the most popular choice due to the distance between dive sites. Komodo’s northern sites are sometimes subject to strong currents but offer the chance to see schooling White-tip and Grey reef sharks, large schools of Giant and Blue-fin trevally, Big eye jacks, different species of turtles, even dolphins and dugongs. At quieter times, massive Napoleon wrasse in good numbers and Eagle rays come in from the blue.
In the south is the world-famous site Cannibal Rock in Horseshoe Bay, Rinca, home to some rare nudibranchs, several species and colours of Rhinopias, and a host of frogfish.
There are several Manta aggregation sites where divers can fly with literally squadrons of these magnificent creatures.
Seasons and Dive Conditions in Komodo National Park
Dry Season is April to November and is considered the best time to dive here.
However Wet Season ie: north-east monsoon (December to February) is also Manta Season 🙂 but can have reduced visibility.
Late November usually gives less rough seas but plenty of Manta sightings.
January to March: The northern dive sites become quite rough; consequently some land-based dive centres close at this time. If this is the only time available to you, AquaMarine suggests taking a liveaboard to visit southern dive sites. Our Dive Travel Consultants can help you with this.
Some of Komodo’s dive sites can have challenging currents; eg: Karang Makassar (Manta Point) so AquaMarine advises you refresh or upgrade your skills before heading over there to ensure you maximise your enjoyment.
How to reach Komodo National Park
There are liveaboards offering the round-trip between Bali and Komodo National Park.
Otherwise, coming from overseas, you would fly into Bali or Jakarta and then catch a domestic flight to Labuan Bajo. From there you either join a liveaboard or use local dive centres and resorts to explore nearby dive sites. In addition, there is a dive centre on Sebayur Island which is within the National Park.
On off-gassing days, we can arrange visits to see the actual Komodo dragons: Imagine 3m/10ft and 150lbs/70kgs of lizard! (The largest verified specimen was 366lbs/166kgs…) Don’t let their bulky appearance fool you as they can sprint up to 12mph/20km/h. They can dive to 15ft/4.5m and, when young, use their massive claws to climb trees. To catch out-of-reach prey, they stand on their hind legs and use their tail as support.
If you’re ready to experience Komodo National Park – or elsewhere in Indonesia! please contact AMD-B’s ‘Beyond Bali’ Dive Travel Consultants today on.
As always, they will be more than happy to offer recommendations and make arrangements to suit your preferences!