Bismillah Assalamu Alaikum
The islands of the Komodo Dragon: Rinca & Komodo
Islands are part of the complex of 175 islands (about 90% unhabitant),
situated 200 nautical miles east of Bali, between the islands of Flores
and Sumbawa. Both above and below the sea Komodo represents a unique
range of geological and biological diversity. On shore it is an amazing
museum diorama of the Mesozoic era dry tundra and reptilian supremacy.
Komodo's symbol of international fame its dragons, the world's largest
living lizard.
Angel Steps, huge towers of stone, encrusted with hard and soft corals, covered in nudibranchs, small caves and overhangs make this a very interesting and beautiful site, Dusky sharks, humphead parrot fish are among the bigger creatures we see here. Cathedral Coral, a gentle slope covered with table corals of every colour and schooling fish, a towering spire of coral with a small cave at it's base is the home to some huge lobsters.
In the sea
it's vibrant color and exotic life will enchant divers and snorkelers
alike as endless schools of fish ride the waterways rushing up from deep
sea vents, below them the seabed is covered with a thick carpet of
florescent corals and marine invertebrates - an underwater photographers
paradise.
The waters that
surround the island are turbulent and teeming with unparalled marine
life. A marine reserve has recently been established and this reserve is
largely undocumented and remains unexplored. Komodo National Park was
established in 1980. It was declared as a Man and Biosphere Reserve and a
World Heritage Site in 1986. KNP includes three major islands - Komodo,
Rinca and Padar and numerous smaller islands together totaling 41,000
ha of land contains 132,000 ha of marine waters.
The
corals in Komodo National park are pristine, with Mantas, sharks,
turtles, dolphins, dugong, many pelagics, to the tiny pygmy seahorses,
nudibranchs, frog fish, you name it we've got it. The sites vary from
gentle easy coral slopes to heart pounding adrenalin rides, from the
warm waters of the Flores Sea in the north to the chillier waters down
south in the Indian Ocean, the underwater terrain is so varied with
sheer cliff walls, pinnacles, sandy flat bottoms, underwater plateaus,
slopes, caves, swim-throughs, channels, all with varying colours, sizes
and types of coral both hard and soft.
DIVE SITES:
Bidadari Island
Angel Steps, huge towers of stone, encrusted with hard and soft corals, covered in nudibranchs, small caves and overhangs make this a very interesting and beautiful site, Dusky sharks, humphead parrot fish are among the bigger creatures we see here. Cathedral Coral, a gentle slope covered with table corals of every colour and schooling fish, a towering spire of coral with a small cave at it's base is the home to some huge lobsters.
Sabolon
- Sabolon kecil a slope on the east side of this tiny island, with two underwater mounds at the southern end with fields of garden eels and sea pens, schools of round bat fish are often seen coming quite close for some nice photography.
- Sabolon Besar steep slopes off the southern and western sides of the bigger island, fabulous coral coverage and a good chance of spotting Scorpion leaf fish.
- Sebayur kecil walls and slopes of every kind of coral you can imagine, wide variety of marine life to be seen at this site, mantas often seen.
- Tatawa Besar slope with soft coral garden changing to hard coral along the slope, lots of shoaling fish, rainbow runners, fuseliers and often turtles and black tip sharks.
- Tatawa Kecil (current city) as the name implies, this site is washed by very strong currents, which is why this site is among the many world class sites in the Komodo National Park, schools of pelagic fish patrol the waters, best dived at slack tide.
Batu BolongA
little further west from current city a small rock outcrop with a hole
through it is the surface mark of another world class site, only to be
dived at slack tide or with a current not long from stopping or starting
to run, these giant slabs of rock which disappear into the depths are
an amazing sight to see, covered with every form of marine life and
patrolled by giant trevally, Napoleon Wrasse, sharks and turtles with
schools of barracuda sweeping in to check out the divers.
Diving the Komodo National Park provides some fantastic conditions:
- WATER TEMPERATURE: 20 - 28 Degrees Celsius (68-85 F) , cooler water is experienced on the southern sites. Full 3mm wetsuit & hood is recommended. More active people will prefer a sports suit in northern sites.
- VISIBILITY: 10 - 50M year round. Traditionally clearer water on northern sites.CURRENT: Komodo experiences a strong tidal flow. Not all sites are affected by current. Drift diving is excellent, however during spring tides some sites are impossible to dive. Particular attention is placed on diving the correct sites at the most suitable time to ensure optimum conditions, in accordance with the preferences of the group.
- NIGHT DIVING: The night diving in Komodo is breathtaking. The sheer beauty, color and diversity of life makes it a must see for all divers.
- WALLS: There are numerous walls to choose from. Both drift and static wall dives are offered.
- CANYONS: Huge chasms drop thousands of meters, fringed by extraordinary coral gardens.
- CRITTERS: Found in all locations, however we do offer special sites for encountering unusual marine species.
- OTHERS: Seamounts, fringing reefs, gutters, muck, and sandy locations are also found in the archipelago.
By daily flights from: Bali - Labuan Bajo/Komodo Airport - Bali (each 1.5 hours)
You
can contact the above tour operators for more information. You can also
plan to stay in Bali, and spend a whole day for visiting Komodo Island.
On foot. If you join a tour, the tour will see to everything? including the transportation.
Traditional restaurants and small cafes.
Wooden carving resembling komodo and other animals.
- Fishing
- Snorkeling in Komodo has one of the world's most famous snorkel sites (Pink Beach)
- Dragon walks
- Nature walks
- Hiking
- Beach-combing.
- Guide Book : Diving Indonesia (a guide to the world's greatest diving), Periplus Action Guide, Kal Muller.
- More Information about Diving in Komodo Islands you can contact: Adventure Indonesia, Jakarta Office-Wisma 31 Kemang, 3rd Floor, Jl Raya Kemang 31, Jakarta 12730. Phone: 62-21-7182250, 7182256, Fax: 62-21-7180438.