a few from Komodo National Park

Dear All,

I went to Komodo National Park (Indonesia) at end of May/beginning June and had a blast.  I had been to Komodo by Liveaboard about 8 years ago and always thought it is one of the best dive places in the world, this was confirmed again... YES, it is absolutely stunning!!!  The coral are in pristine condition, the underwater wildlife in extreme abundance - small and big stuff!!!  However, the currents are partially very strong and one needs definitely local experience to dive safely...

Here some pictures :

Snake Eel free swimming

Two friends 

Jawfish

one of a gazillion turtles

Staghorn Coral heaven... all in perfect condition!!!

Manta madness!!! We saw so many, that we stopped counting...

....a nd more...  Unfortunately visibility was not soooo great, as often with Mantas, as they love the plankton...

The large Napoleons were mostly ignored, since everyone was looking at the Mantas...

Muck diving was sometimes a little challenging due to the strong currents

Fish Soup where every you look...

Crocodile fish lurking in the dark...

One of the many cuttle fish

Box fish being camera shy

...and one more...

Hope you enjoyed.

Lars

LarsPolarBear wrote:

! The coral are in pristine condition, the underwater wildlife in extreme abundance - small and big stuff!!! However, the currents are partially very strong and one needs definitely local experience to dive safely...

How do you mean: "partially very strong?"   Some dives are a hoof, and others are not?  Predictably, or not?   My wife can carry her camera or deal with current, but would prefer to avoid the double.

There's definitely a benefit to geographic isolation and diving difficulty - greatly reduces the diver impact.   But then it comes down to fishing practices - use of dynamite or cyanide.

kelpdiver wrote:

LarsPolarBear wrote:

! The coral are in pristine condition, the underwater wildlife in extreme abundance - small and big stuff!!! However, the currents are partially very strong and one needs definitely local experience to dive safely...

How do you mean: "partially very strong?" Some dives are a hoof, and others are not? Predictably, or not? My wife can carry her camera or deal with current, but would prefer to avoid the double.

Well, some dives are in bays (very few though), so not much current there.  For the others it depends a lot on the moon phase and location.  Some of the very famouse dive sites, e.g. “Castle Rock”, are “undiveable” shortly after full or new moon, too much current!!! You would normally already use reef hooks, but on these days it’s just impossible.  When I went there 8 years ago, it was rock climbing underwater... brutal current.  Other places are small islands, where you can only dive on the “lee” side of the tide, therefore the dive side changes several times a day and you have to stay close to the reef not to get cought by the back eddies.  Our dive guide told us that he once tried it further away from the reef and was pushed down to 47m within moments by the down currents... 😬  So, yes, it can be dangerous and a large camera with dome port and lots of strobes doesn’t make it easier... 😏

Anyways, if you dive with the right people, they will take care of you and make sure you go the sites that refelect your ability.

There's definitely a benefit to geographic isolation and diving difficulty - greatly reduces the diver impact. But then it comes down to fishing practices - use of dynamite or cyanide.

It’s a national park, therefore no fishing (also no dynamite or cyanide) allowed... The locals talk about some minor illegal fishing during the night, but doesn’t seem to be a major problem.

It‘s actually not that isolated.  The village you start from on Flores Island -Labuan Bajo - has an airport with flights from Jakarta and Bali.

LarsPolarBear wrote:

It‘s actually not that isolated. The village you start from on Flores Island -Labuan Bajo - has an airport with flights from Jakarta and Bali.

For me that means a 14 hour flight to HK or SNG, then a 5hr flight to Bali, and then another flight to Flores.   2 days of fun.  "Isolation" in the sense that it's a serious commitment to get there.  Indonesia unfortunately is not easy to travel to from afar.

So for my next trip, going to Solomons.   11 flight to Fiji, and then a couple hours more to Honiara.   It's just east enough to avoid the extra thousands of miles.

Thanks for the conditions info.

Very nice Lars! That last Manta looks like it’s flying in mid air.

Very nice set, beautiful nature. Thanks a bunch for sharing.

Nice set. Those mantas looks so handsome.