Diving in Komodo National Park, as one of the world’s best diving destination with the richest diversity of marine life, is an exceptional thing you have to encounter. Since the green and blue turquoise-colored water with hills surrounding on the sea surface will not be enough to fulfill your felicity, this place will offer you to see the whole 1,000 species of fish, 260 species of coral reef, and 70 species of sponges spread in abundant sites. If you’re lucky, you will possibly get manta rays and sharks to accompany you during your dive.
Below are ten recommended best dive sites in Komodo National Park:
1. Batu Bolong
It is a small rocky island with a diverse and colorful coral park. You can feel the undamaged and genuine underwater scenery due to its geographical condition (great current and steep walls) which is unreachable for any fishermen. You will find pelagic fishes, turtles and sometime numerous white-tip sharks if you go deeper. One thing to be careful here is the powerful current.
2. Cannibal Rock
Located in the south of marine reserve between Rinca and Nusa Kode Island, unlike Batu Bolong, Cannibal Rock has a calm current. This site is well known as macro dive site where you can find macro fishes species, such as rare kinds of nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses, and rock fish. Great schools of bohar snappers and scorpion fishes may suddenly come out from the soft corals.
3. End of The World
Located in the southernmost part of Komodo, this site is a very deep water with high rock wall structured to 40 m. However, it has rich corals such as stunning marigold cup corals and white tips sharks, morays, and rays.
4. Gili Lawa
Unlike End of the World site, Gili Lawa is only 20 m deep. You may also observe large cuttlefishes, pyramid butterfly fishes, hawksbill turtles, and red octopus. Bronze colored sponges and soft coral make this site more stunning. You possibly can witness the various schooling action of yellow-ribbon sweet lips, big eye trevally, black snappers, blue fins, and white-tip sharks. But, you may find the current quite strong, so be careful.
5. GPS Point
This seamount located on the northeast of Gili Banta Island; it treasured sharks, dogtooth tuna, and thousands of barracuda schooling. It will be incredibly possible to encounter seven species of sharks in a single dive. This site proudly showcases schooling hammerhead if you dive on September. Unfortunately, damaged corals can be seen here due to the 90’s fish bombings. A strong current often happens, diving experiences are totally required.
6. Manta Alley
Manta Alley is a rocky islet in South Komodo bay. It is the most loveable spot for diving and snorkeling with shallow water (5-20m), diverse invertebrate species lives on damaged-but-rapidly-and-naturally-energized corals and many kinds of sharks and incredible schooling trevallies. If you don’t want to miss meeting loads of manta rays, you seriously need to dive between September to January; you will be welcomed by up to 20 manta rays in one dive. Another great thing here: you will meet abundant barracudas patrolling frequently! But be careful, the water is cold and sometimes you will experience a strong current.
7. Pantai Merah (Pink Beach)
This site located right in front of the dragon station, the eastern part of Komodo Island. It is all beautiful: from its beach to the underwater life. However, mostly you will find tame fish and a great number of critters, such as scorpion fishes, crocodile fishes, blue ribbon eels, mask unicorn fishes, and nudibranchs. But still, you can find a school of striped fusiliers. Snorkeling in Pink Beach is just lovely, thanks to its shallow water. For diving, it is fully recommended to do it at night.
8. Tatawa Kecil
Located in the south of Tatawa Besar, Tatawa Kecil is dominant in its small but terrific cave which makes this site famous for cave diving. However, it is an advanced dive spot due to the very strong current. This site is recommended only for experienced divers. Numerous pelagics, sharks and manta rays will escort your time here.
9. Castle Rock
This spot is famous for macro observation and photography since it is a seamount and rocky site which has perfect soft corals as pigmy seahorses hosting on it. It has a clear visibility and stronger current only on the surface. Schooling barracudas, jacks, mackerels, and batfishes are common on this site, particularly when you swim deeper, up to 40m from the shallowest point.
10. Pillaarsteen
Located near the South Pacific Ocean, or east of Padar Besar Island, this site will give you cold sensation. The medium strength of the current will support you to swim down and meet odd turtles, gigantic trevallies, reef and bamboo sharks and huge barracudas.
When you are diving in Komodo, you will feel as if you own the sea. Since there are a great number of sites on this island, it will be totally worth it if you can encounter as many sites as you can after a long way and pricey fare to go here.
