Dive Komodo, Labuan Bajo (opposite Gardena Bungalows)
Small boat catering to eight divers and about six crew. The facilities on the boat were basic but adequate and comfortable enough for the short journey. The outdoor shower was the spray hose used to wash off after diving but do you really need to shower properly when you are constantly in and out of the water? There was sufficient shaded room to laze between dives and a couple sun-lounges up top if you wanted to turn a darker shade of crimson.
It was an interesting mix of people and I think we all got along reasonably well. A linguist, chocolatier, anthropologist, software engineer, product buyer and some unemployed bums (one being me).
The diving needed to be pretty special to equal that of Bangka. I was here to see Mantas for the first time and lots of sharks. Novice divers are sometimes recommended to reconsider diving here due to some strong currents. I can now understand why. Some locations, ie where mantas like to feed, can have ripping currents. It was my first time cruising for 100's of metres in these currents. I thought it was quite fun as it was controlled but the more inexperienced group got caught in a super strong current which was a little scary for some. So don't necessarily pass on Komodo if you only have your Open Water but be mindful of what to potentially expect.
There were eight dives with the option of another two if you wanted. I opted for both, including the extra one on the last day instead of visiting the Komodo dragons on Ringka (which ended up proving to be slightly disappointing from all reports).
For the most part the corals were in very good condition with a few exceptions, a large variety of vibrant soft corals and anemone, very clear water and an amazing quantity of fish. We found the majority of fish we were searching for on each dive......frogfish, leaf scorpion, mandarin, cuttlefish, Spanish dancer, black and white tip reef sharks and of course the manta rays. There weren't as many nudibranches as I was hoping but the Spanish dancer (a nudi) made up for that.....beautiful to watch in the water once it has transformed from a humble but giant, flat sea slug to an almost graceful creature dancing in the blackened evening water. I wish I had taken some video.
The crew were very good. A couple things lacking (like a safety briefing) but for the most part, everything ran smoothly. My guide was daydreaming at times during some dives which was a little annoying. He did basically let me do whatever I wanted though. The lead guide who took the less experienced group by all accounts was excellent.
Overall it was a good trip. The highlight being metres from massive manta rays with my recently acquired pointer stick jammed into the rocky ground hanging on for dear life in the turbulent current whilst trying to video. It would have been really cool if one went right over my head.....next time.
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| Leaf scorpionfish |
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| Giant frogfish |
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| Me, Erin, Joey and Mario |
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| The Spanish Dancer....35cm end to end |
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| 1/4 of a sea urchin.....they look really cool at night |
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| This lobster was more than dinner plate size. It's antennae were over one metre long. |
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| A weird and wonderful nudi I think |
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| Anemone |
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| No idea what this tiny thing was but in the dark its translucent properties stood out |
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| Really bad photo of a small whitish cuttlefish that wouldn't stay still |
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| Facing head on into the current as the mantas drew up beside us |
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| Fish everywhere! |
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| There was a crab in this photo but I decided that I liked the anemone's structure better |
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| One of the coolest looking guys under the water....complete with racing stripes |
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| Nudi trying to squeeze through a very small gap |
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| Another bizarre flatworm |
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| Durban hinge-beak shrimp |
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| Another glimpse of a mandarin fish |
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