Parque Nacional de Komodo

Komodo National Park Trip Report / dive log

Komodo Dancer Captain’s Log 23 Julio -2 Agosto 2015

Equipo

Capitán: Kasim

Director de Crucero: Rob

Dive Guides: Rob, Niko, Gede

Head Steward: Rizal

Jefe: Totok

Guests

Denise, Peter, Alysha, Aaron, Francis, Polly, Evelyne, Brian, Martin, Kay, Jiat, Bill, Foo Fatt, Jane, Piero, Caterina, Sibylle

 

Temperatura:

Air: 31-33

Water: 22-28

Dive Sites

Viernes: Sabolan Besar, Ángel, Sebayor, Mini Wall

Sábado: The Alley, W Reef, Pasir Putih

Domingo: Canibal Roca, Yellow Wall, Torpedo Callejón

Lunes: Castle Rock, Crystal Rock, Escopeta, Spanish Steps

Martes: The Corner, Rollercoaster, K2, Circo

Miércoles: Batu Bolong, Makasar Reef, Gran Tatawa, Wainilu

Jueves: Luna de miel Roca, Tatawa Kecil, GLD Passage, Komodo Steps

Viernes: Castle Rock, Crystal Rock, Lighthouse, next to Shotgun

Sábado: Batu Bolong, Siaba Kecil

 

Jueves 23ª Julio

Arrival day on board the Komodo Dancer and we welcomed an excited group of 17 guests. We have guests from the USA, Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Switzerland and Germany.

 

Viernes 24ª Julio

The trip started with a dive at Sabolan Besar. A nice relaxed check out dive with an octopus, and lots of small stuff like hairy squat lobsters and various nudibranch and shrimps. The Bidadari dive site was next, with cuttlefish, a big lobster and more macro like flatworms, nudibranch and a beautiful cowry shell. After lunch we dived at Sebayor; nice white sand with spotted garden eels and coral bommies with glass fish and surprises like painted frog fish, many leaf scorpion fish and a big crocodile fish

The night dive was a great closing dive of the day, with a leopard shark , Bailarina española, lobster and a spiny flying gurnard.

 

Sábado 25ª Julio

Overnight we went down to Lankoi in South Komodo and we began our day diving The Alley. We saw white tip and black tip sharks, bumphead parrot fish and another highlight was a huge school of fusiliers with a lone giant trevally cruising through. For our third dive we went to Padar, diving the W Reef. Highlights included a nurse shark in a cavern, a giant frogfish was swimming around, some stingrays at the bottom next to the pinnacles and some ladybugs for the macro photographers. Our night dive brought great macro stuff; frog fish, nice orangutan crabs and a tiny banded pipefish.

 

macro life in komodo

macro life in komodo

swimming in the current

swimming in the current

nudibranch with diver

nudibranch with diver

turtle in komodoDomingo 26ª Julio

Back in South Komodo, Horse shoe bay this time. Great dives on Canibal rock, with lots of fish life, nudibranquio , turtle and white tip shark. Yellow wall was our next dive site, with lots of nice stuff on the wall, Coleman shrimp on a fire urchin and batfish and sweetlips around. We had an amazing night dive at Torpedo Alley, pulpo, calamar, candy crab, various nudibranch and shrimp.

Horse shoe bay was also great above water; a pod of dolphins was playing around the boat, on the beaches around we saw monkeys, timor deer, wild boar. We did an excursion with the tenders to the beach to look at the six dragons that were there, with eagles flying overhead. It was a fantastic day.

 

Lunes 26ª Julio

After our ventures in South Komodo we went to the north and began the day with Castle Rock and then Crystal Rock. Both great dives on pinnacles. Highlights of the dive were giant trevally, a grey reef shark, tiburones de arrecife de punta blanca, napoleon wrasse and schooling sweetlips. Shotgun was our next dive site, with a nice drift through the fish bowl where we saw a manta ray playing around above us. Other highlights included nice coral bommies with glass fish and big groupers hanging around the fish bowl.

The night dive at Spanish Steps did not disappoint; beautiful spanish dancers, we saw a turtle and lots of decorator crabs, flatworms and other macro stuff.

 

Martes, 27ª Julio

Our next location was Banta Island, starting with a dive at The Corner. This site is on a reef slope and has amazing corals. We saw manta rays, a big banded sea snake, ribbon eels and schools of anthias around the coral bommies. Rollercoaster, our next dive, gave some nice drift along the wall and we saw lobsters, pez león, big moray eels and pygmy seahorse. Our third dive at K2 was very different again, with a sandy slope, a wall and beautiful corals on the shallow part. We saw a white tip reef shark, camarones mantis, sweetlips, nudibranch and a pregnant pygmy seahorse. The night dive at Circus included highlights like stargazers, squid and frog fish.

 

Miércoles 28ª Julio

After our day at Banta yesterday, we no went to Current City, with the first dive at Batu Bolong. This pinnacle is like an aquarium with so much fish life, nudibranch and a white tip reef shark. During the second dive at Makasar Reef we saw manta rays at cleaning stations and just cruising by and also a turtle and white tip reef sharks. Our third dive at Tatawa Besar was an exciting drift dive, ending at a beautiful coral slope. Along the way we saw a black tip reef shark, cuttlefish and schools of Anthias.

Our night dive was at Wainilu, a great site where we saw flathead fish, nudibranch and various little crabs and shrimp.

 

Jueves 29ª Julio

Still in Current City, we started the day with a dive at Honeymoon Rock, another nice pinnacle with lots of fish live, a turtle and a white tip reef shark cruising by. At Tatawa Kecil, our second dive site, we swam around big boulders and peeked under rocks and in caverns. Highlights included bumphead parrot fish, sweetlips, big groupers and lots of butterfly fish. After lunch we moved to Gili Lawa Darat to dive GLD Passage where we had another exciting drift and saw a turtle, tiburones punta blanca, lots of reef fish and big groupers. Our night dive at Komodo Steps had a nurse shark as a nice surprise and we also saw lots of nudibranch and other macro stuff.

Today we also did an excursion to the top of Gili Lawa Darat where we enjoyed a spectacular view of the Komodo National Park. The hike was a nice chance to set foot on wall again after seven full days of diving.

 

Viernes 30ª Julio

We stayed around Gili Lawa Laut and had our first dive of the day at Castle Rock. Highlights included turtles, white tip reef sharks and giant trevally. We did our second dive at Crystal Rock which was equally good, with more turtles and white tip reef sharks. After lunch we dived at Lighthouse with lots of reef fish, some big cuttlefish and turtles. The night dive was next to Shotgun, with some exciting finds like a small cuttlefish, pulpo, Bailarín español, a marble shrimp and lots of colorful nudibranch.

 

Sábado 1ª Agosto

We moved into Current City and did our first dive at Batu Bolong where we had another amazing dive with turtles, tiburones, barracuda and lots of reef life. Our second dive of the day, and last dive of this trip, was on Siaba Kecil where we drifted along a beautiful coral reef with turtles, sweetlips and big schools of glassfish. It was a great last dive.

While having lunch we headed for Rinja Island where we did our official dragon trekking. We did a hike, accompanied by a park ranger , and saw Komodo Dragons, Timor deer and monkeys.

After the hike we returned to the boat and enjoyed a farewell cocktail party while heading back to Labuan Bajo. We had a final dinner together and will depart the boat tomorrow after an amazing trip.

THE END