Komodo
About 1 hour flight away from Bali,
is one of the best dive destinations in the world!
Looking for an affordable experience for your next diving holiday? Komodo National Park offers one of the richest marine environments in the world including stunning coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, seamounts, pinnacles, dramatic walls, overhangs, and semi-enclosed bays. And not to forget the Komodo Dragons!
The Komodo National Park is located between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores and is part of West Manggarai Regency in the Indonesian Province, East Nusa Tenggara. The Regency has a population of 220,000 with only a little over 5,000 residing in the capital Labuan Bajo. The former fishing village has grown into a bustling tourist hub and is the gateway for day trips and Liveaboards to the Komodo National Park.
The park consists of three larger islands: Komodo, Padar, Rinca, and 26 smaller ones. It covers a total area of 1,733 km2. It is also home to the fiercest dragons outside of Westeros.
Komodo is one of the top dive destinations on our planet. The diversity of marine life is nearly unmatched anywhere else, and the accessibility makes a day- or liveaboard trip the perfect way to explore this incredible region.
The amazing array of marine life is waiting for all kinds of divers. From brilliantly colored, healthy reefs teeming with fishes, roaming shoals of fishes around huge pinnacles, scattered by giant trevallies, white and black tip reef sharks cruising around as well as the occasional turtle paddling by. The healthy coral formations do their own to multiply the joy when diving here.
Due to its occasionally strong tidal currents, the timing of a dive is crucial. The best way to be at the right place at the right time is by joining our Komodo dive trips. Our local Fleet consists of two budget-friendly, comfortable liveaboards: BUSY GIRL and BAJAK and the most comfortable HIU BODOH, our boat for day trips.
Both liveaboards are all year round in the Komodo National Park, whilst Busy Girl is a very private boat with 2 cabins for a maximum of 4 guests; Bajak (Bajak laut = Sea Pirate in Javanese) is a bigger girl with the capacity to host up to 14 guests in 3 cabins. Our day boat is one of the largest in the area with more than 45 sqm of resting area and a dedicated chef to freshly cook every day.
During the Komodo high season, we also provide a homebase for our sisters of the Scuba Republic fleet, JAYA and A’BOYA. They are more migratory in nature and follow the trade winds, moving seasonally between Komodo and Raja Ampat.
Our professional crew on all our vessels has years of experience and is intimately familiar with the region and its challenges. During the trip, safety is always the priority when choosing dive sites and dive profiles. Before every dive, currents and conditions are checked to make sure the site is suitable for all divers. A comprehensive briefing on topography, currents and possible marine life encounters precedes all water activities.
As much as we enjoy crowded dive sites, we prefer the fishy variation. We try to avoid the dive-rush hours and limit our dive groups to 4 guests per guide.
Every staff member on Scuba Republic’s Komodo liveaboards is passionate about marine life and our environment. We are conscious of the impact we have on it and do our best to keep it to a minimum. We run our boats as eco-friendly as reality and budget allow and serve fresh, locally-produced food within the limits of availability.
We are looking forward to taking you on an epic journey through the land of the dragons!
Komodo Liveaboards
Komodo National Park includes one of the richest marine environments in the world including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, seamounts, and semi-enclosed bays An incredible array of rich marine life is waiting for all types of divers . . .
Komodo Dive Center
Answer your Soul’s call to adventure and experience the unconventional. Komodo National Park has one of the richest marine environments on the planet – and we know how to best dive it. We believe diving should be fun.
Climate, Water- & Diving Conditions
If you're planning a trip to Komodo, it's good to know that the climate is tropical and hot all year round. During the main dry season from May/June to September/October is the ideal time to visit the central and northern dive sites within the National Park. Nevertheless occasionally we still head into the southern areas on our liveaboards when the weather permits.
The period from December to March is considered the rainy season, but don't worry it is not raining 24/7, there's still plenty of sunshine to enjoy! The northerly winds make the southern areas more accessible and the water becomes warmer there.
Air temperatures are pretty consistent throughout the year with an average of 25.4°C/78°F, with slightly cooler evenings during the end of the year. In the hottest months are September to November, temperatures can soar up to 35/37 °C (95/99 °F).
Our climate is one of the driest in Indonesia. Komodo National Park has little or no rainfall for approximately 8 months of the year but is impacted by occasional monsoonal rains.
The rainy season in which it still doesn’t rain 24/7, usually runs from November to March. During this time of the year, the northern part of the Park experiences lower visibility and it can be more difficult to get to due to larger waves. But don’t despair – the calm conditions in the southern part let you experience visibility up to 40m.
Although we have quite consistent air temperature, the water temperatures vary much more throughout the year. The Pacific and the Indian Ocean meet here and a lot of water is exchanged. That leads not only to the famous strong currents but also to some changes in temperature which can be as low as 24°C/73°F and go up to 30°C/86°F.
We experienced a 3mm long wetsuit to be the best choice.
Marine Life
Komodo National Park hosts one of the richest marine environments on the planet and is part of the ‘Coral Triangle’. These habitats harbour more than 1,000 species of fish, some 260 species of reef-building coral, and 70 species of sponges. Dugong, sharks, manta rays, at least 14 species of whales, dolphins, and sea turtles also make the Park their home. Pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs, ornate ghost pipefish, blue-ringed octopus and flamboyant cuttlefish also make the macro diver’s heart beat faster.
Adding to that, the variety of dive sites in terms of topography and dive site characteristics are as impressive: dramatic walls, submerged pinnacles, exhilarating drifts, unbelievable coral gardens, overhangs, caverns, swim throughs, sandy slopes, secluded bays – you name it, we have it and know how to dive it best.
The Park lies in the path of the Indonesian Throughflow, one of the strongest currents of the planet. It channels a gigantic volume of water from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean through the straits that separate the landmasses of Indonesia. The currents exchange phytoplankton-rich, greenish waters upwelled from the depth of the Indian Ocean in the south with clear, nutrient-rich tropical water from the north.
The mix of these two great oceans has created a unique marine environment that is as equally spectacular as the islands they surround.
Diving
The marine area constitutes 67% of the Komodo National Park. The open waters in the park are between 100 and 200 meters deep. The straits between Rinca and Flores and between Padar and Rinca, are relatively shallow (30m to 70m), with strong tidal currents.
The speed of the current in the Lintah Strait is determined by the lunar cycles, with new moon and full moon increasing the speed up to fifty percent.
In Komodo, the currents are famous, but we always select dive locations that suit our divers' certification, experience, and level of comfort. We carefully check weather, tides daily and check the currents upon arriving at the dive sites.
It is important that the current conditions are understood, and dives are guided only by seasoned professionals that not only know where to dive but also understand when and how to dive the site.
Luckily you are considering to dive with us – because that is what we do for a living!
Diving is possible throughout the year. Depending on the season conditions of dive sites change. While some of them experience lower visibility, others open up to a spectacular 40m+. But no matter where you dive, visibility rarely falls below 20m with the low being around 10m.
There are several ways to explore the numerous reefs of Komodo with Scuba Republic. Whether you like to spend a several days on one of our charismatic liveaboards, prefer day trips or even create your own schedule on our charter boat, we have an option for all tastes.
Nature on Land
Initially, the main purpose of the Komodo National Park was to conserve the world’s largest and heaviest lizard, the Komodo dragon (Varanus Komodoensis), and its habitat. However, over the years, the goals for the Park have expanded to protecting its entire biodiversity, both terrestrial and marine.
Komodo National Park is a landscape of contrasts between starkly rugged hillsides of dry savanna, pockets of thorny green vegetation, brilliant white sandy beaches, and blue waters surging over coral, unquestionably one of the most dramatic landscapes in all of Indonesia.
The main attraction of the Park is undoubtedly the Komodo dragon. With its ability to effectively prey on large animals, and tolerance of extremely harsh conditions, it is equal in fearsomeness to the last remaining dragon of Westeros. The population, estimated at around 5,700 individuals is distributed across the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Gili Motong, and some coastal regions of western and northern Flores. These giant lizards exist nowhere else in the world.
Other species found in the Park are an endemic rat and the crab-eating macaque and 72 species of birds, such as the lesser sulfur-crested cockatoo, the orange-footed scrub fowl, and noisy friarbird.
Protection Status
Official protection began in March 1980 when an area of 72’000 ha was declared a National Park. This area was subsequently extended to 219,322 ha in 1984 to include an expanded marine area and the section of mainland Flores.
The Komodo Biosphere Reserve was accepted under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme in January 1977. In 1990 a national law, elevating the legislative mandate for conservation to the parliamentary and presidential level significantly empowered the legal basis for protection and management.
Komodo National Park is managed by the central government of Indonesia through the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Natural Conservation of the Ministry of Forestry.