Shenron 5D4N

We will start by doing some refresher dives on some easy dives to let you be comfortable with your buddy, guides, and equipment.

• Sebayur Kecil

This island on the east side of Komodo National Park is a perfect spot to do our check-out dive as currents tend to be very mild here. We start the dive on a white sand patch where we can look out for blue spotted stingrays, garden eels, and other sand inhabitants. Continuing to the east the reef gets into a beautiful hard coral wall. Leaf scorpionfishes, reef octopuses, and moray eels are only a few of the inhabitants of this site.

• Loh Buaya (walk with dragons)

Your day will begin with an exciting visit to Komodo National Park where you will be able to take a stroll with the famous dragon! As you walk along the paths, also stay on the lookout for deer, wild boar, and birds in addition to the giant lizards. After the walk, we moved to the middle area of Komodo National Park.

• Waenilu/Kempling

This night dive is situated off the north of Rinca Island. In the shallows, the hard-coral reef is home to many different critters, including juvenile harlequin sweetlips and batfish. Away from the reef, the sandy slope is scattered with pulsing soft corals that hide demon stingers and starry night octopuses. Different types of nudibranchs, frogfishes, harlequin shrimps, and even weedy rhinophias have been seen here.

• Batu Pengah

This dive site is located in the middle of the Komodo National Park, 12 nautical miles to the north and 12 nautical miles to the south. The translation of Batu = Rock, Tengah = Middle. With a slope to the east of the site and a coral garden to the west Batu Tangah is a beautiful site where we often get to see turtles, cuttlefish, and juvenile white-tip reef sharks that hide under the table corals among the hard coral garden. Napoleon wrasse and big groups of snapper swimming on the slope with all the colorful decorations of the soft coral make Batu Tengah a high-quality dive site.

• Police Corner

Diving at Police Corner requires the right timing to have an enjoyable dive as currents here can be tricky, as is often the case in Komodo. This means experienced and sensible guides who know local conditions, tides, and currents. Which is why most dive centers skip this site. But this place is worth the wait… The steeply sloping reef looks like no other place in the national park. The great overhangs and crags make for incredible lighting as well! Due to the potentially strong currents, the coral here had to adapt and grow flat instead of outwards, but it is by no means any less colorful or beautiful.
Red-tooth triggerfishes and fusiliers swim in the blue against the current while you drift past, not knowing if you should look at the reef or at all the fish. Nudibranchs are plentiful in among all the corals and can bring you in for a closer and closer look.

• Mawan

First of all, Mawan is very famous for seeing manta rays at the cleaning station.

Great for ‘muck dives’ this dive site is a veritable treasure trove of macro marine life and an underwater photographer’s dream! With virtually no current, Mawan is suitable for all levels of Divers. Take the opportunity to see a wide variety of nudibranchs, mantis boxing shrimp, broad club cuttlefish, frogfish, and if you are very lucky a wunderpuss.

• Siaba Besar

Siaba Besar is great as a dive check location due to the lack of strong currents, but it does not mean it lacks in cool sights to see! There is something for every diver in store at this dive site, with remarkable reefs, turtles galore, and if you dive a little deeper the elegant sharks. Don’t miss out on the sandy bits where shrimps expose their poisonous flesh, hidden in the tall sea grass along with the beautifully camouflaged Ghost Pipefishes.

• Siaba Kecil

Siaba Kecil is a drift dive that runs through alluring canyons ending with a gorgeous coral garden. Within the canyons are spectacular and mysterious caves home to the big pelagic fish species such as sharks, barracudas, and schools of sweetlips and trevallies.

• Tatawa Kecil

A fantastic dive site where experienced guides are required. The tidal currents can be strong here – but the site is just amazing! The diversity of species at this site can be jaw-dropping, from the pygmy seahorses to the passing sharks and Manta Rays. In the shallows and plateaus, there are sightings of Dugongs!

• Batu Bolong

Batu Bolong (which means “hollow rock”) is, what appears to be a small rock in the middle of the Lintah Straits, between Tatawa Kecil and Komodo island itself. It’s easy to overlook this site as you sail by…but don’t! With experienced guides, this site brings all the very best of “Komodo style” diving, massive schools of fish numbering tens of thousands, incredible color corals, sponges, soft corals, sharks, rays, tunas, trevallies, and more. It’s a madhouse of fish life!

Due to the rock’s topography and exposure to strong currents the reef has not been targeted by fishermen and is in superb condition. Hard corals and sponges cover the walls and slopes, but the main beneficiary here must be the fish life. The volume of fish here is awesome, right from the deeper water areas where Napoleon wrasse and whitetip reef sharks cruise, to the shallow where thousands of smaller reef fish battle it out for territorial and feeding rights. It’s known to have more species in this dive site than all the Caribbean Sea!

Hawksbill turtles are frequent feeders on the sponges and tunicates, giant sweetlips lurk in the gullies and overhangs, and palette surgeonfish dance across the current swept upper reaches of the rock. Fish mating, fish laying and guarding eggs, fish hunting, fish hiding, fish fighting, fish feeding – it’s all here on display from dawn ’til dusk.

• Manta Point

Makassar Reef, also known as ‘Manta Point’, is located between Komodo Island and Tatawa. The area possesses strong currents which in turn attracts the Manta Rays. As these creatures swim with the current, it allows the plankton-rich water to rush over their gills to filter food.

However, this causes the area to lack coral as the strong current prevents the coral from growing and holding on. Home to the dominant species, you’ll often find these majestic creatures in packs of two or three and capable of traveling up to 1,000 kilometers. However, there have been sightings of turtles, reef sharks, humpback rays, giant trevallies, and other micro marine life in Manta Point. Manta Rays are fully aware you’ve entered their territory but don’t feel threatened as they are friendly and curious creatures.

Two celebrated dive sites await you, just north of Gili Lawalaut Island. Crystal Rock and Castle Rock are both incredible locations, boasting the key elements for any impressive dive site: a wide variety of healthy corals covering the reef, plus tons of fish – both big and small and all sizes in between! There are more exhilarating dives in this area, Aquarium, Coral Garden, Gili Lawalaut Lighthouse, and a bit more to the northeast Batu Montjo, along with good night dives on healthy hard coral reefs off the island of Gili Lawa Darat. Between the dives, there is a chance to visit Gili Lawalaut Island and take a short trek to the top of the hill for a wonderful view over the Komodo-Flores channel.

• Crystal Rock

The rock jutting out of the surrounding crystal clear waters explains how this site got its name. But what is truly memorable here are the large schools of fusiliers and anthias flitting over the gorgeous soft corals and impressive table corals. In the deep blue, you can also see at times large tuna, mackerel, and other fish schooling around a small mound to the northwest. A lone eagle ray is often spotted here cruising in the currents.

• Castle Rock

Castle Rock is a submerged pinnacle situated a kilometer further north of Crystal Rock. Its exposed location means strong currents but experienced divers will love the thrills to be had on this dive. In fact, the main action comes from watching the staggering amount of fish such as batfish, groupers, midnight snappers, and impressive schools of fusiliers and surgeons whipping past. Of course, divers aren’t the only ones interested in the huge amount of fish here, which explains the giant trevally as well as whitetips, blacktips, and grey reef sharks hunting around for their next meal.

• Aquarium

This beautiful shallow dive site on the southwest corner of Gili Lawalaut offers a good possibility to see manta rays passing by. Big coral formations surrounded by thousands of glassfish offer amazing wide-angle photography opportunities. White tip reef sharks can be found in the sandy bottom area and hawksbill and green turtles can be seen along the calm flower coral reef.

• Coral Garden

We start the dive in a white sandy area with stunning coral heads and big barrel sponges. Watch out for leaf scorpionfishes, hairy squat lobsters, moray eels, and different types of stingrays. The reef converts into a beautiful hard coral wall where thousands of fusiliers and dozens of trevallies and snappers can be seen.

• Cauldron

A Needful ingredient to fully appreciate this dive is the falling tide. In the initial part, we find ourselves in a splendid coral garden densely populated by giant sweetlips, snapper, nudibranchs, and occasionally octopuses. At a certain moment, we will arrive near the Cauldron, a huge circular amphitheater surrounded on both sides by walls covered with corals, colorful sponges, and sea fans; we will also enjoy the amazing view of sharks and big pelagic fishes whirling around.

The constantly increasing current will lead us to the famous “Shot Gun”, which will shoot us in a channel where we will cross mantas and giant trevallies and then finish in the nearby coral garden. Suitable for expert divers, due to the strong currents.

• Tatawa Besar

On the last full day of the cruise, there will be one or two dives depending on the flight times out of Labuan Bajo the next day. We will spend half the day around Gili Lawa Laut. After the dives, we will travel back to Labuan Bajo and spend the rest of the day relaxing and preparing for our famous photo contest of the trip. We will spend half the day around the North area of Komodo. After the dives, we will travel back to Labuan Bajo and spend the rest of the day relaxing and preparing for our famous photo contest of the trip.

Disembarkation in Labuan Bajo.