Komodo National Park to Flores

Duration: 12 Nights

You must be a PADI Open Water diver or equivalent and have logged a minimum of 30 dives to join this safari.

As with all diving activities, the dive guide has the final decision regarding any divers competency to complete any particular dive.

This itinerary allows you to dive some of the best sites in the Nusa Tenggara and Komodo National Park areas, finishing with some amazing critter diving in Maumere .

The Nusa Tengarra region covers hundreds of kilometers, navigating through breathtaking scenery such as; volcanoes, mangrove forests and the stunning blue of the wide open sea contrasted with sun-scorched, red earth islands.  Komodo offers world class diving and snorkeling in an amazing variety of sites with walls, coral gardens, pinnacles, drop offs as well as quiet bays for macro photographers seeking rarely seen critters in black volcanic sand. Komodo is blessed by a through flow of currents and cold water upwellings flowing to and from the Indian Ocean providing nutrient rich waters where swathes of soft corals, sponges, ascidians and clouds of brightly coloured fish thrive. When the current´s right exhilarating blue water, fish soup diving with explosions of fusiliers, trevallies, sharks and other pelagic fish will leave you mesmerized for hours. Hang out with congregations of Manta Rays while they feed, clean and dance on the shallow reefs and rock formations. Finally, end your Indonesian voyage in Maumere,  considered to be a real muck diving paradise. 

The itinerary will vary depend on several factors including, but not limited to, weather, diving ability of guests & the number of other boats already present at the various dive sites.

Itinerary Highlights

Bima Inlet: There are a variety of dives in the calm waters of the Bima Inlet from teeming coral reefs to prolific critter dives to search out some of the more bizzare marine creatures. Fuzzy Bottom looks fairly nondescript from the surface and not much better once you descend, however, this place comes alive once you get to the seabed. Fairly shallow and gently sloping the sand here provides shelter and a hunting ground to some of the rarest cephalopods on the planet. Five of the "Octopus Holy Grails" are here. The long arm varieties Mimic's, White V and Wonderpus are fairly common and Blue Rings and Veiny have been seen on a regular basis. Apart from our eight tentacled friends there are zebra crab and Coleman shrimp in fire urchins, thorny seahorses, various ghost pipefishes, frogfish, strange looking puffers and porcupine fish. Night dives here are a trip - battling crabs and shrimp fight it out on the bottom while trying to avoid the attentions of the other hunters.

Sangeang:  Sangeang Api, a huge twin peaked volcano thrusting out of the ocean is one of the most active volcanoes in the Lesser Sunda Islands. Two large volcanic cones, 1,949m/6500ft - high Doro Api and 1,795m/5980ft - high Doro Mantoi, are in the centre and on the eastern rim, respectively, of an older, largely obscured caldera. Aside from the stunning mountainous scenery, wild horses and domestic buffalo can sometimes be seen on the beaches. The underwater world of Sangeang is every bit as impressive as the island itself with caves, canyons and mysterious reefs bubbling like champagne due to the volcanic activity below. These volcanic islands have ideal muck diving conditions. Bury your head in the sand to find a whole cache of hidden creatures, such as ghost pipefish, seahorses, frogfish, flatworms, arrow crabs and sea moths, plenty to keep  photographers happy.

Gili Banta, The Sape Strait: The imposing and impressively desolate island of Gili Banta sits in the Flores Sea at the top of the Sape Strait, the current washed channel that separates the islands of Komodo and Sumbawa. There is little in the way of vegetation on Banta save for a few sparse trees and bushes growing on the rocky slopes and ledges above the beaches. Majestic sea eagles have made their homes on the vertical rock faces that plunge into the deep blue sea and are frequently seen soaring, swooping and even fighting with each other while hunting for a meal. Gili Banta's main dive sites are situated in and around this north facing bay close to the edges of what is almost certainly the caldera of a massive but long extinct volcano. There are two points on the east and west ends of the bay; one a picturesque and teeming coral reef underneath a rocky peninsula (Starwars), the other a current swept promontory with breathtaking marine architecture ( Rollercoaster). For divers wanting a more sedate time there are some pretty white sand and coral reef sites such as The Circus and K2. These two sites are inside the bay and regularly come up with unusual marine critters and are ideal for underwater photography and night dives in easy calm conditions. The main attraction at Gili Banta however is the infamous GPS Point, a high voltage coral covered underwater mountain and one of the most unpredictable and demanding dives in the Komodo area; but so rewarding when dived in the right conditions at the right time.

Gili Lawah Laut & Gili Lawah Darat:  Located on the northern edge of the Komodo National Park the Gili Lawah area comprises of two bays on north Komodo and two islands, Gili Lawah Laut and Gili Lawah Darat. The terrain here is rocky hilly savannah and the two islands support big herds of goats as well as the ubiquitous sea eagles and blackbirds. There are some very scenic hikes up onto the tops of the hills here and the climber is rewarded with stunning views of the surrounding islands and waterways, especially at sunrise and sunset. The diving here is some of the very best in the area, if not the world. Spectacular sea mounts, glittering reefs, current swept channels all in a relatively small area make diving here a must on every visit. Recently on two of the sites hunting dolphins have been sighted with an entourage of grey reef sharks and giant travelley. On other sites here there are families of manta rays and even a rare dugong was spotted on one dive site in this area.

Crystal Rock: A sea mound covered with nice soft coral. The fish life is excellent with whitetip and blacktip sharks and grey reef sharks in deeper water. There are also batfish,  giant trevallies and dogtooth tuna The current can be very strong but the water is extremely clear

Three Sisters:  Three submerged pinnacles located near Padar Island. Each pinnacle is covered in pristine coral, and the topography of the site allows for it to be dived under a number of conditions. The walls of the pinnacles are covered in soft corals, Tubastrea, and Crinoids, the tops  offer stunning hard and soft coral gardens. With little to no current this dive site offers multiple species of eels, scorpionfish and nudibranchs. More experienced divers can attempt this site on a mild rising or falling tide, which increases the chances of encountering big schooling fish and feeding behaviour around the pinnacles. Look out for hunting giant trevally, great barracuda and eagle rays working their way around these magnificent underwater peaks.

Horseshoe Bay (Nusa Kode) at Rinja Island: One of the top 10 dive sites in the world and a diver’s paradise. The Yellow Wall of Texas is one of the Komodo National Park's signature dive sites, so called because of the proliferation of robust sea cucumbers - they are all over the place and their bright yellow hue dominates the vista. You can also feast your eyes on clown triggerfish cruising around the reef amongst the thousands of fork-tailed fairy basslets and butterflyfish. Not only does the wall itself promise much in the way of entertainment but sharks, manta rays and turtles are all frequent passers-by. Torpedo Alley is famous for its electric rays and one of the best night dives you will do for critter sightings. Cannibal Rock  has been described as being in the top five dives on the planet, the site has marginal visibility but more than makes up for it in terms of density of life. This small seamount rises to within a few feet of the surface, and it is easy to circumnavigate in a single dive. Sea apples and other varieties of the sea cucumber family are especially abundant here, as are nudibranchs, puffer fish, octopus, and all weird and wonderful manner of blennies.

Satonda Island: Famous for its fruit bats, Satonda Island is a muck diving hot spot with a patchy coral reef. You'll spend your dives here looking for the rare clown anglerfish, ghost pipefish, boxer crabs and other small critters.

Manta Alley: The water clarity can sometimes be only about 40 feet, but the plankton that clouds the visibility also consistently attracts manta rays. Here divers can see manta rays cruising the shallows along the sloping face of the reef, and with a bit of luck and a careful approach can get fairly close.

Maumere:  Known for its endemic species and bio-diversity, coral gardens and plenty of interesting marine life such as Trevally, Mackeral, Flatworms and Shrimps abound. South-east of Palau Besar is a current-washed channel where there is a chance to see Sharks and Eagle Rays. At Wairterang there is a Japanese shipwreck lying at 12m–32m depth, some of its body  overgrown with hard and soft corals. Schools of trevally, mackerel, grouper and batfish can be seen swimming around its surface and the wreck is a perfect hiding place for all kinds of marine animals. Abundant soft corals and crevices, hiding macro delights such as Frogfish and Pygmy Seahorses with occasional Sharks and Eagles Rays, can be found at Palau Babi.