Maumere
Explore FloresFlores, nestled between the renowned Komodo National Park and the lesser-known gems of
Explore Flores
Flores, nestled between the renowned Komodo National Park and the lesser-known gems of Maumere, offers a diverse and unforgettable diving experience. This Indonesian island in the Lesser Sunda Islands is famed for its world-class drift and muck dives. Komodo National Park, accessible via Labuan Bajo, is particularly exciting, known for its swift currents and majestic manta ray squadrons. Divers here can explore the dramatic pinnacles, walls, and drop-offs, encountering everything from elusive frogfish to mighty sunfish, all while witnessing pilot whales streaming past in the blue.
Maumere, centrally located on Flores, is a hidden treasure for divers seeking adventure beyond the Komodo waters. It boasts impressive wall dives and a multitude of muck dives, home to numerous endemic species and otherworldly creatures waiting to be discovered. The best diving conditions are found from April to December, during the dry season. For those wishing to fully immerse themselves in this underwater paradise, liveaboard trips offer a comprehensive exploration of Flores's northern coastline, bringing divers closer to the action.
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Diving in Flores
Komodo diving offers warm, calm and colourful shallow reefs at Siaba Besar and stunning wall dives with soft corals enveloped by swarms of golden and orange anthias at Batu Bolong. At almost every dive site you’ll find yourself drifting along in sites with strong currents among unruly underwater jungles. In North Komodo, the park is full of staggering pinnacles and seamounts which attract incredible schools of fish to the area while at muck dives its possible to investigate the sandy bottom for all types of macro life. At Maumere there are a number of fantastic muck dive sites as well as deep walls, wrecks and drop offs exposed to the strength of the ocean.
Top Wildlife Sightings in Flores
Due to nutrient rich waters, you will be amazed at the sheer diversity of life that can be found while scuba diving in Flores. Many sites offer abundant coral growth, which reveal to divers exactly what it is like to dive in a pristine coral reef ecosystem. At Maumere, you’ll find frogfish, pygmy seahorse and blue-ringed octopus while spotting pilot whales, sperm whales and dolphins during your surface intervals. In the southern region of the marine reserve you can catch mola mola enjoying the colder waters as dogtooth tuna, giant trevallies and reef sharks all hunt in fierce currents.
Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content
Shutterstock-Shane Myers Photography
Green Turtle
7.1k Sightings
J
208
F
228
M
348
A
458
M
634
J
724
J
894
A
926
S
949
O
812
N
541
D
397
Shutterstock-Ed Jenkins
Hawksbill Turtle
3.4k Sightings
J
85
F
149
M
167
A
239
M
338
J
314
J
404
A
432
S
442
O
363
N
289
D
168
iStock-crisod
Reef Manta Ray
3k Sightings
J
122
F
194
M
187
A
228
M
312
J
276
J
177
A
215
S
338
O
423
N
298
D
209
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 200
Alamy-WaterFrame
Moray Eel
2.2k Sightings
J
62
F
80
M
114
A
131
M
238
J
209
J
243
A
260
S
297
O
221
N
188
D
128
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 600
iStock/ultramarinfoto
Wrasse
1.1k Sightings
J
36
F
53
M
59
A
56
M
112
J
107
J
137
A
150
S
161
O
89
N
60
D
57
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 25
iStock/Juliosanjuan
Eagle Ray
1k Sightings
J
25
F
15
M
31
A
45
M
73
J
123
J
156
A
169
S
180
O
99
N
66
D
46
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 27
iStock-Global_Pics
Barracuda
699 Sightings
J
2
F
35
M
36
A
41
M
43
J
94
J
102
A
96
S
95
O
87
N
53
D
15
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 300
Alamy/Reinhard Dirscherl
Octopus
624 Sightings
J
2
F
5
M
24
A
53
M
94
J
47
J
114
A
92
S
76
O
46
N
39
D
32
iStock/Divepic
Giant Oceanic Manta Ray
447 Sightings
J
12
F
28
M
20
A
40
M
35
J
31
J
17
A
24
S
65
O
73
N
58
D
44
AdobeStock-Nikolai Sorokin
Blacktip Reef Shark
4.8k Sightings
J
103
F
139
M
231
A
278
M
398
J
453
J
645
A
623
S
713
O
554
N
366
D
261
The best Months to dive in Flores
Scuba diving in Flores is best during the dry season, from April through to November. Yet, some species are seen more often in the rainy months. In Maumere, sperm whales are seen from November to December while the best season to spot manta rays in Komodo is between December and February. January through to March may have rough conditions at Komodo’s northern dive sites while southern dive sites are rough in July and August. Despite this, daily trips and liveaboards run throughout year-round and are rarely affected.
