Explore Komodo
Komodo National Park, nestled within Indonesia's Lesser Sunda Islands, is a dive destination like no other. While renowned for its prehistoric Komodo dragons, the underwater world here is equally captivating. The park's waters are a vibrant tapestry of life, offering exhilarating drift dives among flourishing multicolored reefs, intricate sea mounts, and striking pinnacles. Divers can explore diverse sites featuring walls teeming with life, from the tiniest critters like blue-ringed octopus and frogfish to majestic giants such as manta rays, dolphins, and even the elusive sunfish. Visibility is often crystal clear, allowing for awe-inspiring views of this underwater paradise.
Dive adventures in Komodo range from daily excursions accessible from Labuan Bajo to immersive liveaboard experiences. While diving from shore and resorts is an excellent choice for beginners, especially in the calmer waters of Central Komodo, liveaboards extend the adventure to the South and West, uncovering hidden underwater treasures. These voyages often pair diving with a chance to witness the iconic Komodo dragons, creating a truly unique experience. Whether you're a seasoned diver or a novice, Komodo's blend of marine biodiversity and thrilling dive environments ensures a memorable journey beneath the waves.
Dive Activity
Diving in Komodo
Dive into warm, calm and colourful shallow reefs abundant with hundreds of colourful reef fish at sites like Siaba Besar in Central Komodo or drift dive at Makassar Reef among droves of manta ray. Komodo diving has current in almost every dive site although they range in intensity. Head to Northern dive sites, such as Crystal and Castle Rock to see shark frenzies hunting small fusilier in the nutrient dense waters while diving in South and West Komodo often will find you shadowed by towering walls and overlooking drop-offs into the plummeting abyss.
Novice dive courses can be held in shallow sites while experienced divers wanting to improve their buoyancy and trim will find Komodo’s ripping currents a trying challenge. In South and West Komodo, you’ll mainly find people diving from liveaboards where it’s also possible to explore other prodigious dive locations in the Lesser Sunda Islands such as Sumbawa and Moyo Island.
Top Wildlife Sightings in Komodo
The marine life in Komodo is incredible. The exposure of the islands to strong currents keep the water nutrient dense as nutrients flow in from the nearby Pacific and Indian oceans. The constant water movement also means that the coral reefs here are some of the healthiest in the world - with some areas covered almost completely in coral.
Among the stunning corals, you will find sea turtles resting on make-shift beds and some of the largest reef fish in the world, such as the Napoleon wrasse, patrolling the water. Many dive sites allow you to spot rare nudibranch and miniscule pygmy seahorse clinging to their pink gorgonian sea fan homes while blue ringed octopus, ornate ghost pipefish and frogfish can be seen hiding on sandy seabeds.
At sites exposed to strong current, many pelagic fish await discovery. As the nutrient rich waters attract huge schools of batfish, surgeon fish and fusilier, larger pelagics such as dogtooth tuna, giant trevallies and barracuda are drawn to the area to feed. You can also spot a number of shark species, from black-tip and white-tip to the grey-reef shark. Very lucky visitors to Komodo’s magical underwater world may even see a hammerhead shark.
If you head South, colder waters will give you the opportunity to gaze in awe at the fascinating sunfish while in all regions of the National Park there is a chance to witness a graceful manta ray gliding past. If it’s a good day, all of this will happen while listening to the sound of dolphins playing somewhere deep in the blue.
Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content
iStock-crisod
3.4k Sightings
J
110
F
79
M
215
A
264
M
237
J
297
J
382
A
475
S
504
O
391
N
261
D
188
Shutterstock-Ed Jenkins
Hawksbill Turtle
2.5k Sightings
J
58
F
56
M
114
A
188
M
215
J
258
J
365
A
377
S
345
O
262
N
141
D
130
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
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52
F
54
M
97
A
157
M
254
J
215
J
300
A
313
S
322
O
237
N
115
D
120
Shutterstock-Shane Myers Photography
Green Turtle
2k Sightings
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27
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30
M
70
A
105
M
165
J
231
J
305
A
373
S
289
O
221
N
128
D
76
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
1.4k Sightings
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30
F
27
M
68
A
80
M
147
J
152
J
196
A
205
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201
O
133
N
85
D
58
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
1.1k Sightings
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21
F
0
M
30
A
40
M
133
J
120
J
134
A
203
S
191
O
106
N
69
D
36
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
603 Sightings
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3
F
1
M
20
A
39
M
43
J
66
J
97
A
118
S
79
O
79
N
36
D
22
iStock/Divepic
Giant Oceanic Manta Ray
571 Sightings
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16
F
3
M
29
A
20
M
36
J
52
J
54
A
66
S
102
O
90
N
61
D
42
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
352 Sightings
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12
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0
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12
A
21
M
75
J
38
J
48
A
57
S
39
O
38
N
11
D
1
iStock-June Jacobsen
Whitetip Reef Shark
5k Sightings
J
80
F
79
M
216
A
305
M
449
J
567
J
742
A
791
S
704
O
561
N
303
D
162
The best Months to dive in Komodo
Komodo diving is best during the dry season, from April through to November, and for dive courses these months are recommended. However, the best time to spot manta rays happens to be in the rainy season, from December to February. During those months you are likely to see manta rays in large squadrons enjoying the currents in the likes of Makassar Reef.
Liveaboard diving in Komodo happens all year round. Although January through to March can have rough conditions at northern dive sites and July and August in the south, these rarely interfere with liveaboard schedules. In South Komodo, the water is usually cooler which provides the best conditions to spot Mola Mola, with the best month to spot them being August.
