The Komodo Islands: Diving & Visit the Dragon

The islands of the Komodo Dragon:

Rinca & Komodo Islands are part of the complex of 175 islands (about 90% unhabitant), situated 200 nautical miles east of Bali, between the islands of Flores and Sumbawa. Both above and below the sea Komodo represents a unique range of geological and biological diversity. On shore
it is an amazing museum diorama of the Mesozoic era dry tundra and reptilian supremacy. Komodo's symbol of international fame its dragons, the world's largest living lizard.

In the sea it's vibrant color and exotic life will enchant divers and snorkelers alike as endless schools of fishride the waterways rushing up from deep sea vents, below them the seabed is covered with a thick carpet of florescent corals and marine invertebrates - an underwater photographers paradise.

The waters that surround the island are turbulent and teeming with unparalled marine life. A marine reserve has recently been established and this reserve is largely undocumented and
remains unexplored. Komodo National Park was established in 1980. It was declared as a Man and Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site in 1986. KNP includes three major islands - Komodo, Rinca and Padar and numerous smaller islands together totaling 41,000 ha of land contains 132,000 ha of marine waters.

The corals in Komodo National park are pristine, with Mantas, sharks, turtles, dolphins, dugong, many pelagics, to the tiny pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs, frog fish, you name it we've got it. The sites vary from gentle easy coral slopes to heart pounding adrenalin rides, from the warm waters of the Flores Sea in the north to the chillier waters down south in the Indian Ocean, the underwater terrain is so varied with sheer cliff walls, pinnacles, sandy flat bottoms, underwater plateaus, slopes, caves, swim-throughs, channels, all with varying colours, sizes and types of coral both hard and soft.

DIVE SITES:

Bidadari Island

Angel Steps, huge towers of stone, encrusted with hard and soft corals, covered in nudibranchs, small caves and overhangs make this a very interesting and beautiful site, Dusky sharks, humphead parrot fish are among the bigger creatures we see here. Cathedral Coral, a gentle slope covered with table corals of every colour and schooling fish, a towering spire of coral with a small cave at it's base is the home to some huge lobsters.

Sabolon

• Sabolon kecil a slope on the east side of this tiny island, with two underwater mounds at the southern end with fields of garden eels and sea pens, schools of round bat fish are often seen coming quite close for some nice photography.
  
  
  
• Sabolon Besar steep slopes off the southern and western sides of the bigger island, fabulous coral coverage and a good chance of spotting Scorpion leaf fish.
  
  
  
• Sebayur kecil walls and slopes of every kind of coral you can imagine, wide variety of marine life to be seen at this site, mantas often seen.
  
  
  
• Tatawa Besar slope with soft coral garden changing to hard coral along the slope, lots of shoaling fish, rainbow runners, fuseliers and often turtles and black tip sharks.

• Tatawa Kecil (current city) as the name implies, this site is washed by very strong currents, which is why this site is among the many world class sites in the Komodo National Park,schools of pelagic fish patrol the waters, best dived at slack tide.

Batu Bolong

A little further west from current city a small rock outcrop with a hole through it is the surface mark of another world class site, only to be dived at slack tide or with a current not long from stopping or starting to run, these giant slabs of rock which disappear into the depths are an amazing sight to see, covered with every form of marine life and patrolled by giant trevally, Napoleon Wrasse, sharks and turtles with schools of barracuda sweeping in to check out the divers.

Diving the Komodo National Park provides some fantastic conditions:

• WATER TEMPERATURE: 20 - 28 Degrees Celsius (68-85 F) , cooler water is experienced on the southern sites. Full 3mm wetsuit & hood is recommended. More active people will
  prefer a sports suit in northern sites.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• VISIBILITY: 10 - 50M year round. Traditionally clearer water on northern sites.CURRENT: Komodo experiences a strong tidal flow. Not all sites are affected by current. Drift diving is excellent, however during spring tides some sites are impossible to dive. Particular attention is placed on diving the correct sites at the most suitable time to ensure optimum conditions, in
  
  accordance with the preferences of the group.
  
  
• NIGHT DIVING: The night diving in Komodo is breathtaking. The sheer beauty, color and diversity of life makes it a must see for all divers

• WALLS: There are numerous walls to choose from. Both drift and static wall dives are offered.
  

• CANYONS: Huge chasms drop thousands of meters, fringed by extraordinary coral gardens.
  
  
  
• CRITTERS: Found in all locations, however we do offer special sites for encountering unusual marine species.
  
  
  
• OTHERS: Seamounts, fringing reefs, gutters, muck, and sandy locations are also found in the archipelago.
  

Getting There

By daily flights from: Bali - Labuan Bajo/Komodo Airport - Bali (each 1.5 hours)

Where to Stay

You can contact the above tour operators for more information. You can also plan to stay in Bali, and spend a whole day for visiting Komodo Island.

Moving Around

On foot. If you join a tour, the tour willsee to everything? including the transportation.

Dining Guide

Traditional restaurants and small cafes.

Souvenir Tips

Wooden carving resembling komodo and other animals.

Other Things to See or Do

• Fishing
  
• Snorkeling in Komodo has one of the world's most famous snorkel sites (Pink Beach)
  
• Dragon walks
  
• Nature walks
  
• Hiking
  
• Beach-combing.
  

Travel Tips

• Guide Book : Diving Indonesia (a guide to the world's greatest diving), Periplus Action Guide, Kal Muller.
  
  
  
• More Information about Diving in Komodo Islands you can contact: Adventure Indonesia, Jakarta Office-Wisma 31 Kemang, 3rd Floor, Jl Raya Kemang 31, Jakarta 12730. Phone:
  62-21-7182250,7182256,Fax:62-21-7180438. www.adventureindonesia.com,email:info@adventureindonesia.com, bali@adventureindonesia.com
  

Indonesia Diving, Raja Ampat Island "The incradible reef and fish"

No doubt about it, the Raja Ampat is definitely the richest place for fish, that I have ever been. Dr G.R.Allen

" I was like a five-year-old, seeing a reef for the very first time. I was awestruck, held by the incredible power of this richest reef. We must, with all available resources, preserve the beauty of Raja Ampat. This may be the last frontier. Michael Aw

"I love the people, I love the diving, It's super!! I've never been for a second time to the same dive destination but now I'm thinking about going back for the third time!! Should I say more?" Peter van Dalen
(Taken from www.iriandive.com)

Raja Ampat Island is the most westerndistrict of the Indonesian province of Papua. Raja Ampat consists of an
area surrounding four major island off the western coast of Birds Head
Panisula of New Guinea Island. The western half of which is Indonesia and
the eastern half, Papua New Guinea. The province was called Irian Jaya,
and its a cluster of over 1500 small Islands.

Raja Ampat is the most bio-diverse location in the world more than 3000 species of fishes and over 300 species of corals have been identified here, in a single one and half hour dive you can identified more than 282 fish species and more than 400 species. Till this very day the area is virtually unexplored and unknown due to its size. This area as there are still many remnants of WW II.

The Roughest seas and decreased visibility in the Raja Ampat area are from mid-June until the end of August. During the rest of the year, the sea is mostly very smooth whit good visibility.
Dive sites in Raja Ampat Island:

• Kri Island: Kri has several sites and Cape Kri is one of the fishiest. The fish numbers and variety are truly amazing. The site is current dependent. Generally it's a steep slope with beautiful coral growth, lots of reef and schooling fishes, including the giant Queensland Grouper.
  
  
  
• Sardine Reef: Sardine Reef has really giant clams at 10m (33ft) but it's all about non-stop fishes here. There's a resident school of bumphead parrotfish in the shallows, colorful soft corals and plenty of critters.
  
  
  
• Kaboei Bay Rock Islands: The bay is a labyrinth of rock islands. Visibility isn't great but this is a great place for macro and finding odd nudibranches, mollusks and the pictured dragonet. Bat caves and skeletons are found on some of the islands.
  
  
  
• The Passage: This is a drift dive through a narrow channel near Waigeo. Look for archerfish among the mangroves, orange cup corals, seahorses, and percula clownfish.
  
  
  
• Fam Island: Several sites near Fam have stunning coral growth. Sponges and soft corals add color and fishes keep it going. Sites include walls, sloping reefs, and muddy bays.
  
  
  
• Misool: Misool is awash in fish life and huge sea fans. Caverns and boulders mark several sites. The schooling fishes seem endless and pygmy seahorses live in less than 10m (33ft). Some sites are current dependent.
  

At a Glance Irian Diving

• Reef type: Vertical walls, Lagoon channels, caves, platform reefs, etc.
  
• Access: By boat from base camps.
  
• Visibility: Very good, 20-45 meters.
• Current: Moderate, excellent for drift diving.
  
• Coral: Excellent " abundant & divers.
  
• Fish: Variety & abundanceguaranteed.
  
• Highlights: Snorkeling with dolphins near the Wai base camp (5m); White-tip sharks under P47B wing; finding new wrecks untouched/complete.
  

Getting There

It is easiest to fly through to Sorong via Jakarta or via Singapore. Merpati, Pelita and Lion/Wings Airlines operate daily flights from Jakarta to Sorong (with stopovers in Ujung Pandang/Makassar and/or Manado), whereas Silk Air operates regularly from Singapore to Manado. Daily flights to and from Sorong by Airlines Merpati, Lion/Wings or Pelita.

Where to Stay

Raja Ampat Island have several accommodations whit traditional design, and there many boat you can rent for a stay. If you using dive operator they will arrange for your base came.

Moving Around

Raja Ampat islands have a very diverse topography with steep mountain shores and deserted white sand beaches. Explore the land on foot. Use a boat to move from one dive site to another dive site.

Dining Guide

There are several restaurants and cafes throughout Sorong. Try their specialties: traditional irian foods!

Souvenir Tips
There are many traditional souvenirs made from wood.

Other Things to See or Do

You can visit gorgeous waterfalls, ancient burial sites, bat caves and stunning
waterways breathtaking limestone landscapes and Manta ray spotting and
bird watching.

Travel Tips

• To enter Papua itself, you need a surat jalan (Travel Permit) which is issued by the local police. Please bring: 3 Passport Photos, 3 Copies of the photo page of your passport and 3 Copies of the passport page with the Indonesian Visa.
  
  
  
• Guide Book : Diving Indonesia (a guide to the world's greatest diving), Periplus Action Guide, Kal Muller.
  
  
  
• More Information about Irian Jaya Dive, contact: Sorong, Indonesia Office: Papua Diving. Phone: +62 (411) 401 660, Fax: +62 (951) 325 274. http://www.iriandiving.com/