diving komodo

The diving in the Komodo National Park is simply world class - from macro to megafauna there is something for every level of diver to enjoy. The Komodo National Park boasts a population of well over 1,000 identified manta rays and we see these throughout the year! The waters of Komodo are home to reefs that explode with colour, canons of confetti of reef fish and also several species of reef shark, eagle rays, devil rays and even elusive marine mammals such as dugongs and dolphins! The big stuff not for you? No problem, we’ve got you covered! The reefs and sands of Komodo are also home to some rare and much coveted macro such as hairy shrimps, frogfish, harlequin shrimp, nudibranchs, blue ringed octopus, wunderpus and so much more!

The Komodo National Park sits in the heart of the Coral Triangle! Within the Coral Triangle there are 600 species of reef-building corals, six species of marine turtle and two thousand species of reef fish! It is recognised globally as the centre of marine biodiversity. The Komodo National Park on its own boasts 260 species of coral, at least three species of marine turtle, over a thousand species of fish and rare marine mammals such as dugongs! All within the 1,733 km2 of the area! Given the coral triangle itself spans across 6 million km2, it’s clear this region is pretty special!

So it’s not just us telling you this area is amazing, it’s science too!

Of course, the diving of Komodo cannot be discussed without mentioning the currents! The currents of Komodo are a huge draw for some people, for others it makes them a little nervous - so let’s set things straight! There are, undoubtedly, some strong currents in the Komodo National Park - because of them we get an incredible array of marine life. However, this does not mean that every dive you do will be hard work! In fact, it is the opposite. We plan our dives to enjoy the currents - drifting along with a current is the closest you will ever get to flying! Here at Scuba Junkie we welcome all levels of divers and will custom our dive trips to ensure everyone is happy - we have small speed boats allowing for flexibility of dive sites.

The currents of Komodo are tidal based, meaning some dives are best on a rising tide, some are best on a falling tide and some are best at slack - some can be dived at any time in the tidal change! Our experienced and knowledgeable staff have thousands of dives in the waters of Komodo and know when the best time is to dive each site to have fun, see amazing marine life and also stay safe!

The Komodo National Park was established in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragons, so all focus was terrestrial. It wasn’t until 2001 that the marine zoning was introduced. Contrary to what many people believe the Komodo National Park is not a no take marine park, marine life is protected, just in a different way. There are four communities that live within the park boundaries, and to ban them completely from fishing in the area would leave them with no sources of protein. It would lead to illegal and destructive fishing methods being more widely used. The system that has been developed is that of zoning. There are certain areas of the park where people from these local communities are allowed to fish using artisanal fishing methods.

There is no commercial fishing allowed in the park - no trawler nets and nothing with the intent for mass supply. By creating zones where people can fish, the areas where fishing is not allowed thrive and ‘overspill’ into the areas where people are allowed to fish. This creates a sustainable balance between protecting marine species whilst allowing those who depend on the area as a food source to provide for themselves.

It being a protected area also means that there are certain national park rules we must follow whilst diving, these include not wearing gloves, not using reef hooks on corals and not touching or chasing marine life - which is all part of the Scuba Junkie ethos of diving anyway!