Komodo or ??

[cetacean]

I just returned from 9 days on the Arenui (Bali-Komodo trip). This was my 2nd time diving Komodo... this time we only had really heavy current on 2 dives (one being Makassar Reef to see the mantas), and basically stayed out of the heavy stuff at Crystal Rock, Castle Rock, and Batu Balong (which meant we missed the large schools of fish, sharks, and turtles we saw the last time we dove Komodo) by jumping in on the back side of these sites. Our previous trip to Komodo was more current heavy - we leveraged our reef hooks on easily 4x more dives last time.

Of the 15 divers on this trip, we had 2 novices (literally this trip immediately followed their OW certifications). Both survived and had a great time (although their buoyancy really needed work). We also had 4 DMs from the same shop, and 2 of these were easily the worst divers on the trip. Being an expert diver in a quarry or lake doesn't prepare you for Komodo. They were constantly ~10 feet above the substrate - didn't see any of the little critters being pointed out, and got caught in currents on several occasions.

If you are confortable diving close to the reef, can recognize where the reef can help you stay out of the current, are in decent shape (on occasion you will have swim for a few min into a current to get to a corner), and are open to new experiences (including flying through a channel at Makassar Reef in fast current), then Komodo is easily manageable.

For comparison, we spent the previous 10 days at Sorido Bay in Raja Ampat. The current their was more consistent, more consistently strong, and (at times) more unpredictable (still excellent diving).

 

[Scuba Scotty]

I've done 500+ dives in Komodo. The currents are very manageable if you are a decent diver and you follow instructions.
There's three kinds of people that get in trouble in Komodo: people that don't listen or follow instructions, people that have terrible buoyancy, and people that are very out of shape. Thus fat, macho, men who are bad listeners make up 98% of the accidents there.
Komodo checklist:

• Are you calm?
• Can you handle small fits of breathing hard on scuba?
• Do you have good buoyancy?
• Can you follow simple directions?

If all of those are a yes then sweet! Go enjoy some of the best diving on the planet. If no, or if you aren't sure, then maybe pick another destination or go with a humble attitude.
If you are calm, have basic fitness, and have good buoyancy then there's nothing to worry about. Many guests fresh out of their OW courses gracefully handled raging currents. Some instructors and "experienced" divers got spanked in mild currents. Most instructors, DM's, and experienced divers were total rock stars.
It's not about how much you have dived. It's about how good you are at it + not freaking out. A lot of people suck at diving, Komodo will shine a light on those issues. In the grand scheme of a diving career it's actually tremendously beneficial to dive some places that point out your weaknesses. That said, you don't need to be a great diver to have fun diving in Komodo.
How to dive well in strong current:

• Step 1) Hide! It is about hiding, which is why buoyancy is so important. I can hide behind a lunchbox sized rock, and so can you. Stay low, stay in the shadow, stay in the eddy. Now you can rest, witness, catch your breath, and enjoy! But what about when you have to swim against the current?
• Step 2) Stay level. It's all about trim. Keep your gear tucked in tight, keep your arms in. Be streamlined.
• Step 3) Small but fast kicks. Big hard kicks are a waste of energy. Little fast kicks are the way forward. Stay low, swim from one shadow to the next. Bring a good pair of fins.

You do need reasonable fitness. You'll do a bit of hard breathing, which is fine. Your body is fine with some hard breathing. It's your mind that you have to control.
Down currents are predictable and almost entirely benign in Komodo. The sites are not crazy deep anyway. You'll encounter down currents at the edges of pinnacles (often good action there) and as long as you you stay close to the "wall" and follow your dive guide's instructions you have NOTHING to worry about. Up currents aren't very common in Komodo and almost never sustained. if you are where you are suppose to be (listen to your guide) you won't experience them at all. There's whirlpools and all sorts of madness if you go looking for it, but you have to go out of your way to find that.

 

[diveUAE]

We went with Wunderpus last year on the Mimic boat - highly recommended!!!

Brought our 20 year old son with 60-70 dives, he did his rescue diver just before we reached Komodo (my husband certified him).
Dolin (cruise director) made sure all dives were safe and we had very little current (except when we asked to do Couldron again with more current- fantastic)
Our then 11 year old snorkelled while we were diving and had a blast with her guide.
Epic trip, would happily go again.

 

[boletus1973]

I've done 500+ dives in Komodo. The currents are very manageable if you are a decent diver and you follow instructions.
There's three kinds of people that get in trouble in Komodo: people that don't listen or follow instructions, people that have terrible buoyancy, and people that are very out of shape. Thus fat, macho, men who are bad listeners make up 98% of the accidents there.
Komodo checklist:

• Are you calm?
• Can you handle small fits of breathing hard on scuba?
• Do you have good buoyancy?
• Can you follow simple directions?

If all of those are a yes then sweet! Go enjoy some of the best diving on the planet. If no, or if you aren't sure, then maybe pick another destination or go with a humble attitude.
If you are calm, have basic fitness, and have good buoyancy then there's nothing to worry about. Many guests fresh out of their OW courses gracefully handled raging currents. Some instructors and "experienced" divers got spanked in mild currents. Most instructors, DM's, and experienced divers were total rock stars.
It's not about how much you have dived. It's about how good you are at it + not freaking out. A lot of people suck at diving, Komodo will shine a light on those issues. In the grand scheme of a diving career it's actually tremendously beneficial to dive some places that point out your weaknesses. That said, you don't need to be a great diver to have fun diving in Komodo.
How to dive well in strong current:

• Step 1) Hide! It is about hiding, which is why buoyancy is so important. I can hide behind a lunchbox sized rock, and so can you. Stay low, stay in the shadow, stay in the eddy. Now you can rest, witness, catch your breath, and enjoy! But what about when you have to swim against the current?
• Step 2) Stay level. It's all about trim. Keep your gear tucked in tight, keep your arms in. Be streamlined.
• Step 3) Small but fast kicks. Big hard kicks are a waste of energy. Little fast kicks are the way forward. Stay low, swim from one shadow to the next. Bring a good pair of fins.

You do need reasonable fitness. You'll do a bit of hard breathing, which is fine. Your body is fine with some hard breathing. It's your mind that you have to control.
Down currents are predictable and almost entirely benign in Komodo. The sites are not crazy deep anyway. You'll encounter down currents at the edges of pinnacles (often good action there) and as long as you you stay close to the "wall" and follow your dive guide's instructions you have NOTHING to worry about. Up currents aren't very common in Komodo and almost never sustained. if you are where you are suppose to be (listen to your guide) you won't experience them at all. There's whirlpools and all sorts of madness if you go looking for it, but you have to go out of your way to find that.

great point... i totally agree... i've only a little more than 100dives in komodo and I know well the technique of hiding in the shadow .. as an avid underwater photographer it is the only way to "survive" with a big smile!! what a fun!!!
we have a bad experience only in one dive in the south during august... cap loh sera... the swell was really huge and the current was unbearable... we got sucked over the cape... our guide first! after that dive we come back to the north!!

 

[Dan]

great point... i totally agree... i've only a little more than 100dives in komodo and I know well the technique of hiding in the shadow .. as an avid underwater photographer it is the only way to "survive" with a big smile!! what a fun!!!
we have a bad experience only in one dive in the south during august... cap loh sera... the swell was really huge and the current was unbearable... we got sucked over the cape... our guide first! after that dive we come back to the north!!

Thanks for sharing your diving experience! I'll be diving in Loh Sera this coming August, as shown, below. We'll let our guide decide whether the site is diveable or not. If it isn't then, we'll cruise to Pink Beach.

Last year we actually saw 3 mantas in Pink Beach. Our guide said that was his first time to see mantas in Pink Beach, which is known more for little critters (muck diving), especially at night.

 

[Scuba Scotty]

Pink Beach is a good spot to find mandarin fish if you are there late afternoon. Siaba is another good spot to find them. They come out in the dusk.

Loh Sera... I've had some great dives there, it can indeed be a tricky site. My very first time diving there was the only time I've ever found myself zooming past small rock pinnacles at "menacing" speed. I still find the experience surreal, it worked out fine but, yeah, wow.

 

[Dan]

Loh Sera... I've had some great dives there, it can indeed be a tricky site. My very first time diving there was the only time I've ever found myself zooming past small rock pinnacles at "menacing" speed. I still find the experience surreal, it worked out fine but, yeah, wow.

Did you dive the wreck?

 

[boletus1973]

Thanks for sharing your diving experience! I'll be diving in Loh Sera this coming August, as shown, below. We'll let our guide decide whether the site is diveable or not. If it isn't then, we'll cruise to Pink Beach. .

Sorry Dan.. I forgot to reply..
When we do that dive we are only two boat in the area.. the swell was really huge and we take the pills for sea sickness..
We do a nice night dive in loh sera bay and in the morning German flag with two mantas… then we come back to the bay(boat surfing ) and dive the cape.. the dive was programmed starting from the bay-going to the corner to see the show and come back, but after few minutes at the corner we got sucked over.. viz was very low… we surfaced immediately with the boe because our boat was on the other side of the cape.. luckily they see us between the huge waves almost immediately.. I think the error was generated by our guide… he was an Indonesian freelance with ****** snorkeling fins… he got sucked first… we leave our not very efficient shelter to stay with him..

Sorry for this horror report…

 

[nyclondondives]

Wanted to report that I did a trip on the Wunderpus. It was fantastic! They nailed the timings of the dives so current was always manageable. Was a fantastic trip. Highly recommended!

 

[cetacean]

Pink Beach is a good spot to find mandarin fish if you are there late afternoon. Siaba is another good spot to find them. They come out in the dusk.

Loh Sera... I've had some great dives there, it can indeed be a tricky site. My very first time diving there was the only time I've ever found myself zooming past small rock pinnacles at "menacing" speed. I still find the experience surreal, it worked out fine but, yeah, wow.

Reminds me of our 2nd dive doing "The Passage" in Raja Ampat (before it was shut down to the the crocs).

Nothing big to run into, but a few sharks and one (somewhat small) croc watching us speed by. Haven't been back, don't want to either...