Adelaar Cruises
Contributor
Snorkeling Komodo and Expedition Cruise
Whoever said you do not see as much snorkeling as you do diving obviously has not snorkeled in Komodo. Komodo is repeatedly voted one of the top #5 places to snorkel in the world. If you’ve thought about snorkeling Komodo, now is the time. Adelaar Cruises has planned a special snorkeling cruise and we have some last minute availability. This cruise includes all the best snorkeling sites and many fun and informative shore excursions available between Bali and Komodo.
Marine Life in Komodo
Komodo consistently ranks amongst the world’s best spots for diving and snorkeling due to the incredibly varied marine life that can be seen throughout the year. Komodo’s underwater wilderness highlights lush, vibrant hard and soft coral reefs with a dazzling number of tropical fishes. Located in the heart of the Coral Triangle, the park boasts over 385 species of hard corals and close to 1000 species of tropical fishes (Berger & Turak 2005)! During our snorkeling tours, we will be visiting shallow reefs where thousands of reef fish cloud the water above fields of techno-colored corals. You’ll see black sand coral gardens where a good eye can find interesting cryptic critters such as seahorses, ghost pipefish, nudibranch, and snake eels too. We’ll also snorkel protected fringing reefs, sheltered lagoons, and current swept passes where manta rays and sharks glide effortlessly in the cobalt-blue sea. In addition to our underwater adventures, exciting shore excursions are offered throughout the trip.
Best Snorkel Sites in and around Komodo
Moyo
Angel Reef and Little Angel, two seamounts, located off the coast of Palau Moyo offers crystal clear warm waters. The healthy hard corals in the shallows of these two seamounts are home to thousands of colorful Anthias. With a little bit of current the Anthias swim in the water column giving the shimmering effect of confetti. Swimming over the steep slopes and walls of these two seamounts will bring you in view of schools of snapper and surgeonfish if you are lucky you might get you a glimpse of pelagic swimming by.
Gili Banta
Imagine yourself snorkeling inside the caldera of a volcano without ever having to climb above sea level to get there. Gili Banta’s reefs offer you an amazing opportunity to snorkel the slopes of this ancient, dormant volcano. Tanduk Rusa (Deer Antlers – named after the stag coral) and the ridge of K2 are both perfect for a leisurely snorkel in a sheltered bay where you can spend time in the shallows looking for juvenile sweetlips, barramundi, midnight snapper, giant frogfish, leaf scorpionfish, ribbon eels, and nudibranch. During the season, you may be lucky enough to see mobulas chasing baitfish near the surface.
Karang Makassar (Makassar Reef) and Manta Alley are two of the most famous sites in Komodo and for good reason. It’s here that snorkelers come for almost guaranteed sighting of the graceful and awe inspiring Manta Ray. The meeting of currents, and thus the richness of the nutrient filled water, means that mantas are attracted in large numbers, giving fabulous photo and video opportunities.
Red beach, or ‘Pantai Merah’ as it’s locally known, is home to a wonderfully healthy shallow reef, teaming with all forms of life. Yellow Damsels, Angelfish, and schools of Fusiliers inhabit the reef, weaving in and out of the sponges and fans. If you’ve got hawk-like eyes you may be able to spot some Mantis shrimp from the surface, meticulously cleaning and preparing their burrows.
Batu Bolong (Rock with Hole) is probably Komodo’s most famous dive site. In the right conditions, it is possible to snorkel here as well. The sheer volume of reef fish on display here, including huge Napoleon Wrasse and White Tip sharks, will stun even the most seasoned of snorkelers. There are plenty of Hawksbill turtles in the vicinity as well, only adding to the range of life that make this incredible site their home.
Tetawa Besar (Big smile) offers snorkelers a nice drift along a sloping reef with very healthy hard corals, huge barrel sponges and bright colorful orange soft corals. Turtles are very common on this site and looking out into the blue often offers a nice surprise with passing tuna, batfish, and hunting Bluefin trevally. If you’d like to come along for a drift dive of this site view our Tatawa Besar video.
Siaba Besar is a hidden gem! Located in a small bay where we often anchor for the night is a beautiful, shallow fringing reef. This natural barrier acts as a nursery for many juvenile fish that shelter in the hard corals and mangrove trees, offering snorkelers glimpses of young needlefish, barracuda, sea stars and colorful cardinal fish.
Hot Rocks or “Bubble Reef” is a different experience entirely. Located at the base of an active volcano, the geothermal activity creates an underwater jacuzzi, with bubbles seeping from the sea floor up to the surface. Snorkeling above the black sand gives you a birds-eye view of the colorful reef fish and neon colored black coral bushes below.
Excursion between Bali and Komodo
As if some of the best reefs in the world weren’t enough, the islands between Bali and Komodo offer a wide range of shore excursions. It goes without saying that we’ll do a land excursion to see the cannibalistic Komodo dragon. Weighing up to 100kg and having the capacity to grow up to around 3m, these prehistoric animals are unique on the planet. Behind these huge lizards is a traditional tale about a beautiful Princess that lived on Komodo Island, and was known as Putri Naga. She gave birth to twins, the son being a hunter and the daughter being a dragon. They got separated at birth but met years later when the hunter wanted to shoot the dragon. Putri Naga appeared and told them they were siblings. Ever since, the inhabitants of Komodo have a fondness for the dragons. The Komodo dragon is listed as an endangered species, with less than 2500 surviving today.
Although not known as a bird-watching mecca, there is a good chance you will see birds such as black-naped orioles, sulphur-crested cockatoos, and white-breasted sea eagles. We will also have the opportunity for evening hikes on both Gili Laua Laut and Gili Laua Darat to see amazing sunsets. Visiting a local village on Palau Moyo where you will get a glimpse of how the people live, followed by a dip into the cool waters of the nearby waterfall and it’s clear pools is always a cruise highlight. If you’re adventurous you can swing over the falls and dive into the pools. Your Bali to Komodo trip isn’t complete without a visit to the volcano lake on Palau Satonda to make a wish at the wish tree.
With small groups (4:1) lead by our knowledgeable dive guides, you’ll see all the best Komodo has to offer and we think you’ll agree that Komodo National Park is rightfully called One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. For more information, contact our reservations office at info@adelaar-cruises.com
