Komodo Trip Advice

[BKtraveler]

I'm planning to spend a month in Komodo, Dec 15 – Jan 15, focused mainly on diving. I dove Komodo from a liveaboard about 15 years ago and had an excellent 10-day trip. While I generally prefer land-based diving, I’ll choose a liveaboard if it means better access to top sites.

This time, I’m considering either a liveaboard, staying at Scuba Junkie Komodo (or another budget-friendly land-based resort), or both.

For those who have dived Komodo—especially with Scuba Junkie or similar resorts:

• Are the dive sites accessible from land-based operators as varied and high-quality as those reached by liveaboard?
• Will I miss out on the best sites if I stay land-based, or is the local selection diverse and interesting enough for a four-week stay?
• Would you recommend a combination of liveaboard and land-based diving?

I've been to Raja Ampat a few times and to Bali, but if four weeks is overkill, I may return to Bali or another nearby destination (not Raja, as I was just there) for a week or two to dive elsewhere.

Finally, is a month too long to spend in Komodo? I’m happy to do some hikes and day excursions, but my main focus is diving. I also don’t mind diving the same sites multiple times if they’re really stunning. I mostly enjoy pelagics, awesome corals, cool seascapes, and schooling fish of all sizes. I love little critters as well, but my vision isn’t what it used to be.

Any recent experiences, recommendations, tips, or favorite sites would be greatly appreciated!

BK

 

[cozcharlie]

Not one of your questions , but you are going there in off-season from what I have read (rougher water and more rain ). Internet does say you can better manta encounters in off-season due to nutrients in the water—that is consistent with a comment I vaguely remember from a cruise director who used to work in Komodo . He was talking up the off-season in general

 

[cetacean]

@BKtraveler

Couple of things to consider here... although many of the really good sites in the northern part of the Komodo region can be reached fairly easily by day boats (or land-based operators) you end up competing for the sites with the other land-based operators (often after the liveaboards have come and gone in the morning).

Simple example: depending on the current, Batu Balong can be dived fairly early in the morning. The better organized live-aboards may dive this site before the land-based operators even get out to this site. That was the case the last time we were there (~2 years ago). We finished our dive there just as 3 day boats were pulling up. This is still a great dive site, but it is a better experience when you have ~12 divers on the site vs. 30+.

You can save some $$ by doing Komodo land-based, but I'd rather spend a few extra $ to experience some of the best sites without the extra divers.

For the south, many of the land-based operators don't include many of the more interesting sites, not because they can't get there, but because most of their divers are content diving in the north part of the park (and they save $ by not traveling as far). From Scuba Junkie it's about a 90 min. trip to some of the southern sites, so you have to be committed to make that trip (and they don't offer these all the time).

Having said this, you are planning on traveling during the beginning of their rainy season, which often brings wind and poorer conditions in the north. Interestingly, this time of year is often really good in the south (vis, etc.). As mentioned above, there are more mantas around during this time of year as well.

For me, I would be looking at live-aboard that includes the south this time of year (you'll have fewer choices because most of the live-aboards will be in Raja Ampat during this period). Bali will also have reasonable conditions this time of year if you wanted to split your time. The other option to consider would be Banda during this period, if you wanted to get completely away from everything.