Komodo water temps in Central/South Central/South sites in late Sept/early Oct?

[Luko]

Raja Ampat didn't blow my mind with the macro either. It was most everything else.

On my side I would say I was more favorably impressed with Raja ampat macro than Komodo.

Problem with Komodo dive centre is that it's often gringo guides who lead, they're only a few months experienced on the area and sometimes like one I got from Blue Marlin, they know more brands of beer than nudibranch species. Utterly useless guide.

On the other hand in Raja Ampat the wide angle coral scene is so great that the guides and/or the divers spend too little time looking for macro, while I found it really excellent in Dampier area, thanks to my guides originated from Manado.

 

[Dan]

I had a great DM from Manado too, Fendy, who pointed me to a Halimeda Ghost Pipefish, Blue-Ringed Octopus & Common Octopus all in one dive site in Arborek Jetty.

 

[dirtfarmer]

On my side I would say I was more favorably impressed with Raja ampat macro than Komodo.

Them is fighten words! Just kidding I would never pick a fight with you Luko, I'd probably get my ass handed to me. Just friendly conversation here.

Without a proper guide who looks for macro it's then just up to you to find the cool macro stuff. My first two trips in Komodo my guide was the best macro spotter I've ever had, he was incredible. And on my last trip my guide was also a fantastic macro spotter. He was originally from Manado, and my guide favorite guide in Lembeh is his nephew. Must be something in the water in Manado as they really pump out the incredible macro spotters. I've been lucky to not have a gringo guide ever in Indo and I don't plan on it either.

Now back to the fight I had a good macro guide in Raja, but even then I just didn't find the macro to be as good as Komodo,
I was a bit disappointed with the Nudi action, and found that yes there was some good macro but IMHO Komodo is better. We only dove one proper muck site in Raja Ampat so that would certainly handicap it, but even on the coral sites I was surprised by the lack of Nudi action, along with a lot of the other cool tiny critters I so Love. The wide angle in Raja is out of this world but I like both!

I had a great DM from Manado too, Fendy, who pointed me to a Halimeda Ghost Pipefish, Blue-Ringed Octopus & Common Octopus all in one dive site in Arborek Jetty.

I'm still looking for a Halimeda!

 

[Dan]

Just don't miss Arborek Jetty (for day & night diving) when you are in Dampier Strait, Raja Ampat.

 

[chillyinCanada]

It is true for me that whilst in Raja Ampat, the excellent critter spotter guide was with the photogs with the large set ups whereas my lead guide was a Caucasian female. My group also had a spare Indonesian guide who did point out a few things but it was one of his first trips in the area. As ever, I found a few critters on my own and our group also spotted for one another. At the time, I was aware of the difference in quality of guide spotting between what the photogs were experiencing and that of the rest of us divers, however, it didn't seem outrageous as was so consistently overwhelmed by the pure majesty of RA. (Esp. loved the woebegones and the epaulet sharks.) There certainly seemed a paucity of nudibranchs compared to what I'd expected to see. However, I now know another place to see so many nudibranchs my head might explode, that I'm satisfied. LOL A return to RA may still leave me looking to the majesty and colors instead of critters. Hopefully, I'll have an opportunity to find out someday.

 

[Luko]

Without a proper guide who looks for macro it's then just up to you to find the cool macro stuff. My first two trips in Komodo my guide was the best macro spotter I've ever had, he was incredible. And on my last trip my guide was also a fantastic macro spotter. He was originally from Manado, and my guide favorite guide in Lembeh is his nephew. Must be something in the water in Manado as they really pump out the incredible macro spotters. I've been lucky to not have a gringo guide ever in Indo and I don't plan on it either.

Yeah I'm probably doomed with poor dive centre experience from Labuan Bajo, as most of them are probably more interested in catering to backpackers and Dragon soft adventurers than to more hardcore divers. .
When I'm paying 40USD extra for a private guide, I'd wish my guide would move his ass to find anything of interest instead of swimming over a sea of xenia corals arms crossed for 30 minutes in Waenilu.
I had to find myself my own critters and eventually to point him a frogfish with my stick, since it seemed he didn't understand the usual frogfish sign of the index mimicking the lure, then he sudenly went on a mission defending a sea cumcumber from my muck stick while I was looking whether an emperor shrimp was hiding beneath.
I immediately raised my thumbs for surfacing and asked him what he was his intent so : "don't poke the sea cucumber" he pedantly replied,
After whch he admitted he didn't know I was looking for a critter, neither what an emperor shrimp looked like, nor any name of the two common nudibranches we came across. I had to tell him straightfrwardly how blatantly useless he was, that it was a shame to pay for his services and that I wouldn't accept one more minute diving with this kind of buffoon in his twentysomethings who's more interested with the number of beers he would gulp tonight than underwater biology, which was part of his job.
Personaly I despise so much these kind of holier than thou eco-wankers who don't have a clue on marine biology but will never skip the occasion on trying to patronize anyone with eco-lessons. I promise this gringo Doug could cover himself with cold pee on the way back, while I explained to him slices of life and experence.

I will name Blue Marlin Komodo as the operation that cater such unexperienced guide when booking two months before, they even charged me cancelation fees for the last day I couldn't dive because of being sick Aggressive on the bill, quite shorthanded on delivering quality services..
Blue Marlin Komodo, ladies and gentlemen, dont forget this name next tme you're interested in diving Labuan Bajo... .

 

[Luko]

I was a bit disappointed with the Nudi action, and found that yes there was some good macro but IMHO Komodo is better. We only dove one proper muck site in Raja Ampat so that would certainly handicap it, but even on the coral sites I was surprised by the lack of Nudi action, along with a lot of the other cool tiny critters I so Love.

There certainly seemed a paucity of nudibranchs compared to what I'd expected to see. However, I now know another place to see so many nudibranchs my head might explode, that I'm satisfied.

I agree that R4 may not be as good for nudibranch action than Bali, which is on my book probably the best place in SEA (above Lembeh and Aniao, yes, you read me, I am coming back last month from a week with Ajiex Dharma as a private guide in Tulamben, this guy could show me in each single dive 5 or 6 nudibranches I had never seen before... that said tmost of them smaller than 1cm . Ajiex is a nudibranch finding machine ).
But macro is not just nudibranches, I don't know anywhere else where you have so many pygmy seahorses in all 4 common species + local color variation, I found octopi action on a par to Lembeh (incl. blue ring, mimic, wonderpus), the shrimp variety was considerable too.
.

 

[Dan]

Yeah I'm probably doomed with poor dive centre experience from Labuan Bajo, as most of them are probably more interested in catering to backpackers and Dragon soft adventurers than to more hardcore divers. .
When I'm paying 40USD extra for a private guide, I'd wish my guide would move his ass to find anything of interest instead of swimming over a sea of xenia corals arms crossed for 30 minutes in Waenilu.
I had to find myself my own critters and eventually to point him a frogfish with my stick, since it seemed he didn't understand the usual frogfish sign of the index mimicking the lure, then he sudenly went on a mission defending a sea cumcumber from my muck stick while I was looking whether an emperor shrimp was hiding beneath.
I immediately raised my thumbs for surfacing and asked him what he was his intent so : "don't poke the sea cucumber" he pedantly replied,
After whch he admitted he didn't know I was looking for a critter, neither what an emperor shrimp looked like, nor any name of the two common nudibranches we came across. I had to tell him straightfrwardly how blatantly useless he was, that it was a shame to pay for his services and that I wouldn't accept one more minute diving with this kind of buffoon in his twentysomethings who's more interested with the number of beers he would gulp tonight than underwater biology, which was part of his job.
Personaly I despise so much these kind of holier than thou eco-wankers who don't have a clue on marine biology but will never skip the occasion on trying to patronize anyone with eco-lessons. I promise this gringo Doug could cover himself with cold pee on the way back, while I explained to him slices of life and experence.

I will name Blue Marlin Komodo as the operation that cater such unexperienced guide when booking two months before, they even charged me cancelation fees for the last day I couldn't dive because of being sick Aggressive on the bill, quite shorthanded on delivering quality services..
Blue Marlin Komodo, ladies and gentlemen, dont forget this name next tme you're interested in diving Labuan Bajo... .

Your poor dive center experience reminds me of this:
WARNING about diving with DANNY’SSS DIVER in Labuan Bajo, KOMODO, Indonesia

 

[chillyinCanada]

Do any of you have experience with Papua Explorers Dive Resort near Dampier in Raja Ampat? My friend is just arriving there and seems to think she will be able to use her dive experience there to evaluate the area and compare it to Red Sea diving which is much easier and less expensive for her to reach.

 

[Dan]

Do any of you have experience with Papua Explorers Dive Resort near Dampier in Raja Ampat? My friend is just arriving there and seems to think she will be able to use her dive experience there to evaluate the area and compare it to Red Sea diving which is much easier and less expensive for her to reach.

PM Wisnu. I think he went there.