Komodo

[dmorus]

We will betraveling to Komodo next year. Yhis is our first time to Indonesia. We will do a live aboard in that area. Anyone have any opinions of Komodo? any ideas for an extension in Bali?

Thanks

 

[Mossman]

Komodo was great, as were many of the sites on the way. The easiest way to do an extension in Bali is to find a liveaboard that either leaves from Bali, arrives in Bali, or both. As for ideas during the extension, you can dive, tour the island, party all night, laze around a resort pool, or all of the above. Bali has a lot to offer the tourist.

 

[jake11]

I would add on a trip up to Ubud. Check out the Tegal Sari. We had a room right on the rice paddies next to the pool. We enjoyed massages for GREAT prices and the prices of the rooms are very low and they come with breakfast. They had a car that took us to town and we walked back shopping along the way. Go to the monkey forest but be careful!!! Those monkeys are brutal!!! We also climbed a volcano and it was great fun! Komodo was awesome!

 

[OnTheSpot]

Hi There,

Have a look at diving in Bali information.

Which month will you be in Komodo?

 

[dmorus]

We will be going in August. What water temperature should we expect? Is it worth diving a day in Bali?

 

[Valwood1]

We will be going in August. What water temperature should we expect? Is it worth diving a day in Bali?

The water temp should be above 80 degrees in most places, though there can be some chilly spots. It is definitely worth your while to explore and dive in Bali -- loads of info here if you do a search.

August is part of the Mola Mola season in Bali; if that fish is on your to-see list (and it should be), it would be a good idea to dive there. Lembongan is a nice place to stay, and closer to the dive sites than Bali. The downside to Lembongan is that there's not much to do other than dive.

If your Komodo liveaboard leaves from LabuanBajo: (1) Allow plenty of time to and from Labuan Bajo for the airplane, since intra-Indonesia airlines are notoriously late; (2) Do your Bali diving after Komodo, to insure that your bags get to Bali before your return flights to USA.

Have fun. Komodo and Bali are wonderful places.

 

[Shasta_man]

Komodo is great. Bali is great. Do Bali after Komodo so you can still do Komodo at the expense of Bali if necessary.

Hire a guide/driver in Bali to take you around. It's pretty cheap and available through a hotel or agents.

We did the Elephant safari. We also did the Monkey forest. Remember, the monkey touches you, never the other way around.

 

[whalerock]

I just returned from 4 months in Komodo, the diving is great. I have been working on a LOB (dont tell the name here, only if asked). There are quiet a few boats out there, some leaving from Bali, other ones from Flores. Our port of departure was Bima, just a 45 min flights from Bali and that ensures you that you dont have long overnight travels and dont spend 3 days traveling to Komodo. Keep in mind Komodo is not for "big fish", even thought we had lots of mantas this year, its more for the variety of fish, nudi branches and critters. We did a few muck dives, some with currents and other more leisurely.
After your lob you could spend time in Bali diving( i would go to Tulamben). Denpasar or Kuta are far to busy or you could go to Lombok and chill out or do some world class surfing.
If you nedd some more detailed infos please feel free to pm me.

 

[Big fish63]

. Keep in mind Komodo is not for "big fish".

hmmm i dont know, when i was there i saw huge tuna, napoleon wrasse, white tips, mantas, giant travally and bump head parrot fish. a hammer head made a appearence at gps aswell

 

[joesgonediving]

Hi there,

Bali has some great diving to offer. So I would definitely add on some dives in Bali. Each side of the island has a different type of diving, so it depends a bit on your preference which part is best.

Nusa Penida/Nusa Lembongan
As already mentioned above it is mola mola (sunfish) season in August and you have a great chance to see these around Nusa Penida. Nusa Penida has some great wall dives, usually drift dives and you've got your best chance to see mantas there at Manta Point - a cleaning station. Dives are generally more advanced here due to the current. Nusa Penida has just been declared a designated marine conservation area.

Tulamben
Most famous for the USS Liberty Wreck. A great dive site with very rich marine life. There are also several other sites around this area worth visiting such as Seraya. A great spot to find the harlequin shrimp. In general more easy diving.

East Bali
You will find a vast variety of dive sites here. Well known dive sites here are Gili Mimpang, Gili Tepekong and Gili Biaha. Beautiful dive sites with large school of fish and a shark cave at Gili Biaha. You will regularly often find the mola mola here as well. These sites are more advanced dive sites. Easier dive sites can be found in the Amed area and some of the Padang Bai sites are more easy.

North Bali
Most famous location here is the National Park of Menjangan Island. Beautiful dives with healthy soft and hard coral gardens. Easy diving on this side of the island.

Muck diving
Finally there are some great muck diving spots on Bali where you can find some fascinating critters. Puri Jati is a personal favourite. You'll find the mimic octopus, frog fish and a variety of other critters here.

If you want to see the best of Bali you are best of taking a dive safari around the island which basically means you drive around the island with a dive guide and stay in accommodation close to the dive sites. But if you have just done a liveaboard you might find that a bit too much. Alternatively you can do daily dive trips to a variety of locations from places like Sanur or stay in one area and do diving there, like Tulamben.

So it really depends on what you are after. We are a dive center based in Sanur and organise dive safaris around Bali and daily dive trips to Nusa Penida, Tulamben and East Bali from Sanur. More information on the dive sites can be found on the Bali dive sites section of the Joe's Gone Diving website.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to drop me an email directly or through the Joe's Gone Diving website. Either way best of luck with your planning and enjoy your diving in Indonesia!