Trip Report Trip Report - Komodo & Padang Bai Oct 2023

[Centrals]

18C was the lowest I experienced at Crystal Bay few yrs ago.

 

[chillyinCanada]

18C was the lowest I experienced at Crystal Bay few yrs ago.

I felt that too.

 

[CJS]

I felt that too.

There were a couple of spots in Komodo where we went through some crazy temperature differences.

 

[waterbubble]

Just arrived in Komodo for 1 week liveaboard on the Komodo Sea Dragon. Hope very much that we will not encounter too much of the shimmer in the water here. Will give a full report on the liveaboard after our return.

 

[Dan]

Crystal Bay was a balmy 21 degrees . No Molas as we could not go deep but 2 Wobbegong sharks around 20 metres.

I think it is too late to see Mola Mola in November. I saw 9 of them in last August.

I also saw those 2 wobbegong sharks around there. They are the Australian kind (less tassels and straight tail), unlike the Raja Ampat kind (lots of tassels and curly tail).

 

[Dan]

I felt that too.

It got to 17C at 41m there to see Mola Mola back in August.

 

[chillyinCanada]

It got to 17C at 41m there to see Mola Mola back in August.

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Well, the mola mola were there but that's darn cold in the water.

It's amazing to me that 17 to 21 c, is a very comfortable temperature on land. Yet, even if I've got on a 5mm, a thick hood, a sharkskin, etc., the skin on my face stings as if I was walking in a winter blizzard in Canada.

 

[CJS]

Well, the mola mola were there but that's darn cold in the water.

It's amazing to me that 17 to 21 c, is a very comfortable tempetature on land. Yet, even if I've got on a 5mm, a thick hood, a sharkskin, etc., the skin on my face stings as if I was walking in a winter blizzard in Canada.

That is the normal temp range in Sydney for a chunk of the year and for many years I dived it in a 5mm with a Frogskin top underneath. You were cold by the end of the second dive, for sure. But I have recently acquired a drysuit! Nothing in Komodo or Bali felt really cold to me; I took my 5mm and just let water in in Komodo where you really didn't need that much neoprene on most of the dives.

 

[Blackcrusader]

It got to 17C at 41m there to see Mola Mola back in August.

I'm off to Padang Bai on Monday diving with Geko Divers for 6 days. Hope to get in around 20 dives. I know Crystal Bay is on offer and I dove that in 22c in my T shirt and shorts. Bringing my 3mm Sharkskin and will wear it if doing a Mola Dive. I really don't want to fight the currents at Crystal Bay will make sure they know my DSMB as it's a large one. come pick me up might be the call lol

 

[Dan]

I'm off to Padang Bai on Monday diving with Geko Divers for 6 days. Hope to get in around 20 dives. I know Crystal Bay is on offer and I dove that in 22c in my T shirt and shorts. Bringing my 3mm Sharkskin and will wear it if doing a Mola Dive. I really don't want to fight the currents at Crystal Bay will make sure they know my DSMB as it's a large one. come pick me up might be the call lol

Don’t expect to see Mola Mola in Crystal Bay in January.