Indonesia

Diving Komodo

Current-swept pinnacles between Sumbawa and Flores, where cold upwellings feed mantas and everything that follows them.

Komodo National Park sits in the gap where the Pacific and Indian Oceans exchange water, and the tide does the rest. Cold, nutrient-heavy upwelling from the south meets warm reef in the north, and the result is a park with two distinct diving personalities within a few hours of each other: soft-coral pinnacles and mantas at Karang Makassar in the centre, and colder, greener, fish-heavy sites in the south. Current is the defining feature and the main hazard — dives are planned around slack and drift, and a reef hook is standard rather than optional.

Know before you go

Best season

April to November for the north and the mantas. The south is best from December to March, when the cold water that draws big animals is at its strongest.

Conditions

Anywhere from 20°C in the south to 29°C in the north — a 5 mm suit is the sane compromise. Strong, sometimes unpredictable current; this is not a place to dive beyond your level.

Getting there

Fly to Labuan Bajo (LBJ) on Flores via Bali. Day boats run from town; the outer sites really want a liveaboard.

What lives in Indonesia

Recorded across Indonesia rather than Komodo specifically — each page names the sites.