If you’re travelling to Indonesia, then Komodo National Park should definitely be high on your to do list.

And if you do find yourself heading that way then scuba diving Komodo National Park should certainly be something you’re looking at doing!

Scuba diving in Komodo National Park is world class – with a huge array of incredible dives sites revered for their amazing coral gardens, ripping currents, schools of fish and lots and lots of manta rays and sharks!

Whether you’re new to the world of scuba diving or an experienced diver then scuba diving Komodo National Park is something you need to experience – whether that’s a day trip dive of a full Komodo Liveaboard.

And having heard so much about this part of the world I decided to join the team from Blue Marlin Dive Komodo to see what all the fuss was about…

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REVIEW: Scuba Diving Komodo National Park With Blue Marlin

When’s The Best Time To Dive In Komodo National Park?

January to March is usually the rainy season in Komodo National which does mean less sunshine (obviously), however this is also peak season for Manta Rays at many of the dive sites – so if diving is the main reason for your visit to Komodo then you can’t really go wrong.

Peak season for Komodo National Park in general is April to December and October is widely regarded as the best time to visit for the perfect balance or weather, diving conditions and of course marine life – with manta season running October – April.

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Two Boats – Suitable For All Levels Of Diver

One of the best things about Blue Marlin Dive Komodo is the fact they have 2 boats – each dedicated to a different level of diving.

Hugo caters for discover scuba dive courses, open water courses and less advanced divers.

Toby on the other hand caters only for advanced divers.

The advantage to this is that they can both head to separate dive sites, suitable for the level of divers on board. Komodo National Park has a huge range of stunning dive sites – however some are only suitable for those with advanced certifications and a good level of dives under their belt.

This means those who are super into their diving are guaranteed to dive the more advanced and usually more rewarding dive sites (which can involve strong currents) with divers of a similar level, whilst newer divers can relax knowing they’re within their safety zone and can enjoy the beautiful coral gardens and marine life without dealing with currents or impeding on dive times!

…if you’re a diver I’m sure you can fully appreciate that!

Toby is a high powered speedboat too which significantly cuts down your travel time to and from the dive sites – allowing it to head to the best dive sites earlier than other dive centres, meaning you get the best of them!

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Full Range Of Scuba Dive Courses

As a full 5* PADI Dive centre Blue Marlin Dive Komodo also provide the full range of scuba dive courses too – from Open Water Dive Courses right through to Divemaster Training and even instructor.

To make the most of the incredible scuba diving in Komodo National Park I’d recommend you are at least an advanced diver with deep dive speciality – however if you’re arent why not just complete your advanced course in Komodo?!

If you really want to spend some serious time scuba diving in Komodo they also have an epic Komodo dive liveaboard where you can clock up 4 dives per day and enjoy some time in these amazing waters.

 

World Class Diving In Komodo National Park

For our scuba dive day trip in Komodo National Park I was joined by follower Instagrammer Jess (go check out her feed @jessicastevens) and we jumped on board the advanced boat and headed to the famous Northern dives sites of the park.

Famed for manta rays, sharks and huge schools of fish – as well as ripping currents – this is the area you want to head to if you want to experience the best scuba diving that Komodo has to offer!

With an average water temp of 27-29 degrees celsius and disability usually between 20-30m it’s no wonder this is such an amazing place to dive!

Also along with its spectacular marine life diving in Komodo is famed for its ripping currents. Now depending on your level of diving this can be a good or a bad thing! If you want big schools of fish, big pelagic and an adrenaline filled dive you’ll want to head there around Full or New Moon for the best currents.

If however you’re not so keen to deal with them go diving during the middle of the moon cycle when the waters are slightly calmer.

For more info on this side of things check out the Blue Marlin Dive Info page here

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The Cauldron – famed for the section know as the “shotgun” we were treated to a shiver of around 10 white tip reef sharks cruising around us, at least 4 manta rays (I kind of lost count!), turtles and even an octopus.

The Shotgun section is famed due to it’s incredible currents which are channeled through a small passage between two islands. Basically after exploring the surrounding area you slowly head up to the ridge before hooking into the reef with your instructor and basically holding on for as long as you can!

From this vantage point you’ll be treated to huge shoals of fish feeding in front of you, sharks, mantas and whatever random surprises Komodo has to offer – they’ve seen everything from whale sharks and dugongs to megamouth sharks here!

This dive site was easily the best dive I’ve ever had, so if you want to scuba dive in Komodo National Park make sure you pick a day where they head here!

Castle Rock – after descending to the deepest part of the dive (around 29m) and into the current you’ll sit here for as long as you legs can take the kicking, soaking up the views and the marine life.

More sharks were the order of the day as well as heaps of shoals of fish and then remainder of the dive is spent cruising along with the current around the pinnacle making the most of your time underwater!

Crystal Rock – another dive site famed for it’s currents the entry to Castle Hill is a negative entry off the boat, kicking into the current straight down to your maximum depth for the dive (around 27m) where once again you’ll hook into the reef (if needed) and just enjoy the show!

Once again there were heaps of white tip reefs sharks, huge shoals of fish, hunting GTs and even a chunky Grey Reef Shark which was something I’ve never seen on a dive before!

Keeping a close eye on your Deco time you’ll then use the current to cruise around the side of the pinnacle before heading out to the second one at about 14m where you’ll explore more incredible soft coral gardens filled with all kinds of marine life – a heaven for macro divers too.

 

The Cost Of Diving In Komodo National Park

Most dive centres in Luan Bajo have entered a minimum pricing agreement of 1,500,000IDR for day trip dives (approx £85 or $115USD) which means shopping around wont save you heaps.

Blue Marlin Dive Komodo have 2 different prices for their Komodo dive day trips depending on the level of diver you are.

Beginners, discover scuba dive courses and open water students will fall into the 1,200,000IDR (approx £67 or $90USD) package for 2 dives

More advanced divers will have the chance to clock up 3 dives a day for 2,000,000IDR (approx £115 or $150USD)

This however doesn’t include the Komodo National Park fees (which all day trips and day trips are subject to) currently around 175,000IDR (approx £10 or $13USD) per person, per day or 225,000IDR on Sundays.

For world class dive sites and the chance to scuba dive Komodo National Park this is well worth the splurge.

And to put it into perspective you’d pay more for a scuba dive day trip to the Great Barrier Reef – and trust me the scuba diving in Komodo is MUCH better.

They also operate a Dive and Dragons Package too – combing 2 scuba dives and visiting the Komodo Dragons on Rinca Island! At 2,000,000IDR (approx £115 or $150USD) it’s the perfect way to combine the two if you’re on a tight time frame.

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Would I Recommend Blue Marlin Dive Komodo?

Simply put, yes!

The staff were friendly and helpful, the dive guides were knowledgable and well trained, the onboard lunch (Indonesian style) was super tasty and they even served chocolate cookies and tea!

Sure they might cost slightly more than some other dive centres in Luan Bajo – but the kit was well serviced, I felt safe throughout (something which is very important when it comes to the currents in the area and the dive briefings) and their speedboat meant less time spent travelling and more time spent enjoying the amazing scabs diving in Komodo National Park.

Some dive boats in Luan Bajo don’t get back until waaaaaay past 6pm – whereas we left at 8:30am and were back by 4:30pm!

And even with this added speed the dive boat was still comfortable and stable which included a sundeck on top too so you can soak up the sunshine throughout the day.

I can’t fault any part of my day with the Blue Marlin Dive crew and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.

If you’re heading to Luan Bajo and Komodo National Park and want to scuba dive whilst you’re there check out their range of scuba dives courses here and Komodo scuba dive day trips here.

And if you need help planning your trip to Komodo National Park check out this post

 

 

Have you been scuba diving Komodo National Park?

Any other dive centres you’d recommend?

**PLEASE NOTE: I received a complimentary day of diving with Blue Marline Dive Komodo but rest assured all opinions are honest and my own**