Komodo mid/end November

[Rock Hopper]

So thoughts please

Looking at Komodo in mid to late November land based (likely Labuan Bajo) with my son. Timing dictated by my sons work. We both like to do stuff out of the water so not averse to a short LoB but not the whole thing and prefer land based anyway. Both reasonable divers, (rescue) with experience of current and types of dives.

Komodo seems to be at the season change for North vs South and likely our dives will be Central/South. Not a fan of colder water and my son feels it – I don’t as a bit of a hot bod which is why the mosquitoes seem to love me (another story….) but we can sort that with rash guards under or an extra vest! I really like the look of Komodo to dive!

Couple of thoughts and questions, I would appreciate input on

• Not great timing, think of somewhere else? If so where? With two younger ones still being paid through University, funds are “damaged” at the moment, so Raja Ampat probably not an option
• Actually, timing is fine as you can’t do all the dive sites anyway. Central is great and south was…… Just get on with it
• Looking at Dragon Dive, and Komodo Dive centre as they are in town and I quite like the ability to eat out and around as well as explore a little. Or Scuba Junkies (but out of town). Anything I should consider? Prices look to be fairly fixed at the same levels across Dive shops
• Travelling from the UK means we will have overnight stops – no longer a Garuda UK to Jakarta, so transit through one of the usual hubs. We have done Bali three times otherwise the option would be staying there a few days to transit. However, if it is just an overnight hotel it doesn’t really matter where it is! Any practical advice appreciated

So, is it sensible and tips on getting there.

Many thanks

 

[Luko]

However, if it is just an overnight hotel it doesn’t really matter where it is! Any practical advice appreciated

If an overnight in Bali, I generally use the Novotel Ngurah Rai airport Hotel so I don't have to bother with tedious transport.

Not great timing, think of somewhere else? If so where? With two younger ones still being paid through University, funds are “damaged” at the moment, so Raja Ampat probably not an option

Komodo's still good in november. I don't think Dragon Dive will go further south than Padar.
Otherwise there's Alor, great period of the year for diving, excellent visibility usually the northern sites are not that cold, 5mm is OK just avoid south of Puri.

 

[dirtfarmer]

I've done Komodo quite a few times in November and yes can be the Southern season, which usually means clearer water and calmer seas in the South. The dayboats will usually not go further than Padar as @Luko says, and unless they run a speedboat they wont go that far. 4 day LOB's with Southern itinerary's will have a better chances at going all the way South; as in Horseshoe Bay, but again it depends on the conditions and the budget boats are smaller and sea conditions can make going further than Padar a no go, it's all about wind and sea conditions. A 7 day LOB that runs out of LBJ is also a good choice, the 7 day boats tend to be bigger and more likely to dive the whole park, which should include Horshoe Bay, and on the other side Manta Alley and Pink beach etc. Check out a map online with descriptions of the sites so when selecting your choice your well informed. Your travelling a long way so knowing what you really want to dive is key.
My last trip to Komodo I did a 4 day LOB with a Southern itinerary then spent the rest of my time diving with Scuba Junkies. Best of both worlds. One advantage of a LOB is nightdives which can be excellent as Komodo has some top notch macro sites, which are great for night dives as doing a high current drift at night is sketchy.

I've dove with Scuba Junkies twice and excellent choice and affordable. They tend to dive the sites from the Cauldron thru the Central part to Padar. I would recommend SJ over diving out of LBJ, with both you will be out on the boat all day, but SJ is a really good operation, and I'm not a big fan of the Northern Sites as they can be current prone, and I'm more into life packed reefs than hooking onto some rocks and watching the fish hunting show, which may or maynot be "on".

Some of my favorite sites are in the Padar area, my favorite in that area is 3 Sisters, it is three submerged ridges that are packed with life. Scuba Junkies will not go further south than Padar (dislaimer, my first trip there after romancing the managers we did take a special trip to Horseshoe Bay, but that was after me cajolling them daily and we had alot of experienced divers. they even brought friends along that knew the area, as they were a new operation there and did'nt have expertise in Horshoe Bay. ( this was a great move as we were able to dive a submerged pinacle called Eagle Rock and it's an epic site. They I belive have removed from their website the Southern sites below Padar, to keep people like me happy and saying they "say" they go there.

 

[Rock Hopper]

Luko and Dirtfarmer - both thank you. Food for thought

 

[Rock Hopper]

I've dove with Scuba Junkies twice and excellent choice and affordable. They tend to dive the sites from the Cauldron thru the Central part to Padar. I would recommend SJ over diving out of LBJ, with both you will be out on the boat all day, but SJ is a really good operation, and I'm not a big fan of the Northern Sites as they can be current prone, and I'm more into life packed reefs than hooking onto some rocks and watching the fish hunting show, which may or maynot be "on".

Any reason for the remote vs LBJ ? I like exploring places and places to eat/drink, so this is different but your experience counts!

 

[dirtfarmer]

I like finding places to eat drink also. LBJ has it's boom town charms, you can find any choice for lodgingfrom budget to upscale. Plenty of choices for eating and drinking. It's really popoular with the backpackers. Drawbacks are it"s noisy and dusty and hot, and walking back to your accommodations after a long day on the boat, when your hungry and tired.

I pick SJ and its remoteness over LBJ for best access to the siites I prefer, plus other reasons. SJ has its charms too. You can get a nice room with A/C or wood hut. The food is good there, pasta nite is always a big hit, hungry divers craving carbs. The breakfast on SJ boat was the only food drawback, pancaketype thing with scrambled eggs, peanut butter nuttella fruit.
The resort area is nice, and more your tropical gettway vibe. When I was there a few years ago there wasn't cell service that was'nt horrible beyond texting, so people actually sat around talking and drinking instead of staring at their phones. The guides would play music and drink it, it was a great vibe. I would bet cell service is better now or they have wifi. You could actually get 3g out in areas of the park back then, now it's probably even better. It's just a much more relaxed vibe, get some coffee and chat before the boat leaves, having breakfast on the way to the first divesite, having access to the divesites I prefer, doing 2 dives, then lunch and a short nap, then a third dive and back to the resort where prepared snacks are waiting, take a shower maybee a nap then stroll a hundred feet to have some beers before dinner, then dinner maybee some more beers then drop inyo bed.
The service there is really good, like a big family, most of the workers are from the local village and they are treated very well. They have local women who have gone from serving food to being accomplished dive masters. Their guides are really good spotters, their guides are locals not cocky bules that can only think about what DM trainee they are goona hit on that night. When I was there a young guide who i remain freinds with was giving a grizzled 20 year veteran guide an ego check cause he was such a good macro spotter. The Padwan showing up the Jedi.

 

[matts1w]

I will second Scuba Junkies. They have a good thing going on, and it is a great way to dive Komodo without breaking the bank. Since Gili Air has grown so much (mostly in a good way for the local economy, but not so great for a school trip), we decided to explore moving our "week without walls" school scuba trip to Komodo and Scuba Junkies. Last May was the first trip of 24 15-year-olds taking OW and fun diving all over central Komodo. SJ's staff killed it. The kids LOVED every minute of the trip. Heck, I did, too. I think it is safe to say if they can keep a bunch of teenagers happy, if Scuba Junkies is on your radar, and you can adjust expectations about breakfast and lunch, you should absolutely give them a shot.

 

[Rock Hopper]

If I were to delay into early December would that change anything? Personal family reasons means diving isn't that important on a particular schedule

 

[dirtfarmer]

Probably not remarkably, and the seaon shift would more likely be taking place.