Komodo water temps in Central/South Central/South sites in late Sept/early Oct?

[dirtfarmer]

I agree that R4 may not be as good for nudibranch action than Bali, which is on my book probably the best place in SEA (above Lembeh and Aniao, yes, you read me, I am coming back last month from a week with Ajiex Dharma as a private guide in Tulamben, this guy could show me in each single dive 5 or 6 nudibranches I had never seen before... that said tmost of them smaller than 1cm . Ajiex is a nudibranch finding machine ).
But macro is not just nudibranches, I don't know anywhere else where you have so many pygmy seahorses in all 4 common species + local color variation, I found octopi action on a par to Lembeh (incl. blue ring, mimic, wonderpus), the shrimp variety was considerable too.
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I found octopi action on a par to Lembeh (incl. blue ring, mimic, wonderpus), the shrimp variety was considerable too.
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Bali?
My first trip there all the tiny 1cm nudi caused me to get my first diopter.
I really like Tulambens macro, I think you might rile up some of us Lembeh lovers, but to be diplomatic I'll say that it should be in the big top three Anilao, Lembeh, and Bali, maybe after my upcoming trip I can rate it higher than the others. It is super shrimpy which from my avatar you can I so love.
Have you dove the Japanese Wreck in Amed?
I've heard from some it's pretty fantastic.
I've heard s

 

[Luko]

Have you dove the Japanese Wreck in Amed?
I've heard from some it's pretty fantastic.

Yep, I dived it day and night three years ago, guided by a japanese wreck specialist (Niko from Baliku divers, located just in front) that was fantastic. Almost all of the spanish dancers had emperor shrimps running around their rhinophores at nighttime, sometimes even a skeleton shrimp hanging on them; Now Niko is gone.
At day time, The coral reef behind the wreck is amazing with life.

After this my last trip to Bali, I tried Amed again and that was disappointing, the coral reef has been badly damaged this year and to be honest the macro is really not up to Tulamben.

 

[Cali_diver]

After this my last trip to Bali, I tried Amed again and that was disappointing, the coral reef has been badly damaged this year and to be honest the macro is really not up to Tulamben.

That is too bad.. I heard that temps have been high this year. I was pretty sad to see so much coral and anemone bleaching in Northern /Central Komodo. So many white anemones.

 

[Diving Dubai]

Isn't it funny how we've all been to the same places and all have different takes on them.

I know a lot is down to what your expectations are and what you're used to.

I'm definitely not a macro guy, I explained this to our guide in MER, that his group were all over 50 and couldn't see a pygmy sea horse. Okay perhaps with a magnifying glass - but it's not as if they juggle or dance give me a proper size sea horse any day...


Anyway I digress. In MER we saw lots of macro, I'm pretty good at spotting Nudis anyway as we have tons here at my local diving. But we had frog fish leaf fish and the guide kept out pointing out small stuff like orangutan crabs. Never the less we had a load of big stuff (and currents) which we loved - we went hunting for both

In Komodo we only did one muck dive, but there I got to see a flamboyant cuttle fish - brilliant love it. but that was that, a few nudis on a wall once but the rest was big

Tulamben for us, was a disappointment indeed we skipped 2 days diving to chill by the pool (we had just finished a Komodo LOB). Sure the Liberty was okay but I've dived better. I wouldn't bother with the trip back there again.

But all these are my own perspectives which are clearly different from others of you. But again expectations and previous experiences as well as the style of diving you like come into play.

What ever though, Indonesia is still my favorite area to visit - but again Bali is only an 8hr direct flight, the Maldives 4hrs so I guess that also gives a different perspective

 

[chillyinCanada]

I like macro but at the same time, I still want to be diving in
amongst beautiful corals, vistas and see some large stuff too, if available.. I've found that place. Now I'm wondering if there's another place similar. I gather Tulamben is not that place after all.

 

[Dan]

Misool has plenty of beautiful soft coral & vistas. Magic Mountain is the cleaning station for Oceanic Manta.

 

[Dan]

I had to go out at 5am in Tulamben to see school of bumphead parrotfish & several huge brown-marbled groupers coming out of their hideout looking for breakfast, before the flock of tourist divers mucking up the water in Tulamben.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I meant, if I can't have Raja Ampat (and currently I can't ), I've found the place for me. Unfortunately, no mantas though there's dugongs, not that I've yet been fortunate enough to see one.

 

[chillyinCanada]

It was in RA, that I was blown off the site and ended up on the flat of a largish site. While it wasn't pretty up there, the huge school of extremely large feeding bumpheads was a delightful surprise.

 

[Dan]

Melissa's Garden, Fish Party right next to it in central Raja Ampat are always great places to see lots of fish action & beautiful corals there. Then you go up to the top of Penemu island to see some vista like the above picture during surface interval for lunch.