Komodo from May to August

[SharkDodger]

The wife and I are looking for a dive get-away during our impending winter and Komodo is somewhere we've been wanting to dive for many years. We love liveaboards but prefer to avoid operators that cater to inexperienced divers by avoiding interesting but challenging sites. We love pelagics and large schools of fish but equally enjoy healthy corals and interesting macro critters. I'm wondering if anyone can give us a realistic expectation of what we can expect at this time of year in Komodo?

 

[Dive Explore Indonesia]

HI Skark Dodger,

Reading between lines i would rather do a east of Flores cruise, and not with any boat but with the MSV Seven Seas,
this boat as years of experience in this area and which in my opinion is one of the best area in Indonesia if you like big fish, and challenging dives .

Of course a classical Komodo trip is always a nice, for this winter i would suggest the MV Ambai.

i like Komodo especially the manta alley on the south , here a picture i took 2 years ago while diving from the Ambai

Manta-komodo

• Dive Explore Indonesia
• Apr 4, 2017

gilles

 

[charlier]

Good advice from Gilles. Many land-based Komodo Island resorts and many LoB's focus on diving sites that are accessible to inexperienced divers that are not comfortable in currents. One exception is the small LoB run by 'Current Junkies'. If you can get past their name, these guys can take you to best dive sites regarding the tides, lunar cycles, and crowd avoidance. charlie

 

[buiszie]

our dive with de Adelaar. Beautiful boat!

Manta Rhei in LOB also take care about their customers. They make decisions based on what kind of customers they have.

 

[WAOW Charters Indonesia]

Hi SharkDodger,

If you want to experience and discover Komodo at its best, you'll be more than welcome onboard WAOW.
We will sail in that area from May to August, offering several cruise duration (from 7 to 11 nights) and itineraries.

Our packages includes up to 4 dives a day on the best dive sites of the park. Our team of 5 dive guides, using 3 tenders for only 20 guests can make small groups of divers, depending on their experience and ease underwater.

Furthermore, we offer some Last Minute specials for that period (you can save up to 750 USD per person).

For more details, please check our website and do not hesitate to ask for a custom quotation.
And to get a better view on our trips, please check that video on youtube.

With best regards - The WAOW Team

 

[indonesian bubble]

Hi Shark Dodger, first, try to avoid July-August which is the pick season, some dive sites in the north get really crowded. May, June or September better for this aspect.

In the North, clear and warm waters, hard corals, some sites with good pelagic life, fishy everywhere. A few sites with potentially strong currents, but in Komodo strong currents are often too strong to be manageable so you prefer to dive them in mild currents to enjoy. A few sites can be dived only during slack tides.

In the South, water is colder (72-75F), good macro, impresive soft corals, visibility to about 10 meters.
Of course, if you are on a LOB they will generally dive in a way to avoid to be caught in strong and potentially dangerous currents. It is fundamental to be on the right site at the right time...

 

[SharkDodger]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and advice so far. May sounds like a good choice but I'm just wondering if there is such a thing as a 'best' month to dive Komodo? ie if you could pick any time of the year to see its underwater highlights, what month would you pick?

 

[Moana Cruising]

Hi SharkDodger,

I see some good advice above here and all of it seems true.
There isn't a single best month to dive Komodo. Dec - Mar is usually a bit wet and windy, and from Jun - Sep there might be some other boats (from Raja Ampat) in this area. Moana is in Komodo throughout the year (Mar - Dec) and our experience is, is that months like Apr/May and Sep-Nov are often still very good months for diving (depends on the weather during those months), but not so crowded with other boats. Give it a thought!

 

[Adelaar Cruises]

If the choice was May - August I'd pick May.

Seas are generally calm at this time of year. Rainy season is "usually" over, but the hills are still green. Marine life is generally active and all over the place, mantas are still around. Best of all it's still shoulder season so you can beat the rush. Most of the seasonal liveaboards are transiting over to arrive end of May early June.

If you can't do May then maybe you can wait until September when most of the seasonal LOB's have left; the southern winds have died down and the seas in the South have calmed down.

Enjoy your Indonesian dive holiday!

P.S. ADELAAR has space available on our May 15th departure. Contact info@adelaar-cruises.com for information and last minute discount pricing. With our 4:1 dive groups it's easy to match up experienced divers and dive the best spots at the best times. Adelaar and her crew have been sailing Komodo for the last two decades.