Komodo National Park in August or Soloman Islands in November?

[RonP]

I’m undecided on which liveaboard I should do. 10 day liveaboard to Komodo National Park in August or 10 day liveaboard to Soloman Islands in November. Never been to either. Any one has and can give specifics on what to expect in each and which of the two offers the best diving? Thanks!

 

[Kevster]

World class diving in each location. Any one will be a great trip. I have been to Komodo 3 times & Solomons once.

Solomons-Great variety of diving, walls,wrecks,caves,cuts,great coral,sharks,mantas+chance of something special croc,dugong,whales.
Komodo- World class reefs & macro(small critters), mantas

Solomons will have more sharks, Komodo more species of fish/small critters

Both locations offer amazing topside experience- Komodo dragons+(Bali add on), Solomon war history & village visits.
Boats - Large choice in Komodo (budget to high$$$). Solomons only 1 boat(not luxury but excellent friendly service) , quite expensive(however you will be the only boat at the dive sites).
Weather- South Komodo can be windy in Aug. Nov in Solomons should be fine.

 

[RonP]

Thank you so much Kevster. Boy both sound great. When you say world class reefs in Komodo; is that coral reefs? Any dive thrus? I’m really into underwater photography and love colourful stuff. I like sharks but not all that crazy about spending most of my time in the blue looking for a shark so that’s not something I tend to enjoy. I like colourful corrals and species of fish. When you say August can be windy in south kimono how does that impact the diving? does it impact visibility at all or just the boat experience of being more choppy? Both trips will cost me pretty much the same so trying to figure out which of the two I would enjoy most and capture pics.

 

[Shasta_man]

Mostly what Kevster said. Though the Solomons were good, I'd recommend Komodo, though not certain about weather during that particular time. Solomons had some good positives, IMHO, like WWII locations, seeing genuine natives and villages (dugout canoes), some pretty good diving though with a ten day trip you'll probably get to better places than my 7 day trip, and Mary Island where you can hear an active volcano, in your chest and ears, while diving. Besides Cannibal Rock (and a few others), Moyo Reef (on the way to Komodo) would be the spot for color and fish.

Let us know if you have liveaboard experience, as these extended trips can be a marathon.

 

[Woodiver]

Can't comment on the Solomon's but Komodo does provide a good mix of both large stuff and macro. August is a windy month but we were able to make it to the south last year. Lots of boats in the northern sites, only one other boat in the south. If you are looking for pelagics or don't like dives with currents, choose a different location. Since it was August, the boat was largely European and all they wanted was pelagics which isn't Komodo's strong suit. If you decide on Komodo, look for a boat that departs out of Bimi or Flores, the steam from and to Bali is long and cuts into the best diving.

 

[Kevster]

Thank you so much Kevster. Boy both sound great. When you say world class reefs in Komodo; is that coral reefs? Any dive thrus? I’m really into underwater photography and love colourful stuff. I like sharks but not all that crazy about spending most of my time in the blue looking for a shark so that’s not something I tend to enjoy. I like colourful corrals and species of fish. When you say August can be windy in south kimono how does that impact the diving? does it impact visibility at all or just the boat experience of being more choppy? Both trips will cost me pretty much the same so trying to figure out which of the two I would enjoy most and capture pics.

Komodo has very colourful corals.Not sure what you mean by "dive thrus"?
Komodo has 2 main areas . The North & South. The north will be great in Aug. Should be calm, good viss, ok water temps (27-28 C). Good diving.
The South "may" be inaccessible in Aug due to wind. The wind can generate large swell that sometimes stop boats venturing south. You would prob be unlucky if this happened on your trip. Once you get south there is good shelter in Horseshoe bay. This area is AMAZING, the real highlight of a Komodo trip. The viss in the south will be reduced , water may be green and cold , maybe 7 degrees colder compared to the North.
This link has a lot of good info on Komodo diving and general Indo diving.
http://www.starfish.ch/dive/Komodo.html

 

[RonP]

Thanks all. Here’s the Iten that is being offered for Komodo National Park in August. whatcha think?...



Departing from Bima Bay, on Sumbabwa Island, just a short flight from Bali, theS/Y Indo Siren's first stop on this 10 night diving adventure, is the muck dive spot of the "Unusual Suspects", before sailing on to Sangeang Island with its dark volcanic sand and bubbles. By the fourth day we are diving within the Komodo National Park in the areas of Gilli Lawa Laut and Batu Bolong where strong currents can be experienced, bringing with them grey reef and white tip sharks and schools of snappers and fusileers. The S/Y Indo Siren stops at Rinca to make a walk with the dragons before cruising southwards to Nusa Kode. Across the strait on the south of Komodo Island we dive with numerous manta rays before heading northwards to Gilli Banta. Our final day is spent in Bima Bay, where the calm waters offer the perfect spot for some kayaking or water skiing.[h=3]Komodo Dive Site Highlights[/h]

Castle and Crystal Rocks two submerged pinnacles, laying just off Gilli Lawa Laut. The pinnacles teem with life and attract large pelagics including eagle rays, grey reef sharks, Napoleon wrasse and scools of snappers and fusileers. All are seen here whilst we hang in the current and watch the show.

Cannibal Rock and Yellow wall are just two dive sites of the area of Nusa Kode. Colder water, as low as 20C/ 68F, can be experienced here and the water often carries a greenish tinge. But the diving reward far outweighs the need to extra thermal protection! It is here we find the microscopic 'lady bugs', along with rhinopias, frogfish, pygmy seahorses, mantis shrimps and an array of nudibranchs.

Manta Alley As the name suggests this site attracts the manta rays which come regularly to the cleaning stations. It is common to see several mantas lined up at one time. We watch as 'the black bird' gracefully swoops down or hangs effortlessly in the current.

The Unusual Suspects. A favourite for macro photography, with so many weird and wonderful creatures we will often dive this site more than once! Tiny coleman's shrimp and zebra crabs cling to fire urchins, frogfish can be found grouped together, ghost pipefish, harlequin shrimp, sea horses and mimic octopus make this site a real delight.

 

[Woodiver]

What Worldwide is showing you the intended route, assuming conditions allow the transit to the southern areas. If you are interested in diving in cool green water with much lower vis, I'd ask Worldwide how many of the charters last August made it to the southern sites. Last year water temperatures were as low as 68' and vis 25' last August compared to 81' with very good vis in the north. Both the north and the south offer great diving either way with manta sites in both regions but pulling up to the beach in Horseshoe Bay and having the dragons running for the skiffs is a memory not to forget (plus the diving is great, again either way).

 

[jake11]

We start our Komodo trip in late August.( aug.31) I am hoping for some dives on Cannibal rock etc. but will take what we get! It sounds like we might have to break out the 5mm or the 7mm.. brrrrr 68! The Solomons are on the bucket list but it does seem expensive compared to going to Indonesia. I saw a video someone made of their recent trip to the Solomons aboard the Bilikiki and it did look fantastic. The color in his video was amazing!

 

[Shasta_man]

<<video someone made of their recent trip to the Solomons aboard the Bilikiki>>

Where?