Back to Komodo

June heralds the return to Komodo National Park as a regular destination for Mermaid II. Expectations were high with veteran visitors on their 6th Komodo expedition regaling tails to others who had yet to experience the thrill. For me I was excited to be returning to the park for the first time in 5 years.

The trip began with dives around Angel Reef and Satonda as we crossed from Bali to Komodo. As the only boat around, a luxury I soon realised would be a regular feature of the itinerary, we had a very relaxing drift along the reef wall looking for shrimps and nudibranchs while fish of all sizes danced around us between the reef and the blue.

In the late afternoon we took a walk around Satonda Island with some opting for a swim in the brackish waters before returning to the reef for a night dive. The next morning we reached the National Park itself, begining with a dive of the famous Castle Rock. The diving in the park was so diverse with divers spoilt for choice between big pelagic and tiny critters as we explored Deep pinnacles, shallow reefs and sandy bays.

Following an early morning visit to the Komodo Dragons we made our way South to Manta Alley for another of the many highlights of the trip. Two spectacular dives were had with Mantas everywhere.

As we made the crossing back to Bali we stopped at Sangeang Volcano for a whole day of diving amongst the rich coral reefs and black sands that surround the volcano. Highlights included Pygmy seahorses, frogfish, pipefish and a huge variety of Nudibranchs!

Barry Neal

MV Mermaid II
17th – 24th June 2023