Bali to Komodo

This was a really nice trip with good conditions and plenty to see! Already the first day we were treated to Pygmy Seahorses, Turtles, Stargazers, Ghost Pipefish and a selection of Cephalopods, including a rare Long-armed Octopus hunting its dinner. From there, things only got better!

The seamounts of North Komodo always deliver, and we did some cracking dives there with many Whitetips Reef sharks as well as several full sized Grey Reefs. And, of course, the usual suspects – Napoleons, Surgeonfish, Sweetlips and Giant Trevallies, just to mention a few.

South Komodo is more rugged, but is home to some of the signature dives of the national park. We started with the famous Manta Alley, where the big rays line up to get their fix at the cleaning stations. More than 20 big rays were hanging around over the two dives we did there – an unbelievable sight!!

Crossing over to Horseshoe Bay, another famous area, we enjoyed Cannibal Rock, rated as one of the top divesites in the world! And for a good reason – the health of this seamount has to be seen to be believed!

Crinoids, soft corals, sponges and tunicates are fighting for every square inch! Throw in every nudibranch in the book (OK, maybe not exactly ALL of them, but let’s say there were plenty!), dense schools of fish, feeding turtles and sharks resting under the overhangs, and we definitely have a place living up to its reputation!

No Komodo trip would be complete without an encounter with the Komodo Dragons. This time of the year it’s mating season for them, and sure enough, we got a pretty good demonstration of the process!

Heading back towards Bali we did a couple of dives at Gili Banta. Love was in the air here too, as two Giant Frogfish went through their mating rituals, with the smaller male making his moves on the big and beautiful black female, “chasing” her over the seabed as she played hard-to-get.

Komodo SCUBA Diving Cruise
July 1-8, 2017, Mermaid II

PJ Widestrand
Videographer