Komodo National Park Incredible Night Dive

At night, the sand comes to life. There are numerous sites throughout our trip to Komodo that are excellent for night diving, but the dive at Bontoh Beach located Infront of the Village of Bontoh at the foot of the famous volcano Sangeang, is one of the best.

Having finished our walk around the little village of Bontoh, meeting the locals and witnessing the rewards of their incredible boat building prowess; we returned to Mermaid II for our much-anticipated night dive. As the sun disappeared below the horizon, hundreds of Fruit Bats took to the orange skies, flying oJ into the approaching night. As above so below, the skies were alive, now we hoped the seabed would bare the
same abundance of life.

Rolling into the inky blackness we were submerged in darkness, switching on our lights brought the scene before us too life. Sometimes muck diving can take time, you scour the sand in search of the weird and wonderful animals which hide within; it can take a while before you start to spot these magnificent creatures. However, this night, Bontoh was diJerent, within minutes we were finding the first of many otherworldly animals that resided here.

As though every animal described within an ID book had spilled out into reality, all on show for us to witness. From Ghost Pipefish, to Frogfish, Octopus, Squid and Cuttlefish, Mantis Shrimps and a plethora of Nudibranchs, the list went on. Strobes flashed as photographers captured the scene, each diver having their own wonderous creature to observe, this dive was truly incredibly.

Aaron Sanders
Mermaid II Bali-Komodo-Bali
Aug 31 to Sep 7, 2024