Komodo’s Incredible Biodiversity

This week’s voyage to Komodo and beyond has it all! From picturesque landscapes, to volcanic islands and prehistoric Dragons, diverse dive sites full of impeccable coral reefs, rare critters, schooling fish actions, even Manta Rays and Whale Sharks. Komodo just never fails to impress us!

Coming back to Komodo has always been a pleasure. Immediately upon entering the water from the dinghy, we were greeted by great visibility, revealing a big school of fish hanging out in the blue, vibrant coral reefs, millions of anthias dancing in the currents, Sharks patrols the blue, about a dozen of Reef Manta Rays dancing and sea turtles lazing around. Even some lucky guests did get to see a rare phenomenon of spawning barrel sponge. Hidden among the corals are some of the most beautiful yet very tiny critters. Hairy squat lobsters, nudibranchs, and octopus just to name a few that our eagle-eyed dive masters managed to spot.

As night falls, the sandy bottom seems to come to life as more tiny critters come out. Guests were having fun trying to outmatch the dive guides in finding critters. Our efforts were rewarded by finding a myriad of frogfishes, octopus, ghost pipefishes, mantis shrimps, more nudibranchs, and thorny seahorse just to name a few.

This trip we also visited the newly explored Saleh Bay, the largest bay in the island of Sumbawa. This plankton rich waters is a significant habitat for the biggest fish in the ocean – the Whale Shark. Just beneath the surface, Whale Sharks gather under the bagans, traditional Indonesian fishing platforms. Being very shallow with abundant food sources allows for long interaction with these ocean giants.

Taking a break from diving, we stopped by Loh Liang in the island of Komodo to walk alongside the prehistoric Komodo Dragon. Right on top of the hill, we were lucky to spot 4 Komodo Dragons sunbathing, trying to warm up after a cold night. Some guests were enjoying bird watching and managed to spot several species of birds during our walk.

On the way back to Bali, we stopped by a volcanic island of Sangeang. Diving right next to an active volcano offers a unique experience, volcanic bubbles rise from the warm black sands, rumbling can be heard while diving, beautiful corals and of course, a lot of rare critters. We were all delighted to finding more ornate ghost pipefish, frogfishes, and the tiny pygmy seahorses

Christopher Pen

Mermaid I

Bali-Komodo-Saleh Bay-Bali

July 2-11, 2025

More details why you should dive & snorkel Komodo with Mermaid Liveaboards here