Wonders of Komodo

The wonders of Komodo never cease to amaze. Even though each week we are diving similar itenaries and similar dive sites the conditions are always unique and each dive yields something new.

As the week began we made our first stop in the National Park at Batu Moncho. The water, though warm, was slightly chillier than anticipated which was perhaps the reason that an overly friendly Lionfish was basking itself in the shallows and then the warmth of my video lights. On the same dive another diver revealed her talents as a Cuttlefish whisperer.

During an exhilarating dive at Castle Rock I witnessed a Titan trigger, no doubt frustrated with other reef fish edging in on its meal, nudge a box fish out of the way. A territorial damselfish was not purturbed when it came to defending its patch of coral reef from a large Hawksbill Turtle.

Secret Garden was full of delights for the macro enthusiast but for me I was beyond excited to see my first Rhinopia which obligingly posed in place offering the occasional twitch of eye and mouth as its coral like fronds waved in the water.

Diving around Sangeang volcano we saw all the usual suspects: pgymy seahorses, various frogfish and nudibranchs as well as ORANGE PRAWN THINGY & ORANGE NUDIBRANCH and extra special was an almost microscopic frogfish spotted by the ever vigilant dive guide Bob. Later that day a small cuttlefish determinedly staked its claim to a purple sea pen and during the night dive I came across a small mantis shrimp unable to free itself from the clutch of an Octopus as it was dragged below the sand.

As the week draws to a close and we head back to Bali it will not be long before we set sail again for Komodo and I can’t imagine what wonders we will experience next week.

Barry Neal

MV Mermaid II
15th – 22nd June 2023