In August, spent ten days on the Worldwide Dive & Sail's SY Siren in the Komodo Island chain in Indonesia. A wonderful boat, wonderfully crewed. Excellent food and rooms. And top-notch dive operation. This was their latest, newest boat. It's now in the Philippines. Diving was wonderful. In the north, black sand volcanic sites with great critters. Warmer temperatures, 83 degrees F. As we headed south, water got colder, currents got stronger. And the critters got bigger. Several dives with white tip and reef sharks; maybe a couple of bulls. On a site called Manta Alley, we saw dozens of the big birds as they came into a cleaning station. On land, we visited Komodo National Park and saw the dragons. The boat left from Bima, a short plane ride from Bali. A long way to go, but a great experience. See photos at: Komodo, Indonesia - Aug 2009 - a set on Flickr
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Komodo, Indonesia
- Thread starterDavidWarshaw
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
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Amazing pics, I think you might of experienced what might be a lot of peoples dream!
NZ... Scuba only. It's a live aboard that travels about 500 KM in the ten days to remote parts of the island chain. No free diving as far as I know. But you can ask yourself. Contact owner Frank van der Velde at: frank@worldwidediveandsail.com. He might know about free diving in the area.
David,
Thanks once again for sharing your photos, video & narrative of Komodo. I wanted to let you know my husband & I DID end up spending our 25th anniversary at Wakatobi & it was the BEST diving we have ever experienced! I got over the fear of colder water with a thicker wetsuit & it was well worth it. Thanks for your info about Indonesia. There is SO much more of the country above & below water I want to experience.
Now we are planning a trip to Thailand. Ever been there?
Thanks once again for sharing your photos, video & narrative of Komodo. I wanted to let you know my husband & I DID end up spending our 25th anniversary at Wakatobi & it was the BEST diving we have ever experienced! I got over the fear of colder water with a thicker wetsuit & it was well worth it. Thanks for your info about Indonesia. There is SO much more of the country above & below water I want to experience.
Now we are planning a trip to Thailand. Ever been there?
Komodo National Park is an amazing place. I had the opportunity to work as a guide on a beautiful boat called the Ombak Putih and travel throughout the area. The freediving is incredible. The rees are some of the best in Indonesia with large pelajics abound. If there were a group of Freedivers interested in spending some time in the area, it could be arranged. As far as spearfishing goes.. Spearfishing is illegal in the Komodo National Park. But, there are some locations nearby outside of the park which are interesting.
Beaner... so glad you enjoyed Wakatobi. It is one of the special places in the world. We may go back one day, but this year we're staying closer to home. Work and family schedules (and need to paint the house) will keep us from going to the other side of the world. Planning to go to Little Cayman Island in August. We've been before, and find the accommodations and diving to be among the best in the Caribbean. Have you been there?
Congratulations, nice pictures!
I went with WWDS to Philippines on the same boat (Christmas time last year). Wonderful yacht, wonderful people but no big fish there! Not a single shark! It was my third trip with them (first to were to Thailand and Andaman islands) and I was hoping to see a whale shark, but no luck.
WWDS are expanding - they will have 4 boats very soon. Maybe some day I will go to Komodo as well since I have heard some good impressions about it besides yours.
Cheers,
Your neighbor from Allendale
I went with WWDS to Philippines on the same boat (Christmas time last year). Wonderful yacht, wonderful people but no big fish there! Not a single shark! It was my third trip with them (first to were to Thailand and Andaman islands) and I was hoping to see a whale shark, but no luck.
WWDS are expanding - they will have 4 boats very soon. Maybe some day I will go to Komodo as well since I have heard some good impressions about it besides yours.
Cheers,
Your neighbor from Allendale
Re: CAYMANS
David,
Been to GC, but only spent one night there due to a flight connection issue. We stayed/dived at Brac Reef Beach Resort. It was nice, but surpising how the cold the water was in Aril. One day they took us to the wall at Little Cayman & the diving seemed a little better. Yet to dive GC, but someday. Enjoy your trip.
Beaner
David,
Been to GC, but only spent one night there due to a flight connection issue. We stayed/dived at Brac Reef Beach Resort. It was nice, but surpising how the cold the water was in Aril. One day they took us to the wall at Little Cayman & the diving seemed a little better. Yet to dive GC, but someday. Enjoy your trip.
Beaner
Vrokhlenko... Where in Allendale? Do you dive with a group? We gang with the Blue Water Divers crowd.
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To DavidWarshaw:
I am near A&P (city center)! I travel alone (I dive only with WWDS, their co-owner is my personal friend), but I was certified at Blue Water Divers. I am much more of a spearfisher than a scubadiver and was certified less than 3 years ago. I have no idea when and where my next trip will be. But it will definitely be the place where a chance of seeing big stuff is extremely good.
I am thinking Zanzibar or other place in Africa - a lot of sharks including whale and other large fishes.
Cheers!
I am near A&P (city center)! I travel alone (I dive only with WWDS, their co-owner is my personal friend), but I was certified at Blue Water Divers. I am much more of a spearfisher than a scubadiver and was certified less than 3 years ago. I have no idea when and where my next trip will be. But it will definitely be the place where a chance of seeing big stuff is extremely good.
I am thinking Zanzibar or other place in Africa - a lot of sharks including whale and other large fishes.
Cheers!
komodos don't look like dragons though but they're scary
Hey, man! Is the statue of Lapu Lapu still standing?:t
:hmm
Hiya - I run a dive base in Bali, and I would like to point out (so people paying lots of money to go there, aren't disappointed) that you certainly don't go to Komodo for it's reefs; Komodo is great for fish of all sizes and in great numbers, and other marine life, but the coral just isn't great compared to many other places in indonesia.
Thanks....