After a short stopover in the ‘busy hub’ of LBJ, we got ready to set off again to the Komodo NP. Returning guests Alex, Steve, Colleen, Jit, Amanda and Beth were joined by team Hong Kong; Benny, Erik, Ivan, Chung, Vincci and Wai, all dive buddies on holiday together and John from the UK who is currently living in Sierra Leone. We introduced ourselves and the boat and arrived at Sabalon Kecil in time to jump in for a really pretty sunset dive. We saw shrimps, nudis, barracuda and cuttlefish and ascended to be greeted by the most incredible sunset and the Jaya perfectly placed in the middle of it.We then travelled to the north of Komodo where we slept that night. The morning dive took place at The Passage where lucky divers saw a kalidiscope of colours as fusiliers danced among us and sharks and an eagle ray too. After breakfast we headed over to Castle Rock and were greeted by dolphins dancing on the surface. We kept our fingers crossed that they would stay around for the dive, but they didn’t appear. However, that didn’t stop us enjoying the whitetips, turtles, napolean wrasse and baby sharks hiding underneath table corals. We made our way down to the middle of the park to Siaba Kecil for a fun drift, lots of turtles again and eagle rays close up swimming into the current. The corals were spectacular too and it was a great way to end the diving for the day. However, the activities weren’t over and we went on to the picture perfect pink sand beach of Siaba Kecil where we relaxed and enjoyed the sunset and solitude.
The next morning started with an early morning dive on Tatawa Kecil, where Mickey and Massimo found a couple of nurse sharks and the current was perfect to explore this beautiful site. Next it was manta time – we were keeping our fingers tightly crossed as the last time the gentle giants had eluded us. This time however our luck was in and not only did all groups see them underwater, but we even saw them breaching on the surface too. It was pretty exciting and a great birthday present for Amanda who was celebrating her birthday. After then we took in chilly Pengah and spotted nudibranchs, bumpheads and juvenile fish and then we set off for Wainilu for our last dive of the trip. The muck dive site provided rare surprises such as frogfish and mimic octopus, not to mention a plethora of strange macro treats. For Alex, this was one of the best dives of his trip. With the diving finished, everyone decided a few drinks were in order, to help Amanda celebrate and Mala whipped up a delicious cake for her. We all sang happy birthday as Marcel played guitar and the night carried on until everyone decided it was time for sleep and hit the hay ready for the final day of adventure.
The morning was dragon trekking and dragons, buffalo, monkeys were all spotted – even a baby dragon in a tree. As we headed back to LBJ, it was time for a final cool off and snorkel around Sabayor. John and Amanda even made it to the top of the mast to take in the views. On the way home, we put up the Jaya’s black sails and made our final leg back to town in style. After a few goodbyes, it was time to depart...all good things must come to an end. Thanks so much for joining and we really hope you visit us again soon, either here in Komodo, or maybe on our Raja Ampat live aboard and Thailand too.
-Wicked Diving Komodo
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