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The islands of Komodo and Rinca are the largest of about 90 islands that lie in between the larger islands of Sumbawa to the west and Flores in the east along the Nusa Tenggara. Together with a extensive area of the surrounding ocean they form the Komodo National Park which was established in 1980 and declared a World Heritage Site in 1986. The park is most famous for its enormous lizards, the Komodo dragon, however its underwater attractions should not be overlooked and are rated as some of the best dive sites in the world.
The diversity of dive options around Komodo is astounding,
from calm and colourful shallow reefs teeming with hundreds of reef fishes and crammed with invertebrates, to current-swept deep water sea mounts, walls and pinnacles patrolled by sharks, tuna and other big fish.
The multiple islands and relatively shallow seas between Flores and Komodo's west coast result in extremely fast currents at tidal changes. There are deep seas both north and south and upwellings bring nutrients and plankton to keep the seas rich and well-fed.
The water in the south of Komodo is usually much colder (21° to 26°C) than in the north. There is also a noticeable change in marine life.
The north has more unpredictable currents due to the Indonesian throughflow hitting the island straight. This makes for shiftling currents and eddies but also attracts large fish in large quantity. Coral cover here is less colourful than in the south, but visibility generally better.
The best time to dive is from late October to early May
however the plankton rich seas between November and January produce some spectacular fish life.
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