Scuba Diving in Komodo and Beyond
Have you ever dreamed of a holiday that immerses you in the ocean and all the incredible things that you can see there? Are you a scuba diving freak who lives to dive? Or is scuba diving simply one of those things on your bucket list but you never thought you would or could? Imagine yourself floating weightless through clouds of multi-coloured fish in a crystal clear turquoise ocean surrounded by lunar seascapes carved by currents and created by corals. You might think that this is just a dream but it absolutely can be you!
Scuba Diving in Indonesia
Scuba diving in Indonesia ranges from easy sites with flawless conditions to challenging spots with surging currents perfect for experienced divers. More than 3,000 varieties of fish inhabit the oceans around this spectacular archipelago as compared with 1,500 around the Great Barrier Reef and 600 in the Red Sea.
Cradled in the middle of the ‘Coral Triangle’ which extends from Australia to the Philippines and across to Borneo and into the South Pacific, Indonesia really is the species factory of the marine world. There are unbelievable dive sites throughout the archipelago including Manado, Bali, The Gilis, Sulawesi, Komodo, Raja Ampat, Ambon and Flores.
Moreover, despite some pretty unethical fishing methods, Indonesia still has more than 20% of the coral reefs of the world. Luckily the Indonesian authorities are beginning to understand the value of what they have and the conservation messages is being heard and responded to. Komodo National Park, for example, was originally established in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon then expanded its reach to protect other species, including marine life. Furthermore, in 1991 the national park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Learning to scuba dive in Indonesia
Likewise, there are a plethora of places where you can learn to scuba dive with qualified professionals in Indonesia. Internationally recognised scuba diving training such as PADI or BSAC is the best way to go and PADI is probably the most widely available in Indonesia. PADI E-Learning means you can actually do a lot of the classroom portion of the qualification online before you go on holiday so you can just literally plunge yourself into the practical diving component of the course once you get off the plane.
To become a PADI diver, the first qualification that you can get is a PADI Open Water which allows you to dive with another qualified diver to depths of 12 metres/40 feet and hire equipment. And if you are a more experienced diver there are a plethora of other PADI courses that can expand your understanding and challenge your skills including Advanced Open Water, Wreck Diver, Rescue Diver, Cavern Diver, Dive Master and Digital Underwater Photographer.
Learning to scuba dive on a Liveaboard
Whether it is the thrill of diving with big fish or the idea of exploring submerged worlds unseen by most, one of the best ways to discover life below the waves is on a liveaboard. These boats mainly cruise the remote eastern edges of the Lesser Sunda Islands including Komodo, Flores, Ambon, Alor, Banda and Raja Ampat.
On one of these vessels, you can dot between the islands and literally be completely absorbed in the boundless underwater pleasures of the area. Many of the best dive sites in this far-flung region are difficult to get to with little options for accommodation once you do reach the destination.
Dive specialists live and work on the boat while you holiday meaning that they are always on hand to answer your questions whether you are taking a scuba course or indulging your already established hobby. Most instructors have an unequalled local knowledge of the area and are bursting with passion to share this with visitors.
What you can see diving in Komodo
There are a wealth of excellent dive sites in Komodo and it is possible to simply jump off your luxury liveaboard into the ocean and see an abundance of life. However, there are some very famous sites here including Castle Rock, Manta Point, Batu Bolong and Pink Beach.
Numerous dive sites in the region are uncharted and only known to the boats that sail these unique waters. Caves, coral gardens, swim-throughs and chimneys swarm with reef favourites such large groupers, snappers, sweetlips, jacks and sharks. Some spots are renowned for turtles, dolphins and manta rays and others for their wealth of invertebrate life and rare pygmy seahorses.
Muck Diving in Raja Ampat
Muck diving does not sound like a particularly attractive past time but it is a term used to describe the fascinating array of macro life in the underwater world and has nothing to do with dirt at all. The phrase was originally coined by scuba legend Bob Halstead to describe diving off the black sand beaches of Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea. Since then it has been adopted by scuba divers who are drawn to the weird and wonderful small fish, molluscs and other creatures referred to fondly as “critters”.
Raja Ampat has some of the cleanest and clearest waters in the world so the term muck seems totally unrelated to the uninitiated. However, there is a simply marvellous variety of unique and diverse critters in the ocean here including pygmy seahorses, stunning assortments of nudibranchs and a variety of other crustaceans.
This is one of the remotest places on the planet and one of the only ways to scuba dive in Raja Ampat is to go by boat. Characterised by limestone cliffs, turquoise oceans, shallow coral gardens and thousands of cays and shoals this untouched paradise provide not just sightings of macro life but also plenty of opportunities to see sharks, stingrays, turtles, many species of reef fish and dolphins.
Luxury dive charter in Indonesia
Prana is a luxury Phinisi yacht with 9 cabins across 4 decks which caters for dive charters in Komodo, Raja Ampat, Flores, Alor and Banda. Onboard you can take your scuba diving qualifications with a dive expert and see some of the most spectacular underwater sights on glorious planet earth. You can book a full charter or book by the cabin. For further details of destinations and special offers please contact our team.
For more information on our luxury dive charter contact the Prana team at info@pranabyatzaro.com or +34 971 188 894
