Komodo, 2007
November 2007 saw us heading South with our good friends Sheridan and Philip to the Komodo National Park, Indonesia, for 11 days of diving. Our base for this trip was the
MV Komodo Dancer, a traditionally built wooden ketch operated by Peter Hughes Diving.
The Komodo National Park is located between the Islands of Sumbawa to the west and Flores to the east. It encompasses three Major Islands, Rinca, Padar and Komodo and numerous smaller islands and their surrounding waters. The Komodo National Park was established in 1980 and its role in protecting the biodiversity of the region is recognised by both the WWF and UNESCO
The Komodo National Park is home to the Komodo Dragon, the worlds largest species of Monitor Lizard. The dragons grow to an average length of between 2 and 3 metres. We commonly saw dragons walking along the beach whilst we were achored between Rinca and Gili Dasami, but saw the large example in the picture to the left at the Komodo National Park centre
The quality of the diving in the park is superb with a wide variety of dive sites and the ability to see a wide variety of fauna ranging the tiny Pygmy Seahorse through to the majestic Manta Rays. The region has an abundance of soft and hard coral species. A mixture of underwater shots that were taken by Sheridan, the two Janes, & Nancy (who were some of the other guests on the boat) can be viewed here