Trip review: Komodo 27 Apr - 01 May; 30 Apr - 05 May

As I’m still in Bali, therefore I’ll just do a simple summary about the trip(s), continue from last Komodo post: I will not write too much about the facility and dive master, as they are not performing as they promised (or at least we expect) - since I may change both items anyway. The 2nd trip, which we were forced to report ourself to the Komodo National Park headquarter in the middle of the 2nd day diving, was frustrating. Below is the encounters, which we may expect to search on the coming trips, hopefully with much more additional experiences and marine life.

Marine life:

  • Big item

Manta ray; Eagle ray; White tipped shark; Napoleon wrasse; Hawksbill turtle; Dolphin (on the surface, next to our dinghy); Mackerel; Giant trevally; Giant moray eel

  • Medium size (schools – all sort of fish)
  • Small item

Bobtailed squid; Unknown small octopus; Giant reef octopus; Broad club cuttlefish; Giant reef cuttlefish; Crocodile fish; Lamellarids (relative to cowries); Flatworms; Side gill slug; Up side down jellyfish; Bubbles shell; Bubbles coral shrimp (few types); Mushroom coral shrimp (few types); Fire urchin colonies (zebra crab, coleman shrimp); Imperial shrimp; Banded pipefish; Mandarin fish; Juvenile sweetlips; Juvenile batfish (yellow margin black bodied); Ribbon Eel

Site description:

Bidadari Island (good in macro + night dive); Sebayur, Crystal Rock, Castle Rock (great visibility, good coral and variety of school n reef fish); Manta Point, Manta Ale, Tatawa, Gili Lawah Laut (manta sighting); Pink beach (great in macro + night); Padar Island, Pillarsteen (unique nudibranch); Rinca , Wainilu Islands (great in macro + night)

Nudibranch:‘Banana’ Notodoris Gordinari; ‘Pikachu’ Thecacera sp.; Nembrotha megalocera; Other Nembrotha; Robastrea sp.; Gymnodoris anrita; Ceratosoma magnificum; Ceratosoma gracilimum; Chromodoris magnifera; Other Chromodoris; Phyllidia (of course…); ‘Camouflage’ Morionia sp.(black lined); ‘Flower coral mimic’ nudi still searching..; ‘Lay cirri’ phyllodesmium longicirrum; Trippa sp. Or Dendrodoris (not identified, let me learn more first)

Dive area:

North west Komodo has great visibility and coral; South west Komodo place for Manta; center Komodo not very attractive, Rinca Island very good with macro

Other:

Of course, Komodo Dragon; Megapods (a type of land bird); Imperial pigeon; Cockatoo (white bodied); Deer; Wild boar; Magnificent landscape; Fierce current (but not in the dive site. Only 1 dive in Crystal Rock we saw bubbles actually going down into depth, then one of the dive in Manta Ale down tow current caused by wave, we left the dive site immediately upon surfacing…)

Many of the common fish certainly not listed here, as well as unique coral and crabs, reef lobster, spiny lobster… The rest of the thing such as photos will be pasted later when I’m back to KL… and if I’m free… sorry ya?

Gan Sien Ban (PADI dive instructor#465342)

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