Komodo Islands liveaboard Diving Holiday

Intinerary

Dive Sites Beyond Imagination:

Castle Rock

An underwater pinnacle that attracts large pelagic species, Castle Rock is a hotspot for encounters with sharks, schools of trevally, and swirling masses of fusilier fish. The strong currents add an element of excitement to this exhilarating dive.

Manta Alley

As the name suggests, Manta Alley is a haven for manta rays. Divers can witness these graceful giants gliding through the water, often accompanied by cleaner fish. The opportunity to share the water with mantas is a highlight of any Komodo liveaboard adventure.

Batu Bolong

This submerged pinnacle is adorned with a vibrant array of soft and hard corals. Drift along the currents as you encounter schools of fish, turtles, and an impressive diversity of marine life. Batu Bolong is a testament to the underwater beauty that Komodo is famous for.

Participation in this liveaboard itinerary is subject to acceptance of Master Liveaboards and Oyster Diving’s Terms & Conditions as outlined here: www.masterliveaboards.com/terms-conditions and https://stg-oysterdiving-staging.kinsta.cloud/terms-and-conditions/holiday-terms-and-conditions. Marine Park & Port Fees: (to be paid on board) currently (as of 2024) $230 USD per person Marine park fees are subject to change without notice. The applicable amount at the time of departure will be added to your onboard extras to be paid prior to disembarkation. Number of scheduled dives: up to 34 Whilst we attempt to ensure the number of dives we have scheduled is fulfilled, a number of factors, including bad weather, can affect the vessel's ability to reach specific areas in good time. Included land tours There are several potential shore excursions which may be included on Komodo itineraries, depending on the trip duration. We organise a guided hike in the National Park where, apart from the famous Komodo dragons, you will also be able to see buffalo, deer and monkeys. Inspirational Diving Experiences A visit to Horseshoe Bay on the south side of Rinca Island, may also be included where we go into the bay in the tenders to see more Komodo dragons on the shore and in the water. NOTE: It is NOT permitted to go ashore at Horseshoe Bay as it is a restricted area. We also usually include a sunset visit to Pink Beach on Komodo Island, so called for its pink coloured sand. The following is an example of the day-to-day itinerary. Day 1: Embarkation is between 12:30 and 13:00. When all guests are on board introductions, boat and safety briefings will be conducted after which guests can set up their equipment or relax before dinner is served. If time allows, an afternoon check dive may be carried out but is not guaranteed. All safety and dive briefings are conducted in English. If you, or any of your group do not speak or understand English, please contact us. Day 2: Breakfast followed by a check dive, and up to 3 subsequent dives, as outlined below. Days 3-9 Your Cruise Manager will schedule up to 4 dives per day; 3 day dives and either a sunset or a night dive. A typical diving day is scheduled as follows:

• Light Breakfast followed by a briefing & Dive 1
• Full Breakfast, relaxation followed by briefing & Dive 2
• Lunch, relaxation followed by briefing & Dive 3
• Snack
• Briefing for Sunset or Night dive
• Dinner

Day before disembarkation: For your last full day on board, we usually schedule 2 morning dives* before the boat cruises back to Labuan Bajo, where it will remain at anchor overnight. Disembarkation day: Following breakfast on board, disembarkation is scheduled between 08:00 and 10:00. *We kindly request that guests check their flight departure times to ensure that they leave a minimum of 18 hours, but ideally 24 hours between their final dive and their flight home. While we wish to show you the very best diving possible, there are many considerations which determine the exact route Indo Siren takes, and which dive sites we are able to visit. Weather, tides, currents and sea conditions, and how many other boats are in a particular area all play a part in the Cruise Manager’s decision of which route the vessel takes and the sites that are chosen to dive. Guests are welcome to suggest preferred dive sites to the Cruise Manager who will be happy to accommodate those wishes where possible and if the overall schedule allows for it. Below is a sample of dive sites which we may visit during your time aboard Indo Siren. The safety of our guests is paramount and we always do our best to offer diving at alternative locations, should we be unable to visit any of the sites listed. Inspirational Diving Experiences PLEASE NOTE: Some locations may be excluded for any number of reasons, not least of which can be restrictions implemented at short notice by the National Park Authorities. The use of dive gloves and reef hooks is not permitted within the National Park boundaries. Gili Lawalaut Castle Rock Currents sweep by this offshore pinnacle in Gili Lawa Laut where white-tip reef sharks and trevally can be seen corralling large numbers of neon fusiliers. Schools of surgeonfish swarm over the corals and large barrel sponges, whilst huge Napoleon wrasses take an inquisitive look at the divers. Crystal Rock In the bay next to Castle Rock, this site comprises 2 pinnacles both offering superb shark action. Eagle rays are frequent visitors and dolphins have been known to make an appearance. White-tip reef sharks are often found resting under table corals and common octopus put on superb displays allowing the cautious diver to approach. Currents are to be expected. Shotgun! Typically a fast-paced drift dive, we spend time in the coral garden with soft corals & sponges, before reaching a deep ravine in the reef and seeing schools of snapper moving in ever tighter formations. From there, descend into the fish bowl where manta rays like to hang out, then enjoy the ride as the “shotgun” currents push you over the reef and through the channel to the waiting dinghies. Komodo Island (East) Manta Alley Channels form in the rocky reef wall and it is here we can hook in and watch graceful manta rays gliding about in the current, being cleaned. They make it look so easy, however strong currents can persist at this site. Guests are advised to bring reef hooks. Surgeonfish and triggerfish as well as schools of jacks can all be seen here as well. Certainly, the mantas steal the show when they are in town, with up to 30 being seen, though groups of 5 or 6 are more common. Pink Beach A shallow sheltered reef that is perfect for a night dive with superb macro sightings from flamboyant cuttlefish, hairy frogfish, octopus and bobtail squid to the barely there skeleton shrimp, Pegasus sea moths, crocodile fish and snake eels. Guests will have the opportunity to venture ashore on Komodo Island to take a guided walk with the rangers through “Komodo Dragon Territory”. Inspirational Diving Experiences Current City Takat Makassar / Manta Point The longest reef in Komodo National Park, Takat Makassar is one of the best locations for Manta Ray encounters. Strong currents bring plankton rich water to the area which attracts large numbers of mantas who come to feed and visit the cleaning stations along the shallow, sandy-bottomed reef. Other marine life that can be regularly seen here include turtles, sharks, eagle rays, giant trevallies, giant sweetlips, unicorn fish, huge clams, and cuttlefish. Tattawa Besar Boasting one of the healthiest, most stunning coral gardens in the Komodo archipelago, currents can at times be very strong making for an exhilarating, relatively shallow drift dive. The colourful reef, covered in hard and soft corals, stretches hundreds of metres and attracts a multiple of large and small creatures, including reef sharks, turtles, napoleon wrasse and large numbers of schooling fish. Batu Bolong This little pinnacle located to the east of Manta Point attracts an amazing amount of reef fish, but also larger pelagic fish stop by. The corals are colourful and varied with hard coral formations and plenty of soft corals too. Expect to see batfish, trevallies, green turtles and sweetlips. Rinca Island Wainilu Considered to be one of the best 'muck diving' sites in the area, Wainilu is a sandy slope which plateaus at around 25 metres. First impressions may suggest that there is nothing to see but, for the eagle-eyed, and patient, an abundance of macro delights are waiting to be discovered. Mantis shrimps, frogfish, seahorses, pipefish, blue-ring and mimic octopus, a wide variety of nudibranchs and sea slugs, dragonets and even the elusive mandarin fish are just some of the wondrous creatures that are regularly found here. Padar Bay Tiga Dara / Three Sisters This site is formed of 3 pinnacles rising up very close to one another. Covered with soft corals, each pinnacle is a haven for macro creatures including frogfish and nudibranchs. The shallowest point is at 3m and ideal for resting during safety stops. Secret Garden This sloping reef is another superb night dive spot with plenty of crustaceans, mollusks and benthic fish to be found. Sangeang Island Hot Rocks! A mix of sloping sand and coral formations. At depth, we find gorgonian fans with pygmy seahorses and black coral bushes. There is also a small cave where lobsters can be found. In the shallows brightly coloured neon anemones “pop” against the dark sand and provide a superb subject for underwater photographers. Bubbles coming from these and in the shallow waters provide a distraction during safety stops. The Estuary Pygmy seahorses can be found clinging to the polyps of sea fans along the reef slope and a stunning hard coral garden is great for finding scorpion fish and leaf fish, whilst the sandy patches in between the reefs are a fantastic place to spot sawblade shrimp and a wide variety of nudibranchs. Techno Reef The dark volcanic sand is dotted with green, orange and yellow “black” coral bushes and enormous red barrel sponges, home to ghost pipefish, long nose hawkfish and pink squat lobsters. Gilli Banta Roller Coaster & Swiss Dream Manta rays, dog tooth tuna, blue-fin trevallies and rainbow runners can all be seen at this stunning reef wall. Currents can be unpredictable; therefore an alternative dive is also offered at the coral garden of Swiss Dream which is fabulous to explore for molluscs, crustaceans and turtles. K2 A shallow reef slope with bommies and a picturesque coral garden. Manta rays are occasional visitors whilst ribbons eels, plakobranchus, cuttlefish and banded sea snakes are amongst the common sightings. The Circus (Small World) A superb site for night diving to observe all manner of weird and wonderful creatures; stargazers, blue ringed octopus, giant moray eels and crocodile fish can all be seen buried in or cruising over the sand. Bima Bay (Only on itineraries disembarking at Bima) Unusual Suspects – This is a superb macro dive site with the possibility to find numerous small critters. Frogfish, thorny seahorses, mimic octopus, zebra crabs and harlequin shrimp are just a few of the tiny creatures spotted on the sandy sloping reef and amongst the coral bommies.