Komodo National Park

Komodo National Park lies between Sumbawa and Flores, with Labuan Bajo on west Flores as its gateway. The park sits in the Sape Strait and the channels around it, where the Indonesian Throughflow and strong tides push water between the Flores Sea and the Indian Ocean. That makes for fierce, sometimes unpredictable currents, but also for very rich reefs and lots of big fish. The north (Gili Lawa, Castle Rock, Crystal Rock, The Cauldron) is warmer and clearer and famous for sharks and schooling fish; the centre (Batu Bolong, Tatawa, Karang Makassar, Mawan, Siaba) mixes fish-packed pinnacles with manta cleaning stations and is reachable on day trips; the south (Padar, Rinca, Nusa Kode, Manta Alley) has cold, plankton-rich upwelling water full of soft corals, sea apples, critters and mantas, and is usually dived from a liveaboard.

Facts

• Best season: Diveable year-round; the itinerary follows the season. North and centre are at their best roughly April–November (calmer, clearer); the south and its manta aggregations peak in the rainy season, about December–March, when the north can be rough
• Water temperature: North about 26–29 °C; the south is much colder because of upwelling, often 21–26 °C and sometimes lower (coldest around June–August). Bring a 5 mm suit and hood for the south
• Visibility: About 5–30 m: often 20–30 m+ in the north, 10–15 m in the plankton-rich south
• Getting there: Fly to Komodo Airport, Labuan Bajo (LBJ), on west Flores – check current domestic and international routes (Bali is the usual connection). Day boats and most liveaboards leave from Labuan Bajo harbour; the central sites are about 1–1.5 h by boat
• Permit/fees: Park entry per person per day plus a diving activity fee, paid in IDR and usually arranged by the operator (dive centres quoted 150,000 IDR weekday / 250,000 IDR weekend entry for foreigners plus 100,000 IDR diving fee for 2026; registration under an online quota system with a daily visitor cap). Fees have changed several times since 2023 – check current rates with your operator
• Currents: Often strong and tide-driven, with down- and up-currents and eddies around rocks and passages; dives are timed to the tide, many sites need Advanced certification and a surface marker buoy. One operator reports that reef hooks are now banned in the park – ask locally

Season

• Best months: Apr, May, Jun, Oct, Nov
• Acceptable: Jul, Aug, Sep, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar
• Water temperature: 21–29 °C

April–June and October–November have the calmest seas, best visibility and fewer boats. December to March is manta season (visibility can drop to 10–15 m); August is best for mola mola; the south can cool to 20–22 C in July–September from upwelling. Sources disagree on the manta peak.

Dive sites (29)

Central Komodo

• Batu Bolong – 5–30 m, advanced
• Batu Tiga – advanced
• Karang Makassar – 5–18 m, beginner
• Mawan – 3–20 m, intermediate
• Pengah Kecil – 5–27 m, intermediate
• Pink Beach – 3–25 m, beginner
• Pulau Kambing – 5–20 m, beginner
• Siaba Besar – 5–25 m, beginner
• Siaba Kecil – advanced
• Tatawa Besar – 5–20 m, intermediate
• Tatawa Kecil – 5–30 m, advanced
• Wainilu – beginner

South Komodo (Padar, Rinca, Nusa Kode)

• Cannibal Rock – 5–35 m, intermediate
• Crinoid Canyon – 25 m, intermediate
• End of the World – 40 m, advanced
• Langkoi Rock – 5–45 m, advanced
• Manta Alley – 5–30 m, intermediate
• Three Sisters – 3–30 m, intermediate
• Torpedo Alley – beginner
• Yellow Wall – 5–35 m, intermediate

North Komodo (Gili Lawa)

• Castle Rock – 4–40 m, advanced
• Crystal Rock – 0–30 m, advanced
• Golden Passage – 5–25 m, advanced
• Lighthouse – 5–30 m, intermediate
• The Cauldron – 5–25 m, advanced

Labuan Bajo coast

• Sabolon Besar – beginner
• Sabolon Kecil – intermediate
• Sebayur – 5–25 m, beginner
• Seraya Kecil – 30 m, beginner

Operators (12)

• Dragon Dive Komodo – resort, Labuan Bajo (Jalan Mutiara, Kampung Ujung)
• Shenron (Dragon Dive Komodo) – liveaboard, Labuan Bajo harbour
• Dive Tribe Komodo – dive centre, Labuan Bajo
• Uber Scuba Komodo – dive centre, Labuan Bajo
• Blue Marlin Dive Komodo – dive centre, Labuan Bajo
• Ikan Biru (Blue Marlin Dive Komodo) – liveaboard, Labuan Bajo harbour
• Manta Rhei Dive Center – dive centre, Labuan Bajo
• Komodo Resort – resort, Sebayur Island
• Scuba Junkie Komodo Beach Resort – resort, Komodo Beach Resort, Flores coast south of Labuan Bajo
• Komodo Dive Center – dive centre, Labuan Bajo (Jalan Soekarno Hatta)
• La Galigo Liveaboard – liveaboard, Labuan Bajo (embark/disembark)
• Mermaid Liveaboards (Mermaid I & II) – liveaboard, Benoa, Bali (Komodo round trips)

Routes (8)

• Ultimate Komodo 7 nights (La Galigo)
• North Komodo 3 nights (Uber Scuba)
• South & Central Komodo 4 nights (Uber Scuba)
• Central & North or South 6 nights (Uber Scuba)
• Bali – Komodo – Bali 9 nights (Mermaid I)
• Bali – Komodo – Bali 7 nights (Mermaid II)
• Komodo 3–8 days (Shenron)
• Day trips from Labuan Bajo (Blue Marlin)

Site positions are approximate unless marked otherwise and are for orientation only — never for navigation. Always dive with a local guide; conditions change with tide and season.