Your trip will start with a pickup from DPS Bali International airport on 15th November. Please see notes at end for your required arrival time.
The itinerary is to spend 4 days diving in Tulamben with their glorious wall dives, muck diving and the USAT Liberty Wreck. From here we will then travel by private transport back to DPS airport and take a local flight to Labuan Bajo to enjoy 4 days of diving in the Komodo region which is famous for its Komodo Dragons on land but more importantly for us they have epic Manta Rays, incredible drift diving and stunning underwater topography like the cauldron and shotgun dive sites.
This is a location that is rarely visited by divers but it offers stunning wall dives, the USAT liberty shipwreck and plenty of opportunities for much diving. We have chosen to visit this location first so that we cn make sure that all divers are up to speed on their skills and we can conduct diver training is calmer waters with mostly shore entry dives. Whilst these dive sites are NOT guaranteed, we are planning this approximate dive schedule.
Day 1 (Shore Diving)
Drop off
Coral garden
Usat liberty wreck
Day 2 (All boat dive’s)
Emerald bay
Batu kelebit
Alamanda
Day 3 (All boat dive’s)
Piramid
Jemeluk wall
Jemeluk reef
Day 4 (1 boat dive’s & 2 shore dive’s)
Mystery rock
Boga Wreck
Gerombong reef
Komodo Park’s manta ray population are known to make appearances at certain sites throughout the year. That said, between June and August – at the height of the dry season – many of these resident manta rays move to the south of the park in search of cooler, plankton-rich waters. Unfortunately, stronger winds make conditions in the south less than ideal at this time, meaning divers can rarely follow suit. Luckily, juvenile mantas seem to stay put and can still be seen around northern sites at this time, particularly Cauldron.
October through March is often considered the best time to dive with manta rays in Komodo. This is because the mature manta rays appear in larger numbers in central Komodo from October through December, and the famous southern site of Manta Alley is also easily accessible. Between December and February, the onset of the wet season brings blooms of plankton that lure a large number of migratory individuals into the region. At this time, manta rays can be seen almost anywhere within the park, with sometimes up to a dozen on a single site. Lucky divers may even witness the rare ‘manta mating train’ courtship ritual.
All diving on this part of the trip is BOAT diving only. There will be NO shore diving and the boat journey to the dive sites are quite long. Whilst these dive sites are NOT guaranteed, we are planning three dives per day staying within recreational limits with this approximate dive schedule in Labuan Bajo and Komodo.
Day1
Sebayur
Siabah besar
Tatawa besar
Day2
Batu bolong
Karang makasar
Tatawa kecil
Day 3
Crystal Rock
Castle rock
Shot gun
Day 4
Police corners
Golden passage
Light House