12 Days/11 Nights TRANSNUSA
BALI - KOMODO - FLORES - MAUMERE
ARENUI LIVE-ABOARD
Day 2 PULAU MOJO
Moyo is a small island, inhabited by around 6,000 people, located in the West Nusa Tenggara province off of the northern coast of Sumbawa. There are spectacular coral formations and crystal clear waters which make for great diving.
Angel Reef
This site lies off of the west coast of Moyo and consists of a healthy coral reef with a vertical wall dropping to over 40 meters in depth. The wall is beautifully draped in soft corals but there is visible evidence of dynamite fishing in various spots. Marine life here includes schools of longfin bannerfish, redtooth triggerfish and batfish. Blacktip reef sharks may also be seen in the deeper areas of this dive site.
Panjang Reef
Located just north of Angel Reef is the submerged coral reef of Panjang. It is one of the few places where a patient and observant diver may spot the deadly but magnificent yellow blue-ringed octopus. Even when fully grown, this mesmerising creature is only about the size of a golf ball but its toxic venom is powerful enough to kill. So feel free to admire its deadly beauty as much as you want but please don’t touch!
There are a number of other submerged reefs around Moyo Island such as Labu Aji Reef and Turtle Street.
Besides diving, it is possible to enjoy many other wonderful activities around Moyo. Hiking in the reserve’s tropical forest gives you the chance to see exotic plants and local animals such as deer, wild ox, boar, koak kaok, (a kind of sparrow), the cockatoo bird, and the protected Gosong bird. Or you could opt to visit the traditional village of Labuan Aji, the deer nature reserve or Biu Mbai and Mata Jitu Waterfalls, where you can enjoy a refreshing swim in a dream-like setting.
Day 3 PULAU SATONDA
There are probably just as many visitors who come to this small island for its fruit bats as for its diving even if some of the creatures to be found underwater can be just as exotic. The shelter provided by the bay and the sandy bottom make this the ideal place for muck diving. Like any site renowned for its macro, the coral is not necessarily abundant but houses a large array of critters, including the extremely rare clown frogfish. Keep a sharp eye out for this tiny, camouflaged oddball with its distinct colouring of bright yellow with dark red patches. If you are very lucky, you might even get to see it move, which basically resembles a deformed rugby ball with fins plodding along!
Some other favourite subjects for macro photographers found here are scorpion leaf fish, ghost pipefish and boxer crabs.
Day 4 PULAU SANGEAN
The island of Sangeang is located northeast of Sumbawa and is rather tiny but you will notice it right away since most of its landscape consists of Gunung Api, an active volcano. This natural phenomenon has made for some amazing topography, such as steep ridges dripping with hardened lava. There are several excellent dive sites here and the good visibility allows you to appreciate the sight of healthy reefs of soft and hard corals as well as different types of anemones. Besides the usual tropical reef species, ribbon eels, cowries and underwater spiders can also be seen roaming the waters here. One of the true highlights of this island though is the opportunity to observe a mimic octopus at a site aptly named Copycat Copycat!
The site of Mentjeng Wall presents many contrasts in terms of natural features and marine life. Strong currents can prevail in the exposed areas, which explain the presence of many pelagics, but there are also sheltered areas. Down around 20 meter however, macro lovers will also be satisfied as the base of the wall is excellent for spotting countless nudibranchs and other colourful critters.
At other sites around the island, for example at Tikno's Reef and Black Magic, the volcano has left its mark below the surface as well. If you observe carefully in some spots, you will notice volcanic bubbles escaping from the sea bed through air vents. But you will probably first feel the heat from the sulphur covered rocks nearby. Sometimes the visibility can be washed out as larger air exchanges disturb the sediment on the sea bed made up of dark-brown volcanic ash, but this actually means the possibility of some more excellent macro dives.
Day 5 PULAU BANTA
GPS Point
GPS Point is a submerged bank located just north of Banta Island. The currents here can be quite strong but are what attract barracuda, dogtooth tuna, Spanish mackerel and sharks, making this a fantastic site. Other sights include the wonderful vision of eagle rays gliding by and turtles chomping on the lush coral. During certain periods, it is also possible to catch a glimpse of hammerhead sharks patrolling the depths.
It should be noted that although this site is not really suited to beginners, the currents are not as strong at depth as at the surface.
Day 6 PULAU LAWA LAUT
You will be able to experience three great dives north of the island of Gili Lawa Laut. Crystal Rock, Castle Rock and Lighthouse are all places possessing the key elements of any good dive site: a wide variety of healthy corals covering the reef and tons of fish, both big and small and all sizes in between!
Crystal Rock
The rock jutting out of the surrounding crystal clear waters explains how this site got its name. But what is truly memorable here are the large swarms of fusiliers and anthias flitting over the gorgeous soft corals and impressive table corals. In the deep blue, you can also see at times large tuna, mackerel and other fish schooling around a small mound to the northwest.
Castle Rock
Castle Rock is another submerged mound situated a kilometre further north from Crystal Rock. Its exposed location means strong currents but experienced divers will love the thrills to be had on this dive. In fact, the main action comes from watching the staggering amount of fish such as groupers, midnight snappers and impressive schools whipping past. Of course, divers aren’t the only ones interested in the huge amount of fish here which explains the giant trevally as well as whitetips, blacktips and grey reef sharks hunting around for their next meal.
Lighthouse
This is a very nice dive site with a gentle slope overgrown with hard corals and many bushes of much more unusual black coral. It is easy to get a shot of sharks here as they like to sleep under the large table corals. Camera-friendly schools of sweetlips and batfish also congregate nearby. It is also a popular site since manta rays are frequently seen here while divers wait out their safety stop!
The Old Passage
This site is well-known to many avid divers and has been for as long as there have been underwater explorers as it offers a fast drift dive full of pelagic and sometimes even mantas!
Day 7 LOH LIANG (walk with dragons)/Pink Beach/Manta Alley
Loh Liang (walk with dragons)
Your day will begin with an exciting visit to Loh Liang Komodo National Park where you will be able to take a stroll with the famous dragon! As you walk along the paths, also stay on the lookout for deer, wild boar and birds in addition to the giant lizards.
Pink Beach
This is a very relaxing dive which makes for a nice change from raging currents. Its simple topography also makes it an ideal sunset or night dive. Large coral outcrops can be found at around 25 meters where clouds of glassfish swarm in the cracks and crevices. An abundant amount of fish life and unusual critters, including leaf scorpionfish, crocodile fish, nudibranchs and blue ribbon eels, also make their home here.
Manta Alley
Manta Alley is located in Tora Langkoi Bay along the south coast of Komodo. It is in fact a rock islet forming part of a chain that barely pierces the ocean’s surface. As can be guessed from its name, many manta rays are known to frequent this site and it is the most popular one in Komodo for spotting them, with as many as 10 or 20 sometimes passing by. The area can be described as a deep gully that works as a funnel when the tide changes, causing the water to rush through at speeds of up to three to four knots with the fall and rise of the tides and up to one knot even during "slack water" periods.
Day 8 PADAR (Bidadari/Pillarstein)
Bidadari Island
The sites here are full of interesting and beautiful features such as massive steps and huge towers of stone, all wrapped in hard and soft corals and dotted with nudibranchs, small caves and overhangs. Dusky sharks and humphead parrot fish are among the bigger creatures we see in this area. Cathedral Coral is an easy slope covered with table corals of every colour and schooling fish. There is also a towering coral spire with a small cave at the bottom which houses some huge lobsters.
Pillarsteen
South Komodo possesses some other distinctive dive sites off of the island of Padar and Tala. Pillarsteen is located south of Padar and presents a fantastic underwater terrain with enormous slabs of rock that have been worn down to form channels, canyons, caves, swim-throughs and chimneys.
Day 9 Tatawa Besar/Sebayur/Sabolon
Tatawa Besar
This is a thrilling drift dive which starts off from the northwestern tip of Tatawa and continues down the western side towards 15 to 20 meters of depth. The surrounding fish life is profuse and you will see an endless field of stunning orange soft corals as you glide along. Mantas have been encountered here as well. Using the same entry point, it is also possible to drift down the northern coast of Tatawa.
Sebayur
The northwestern corner of Sebayur Kecil is one of the great dive sites that can be found in the vicinity of Labuan Bajo. It is marked by a fringing reef which extends northwest where it drops off to 30-40 metres. Whether the dive on this wall is done heading west or east will depend on the current at the time. There are some large boulders scattered around where schools of giant trevally, white tip reef sharks, coral groupers, snappers and emperor fish tend to congregate. This site presents particularly good opportunities for both macro and wide-angle photography, although currents in the area can be quite strong.
Sabolon Island
This is another good site within easy reach of Labuan Bajo. Its entry is marked by a point off of a small beach where the white sand tapers off into rocks. It is very easy to do several different dives here as the entire island is encircled by healthy reefs, beautiful sea fans, sponges, and colourful bouquets of soft corals. The visibility is ideal and the underwater sights here give you a good taste of what can be found in the rest of the region.
Day 10 PULAU RAJA/PULAU BABI/ ADONARA
Pulau Raja offers wonderful drop-offs and spectacular reef dives. Even better, this site remains a well-kept secret and is in pristine condition since its remote location from the mainland means that it is not often visited by divers.
Pulau Babi
Unfortunately, the island of Pulau Babi, just past Pulau Besar, was hit especially hard by the 1992 tsunami. Topside, two villages in the south were devastated by the ensuing tidal waves which reached up to six meters high. Hundreds lost their lives and the island never really recovered since, in the aftermath, reconstruction was forbidden and the survivors were relocated. Fishermen have since put up some makeshift bamboo huts for seasonal catches since the damage underwater does not seem to be severe and in many parts, is completely unnoticeable. There is basically only one dive site, appropriately named the Crack, where you can see the results of the earthquake. In general, the diversity in species here is quite impressive.
Lamakera and Adonara
In this area, you will have a good chance of seeing the rare filter-feeding sea cucumbers called sea apples (Pseudocolochirus violaceus), from which the dive site gets its name, Sea Apple Slopes. This creature is round and bright-red and purple with either white or yellow stripes and can also sometimes be found around the islands of Komodo and Rinca. Another good site is Pan Abang, especially if you are interested in tiny incredible creatures such as the wonderpus, mimic octopus, Rhinopias, ghostpipefishes, spearing mantis shrimp, frogfish, devil fish, seamoths and Coleman’s shrimp.
Day 11 MAUMERE HARBOUR
A dive around the jetty takes you back to signs of civilisation and you can see dark volcanic sand littered with garbage and dead wood. But as this is a true muck site, you will feel just as quickly that you have been transported to another world as you find plenty of strange critters hiding away in tyres or rusted tin cans and even inside old shoes. On any given dive here, it is possible to see demon stingers, also known as devilfish, fingered dragonets, stonefish, rare species of moray eels, crocodile fish, different types of seahorses and much, much more!
Day 12 Disembarkation in Maumere Transfer to airport for Domestic departures.
* Routes and itineraries are always weather permitting, and subject to change without notice.
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