Teeming with manta rays, coral reefs, rugged topography and colorful fish as far as the eye can see, there’s a reason why Komodo dive sites are among the best in Indonesia. From snorkeling tours to PADI courses to daily scuba diving trips, Azul Komodo has everything you need to tackle this world-famous diving hotspot.
The Best Komodo Dive Sites
Located in the heart of Labuan Bajo, our PADI 5 Star IDC Center specializes in all things Komodo National Park. Join us for a Discovery Dive or jump straight into your Open Water Diver Certification! Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced diver, Komodo has something for everyone. To get you excited for your next scuba diving adventure, we’ve compiled a list of the best dive sites in Komodo National Park. Keep reading for our favorites!
Komodo Dive Sites in Central Komodo
We’ll start off with the central region of Komodo National Park. Tatawa Besar, Mawan, Batu Bolong and Siaba Besar are the most popular dive spots in this area.
Siaba Besar
Perfect for our beginner divers (and anyone who loves turtles!), Siaba Besar – A.K.A. “Turtle Town” – has certainly earned its spot on the list of best Komodo dive sites.
An easy plateau dive for any experience level, Siaba Besar’s protected bay is packed full of exciting marine life. Here you can observe sweetlips, unicorn fish, small sharks, nudibranchs, ghost pipefish, frogfish, seahorses, flamboyant cuttlefish and tons of turtles, both green and hawksbill.
Get lucky in the deeper waters of Siaba Besar and you might catch a glimpse of a blue spotted stingray! Eagle rays, white tip reef sharks and dugong can also be spotted drifting along this vibrant reef. Siaba Besar is also a favorite among night divers in Komodo National Park!
Tatawa Besar
Tatawa Besar is a robust and thriving drift dive site that is abundant with healthy, orange, soft corals. Starting at the northwestern tip of Tatawa, you’ll drift dive down the northern or western side in about 15 to 20 meters of water. With a bit of luck, divers could spot exciting marine life like manta rays, sharks or even dolphins out in the blue! Tatawa Besar is a great choice for divers in Komodo National Park! …Especially if the current is too strong to dive Tatawa Kecil or Batu Bolong.
Mawan
Mawan is one of two manta cleaning stations in Komodo Center. This gentle drift dive is the perfect opportunity to take it easy and enjoy the marine life.
Although Mawan is oftentimes a very simple dive, the new or full moon can bring danger here from strong currents. Because of this, we would recommend this site for more experienced divers.
If you do choose to head over to Mawan, you’ll be rewarded with a long reef dotted with barrel sponges, soft coral, hard coral and a wide variety of colorful fish. The biggest attraction in Mawan is the manta rays, who can often be observed swimming and feeding along the reef or hanging out in the cleaning stations.
Batu Bolong
Filled with colorful corals, vibrant marine life and rocky topography, you won’t want to underestimate Batu Bolong as one of the best Komodo dive sites.
Nestled in the strait between Tatawa and Komodo, Batu Bolong is a great spot to enjoy steep wall diving on the protected side of the island. Unfortunately, due to the strong currents in the area, Batu Bolong can only be explored around slack tide. This is when the waters calm to safe conditions.
The rugged currents and steep walls throughout Batu Bolong have made it impossible for local fisherman to employ damaging fishing techniques in the area – rendering the site virtually untouched! At the surface, divers can enjoy thousands of colorful fish and various species of invertebrate life, like vibrantly colorful corals. In deeper water along the steep walls, Advanced Open Water Divers will find many large fish like reef sharks, napoleon wrasse, giant trevally and dogtooth tuna. Large schools of rainbow runners can be observed in Batu Bolong on many occasions!
Komodo Dive Sites in Northern Komodo
Moving on to the northern region of Komodo National Park. Here you’ll discover the brilliant open waters of Castle Rock, Crystal Rock and The Cauldron.
Castle Rock
Castle Rock is one of the best Komodo dive sites in northern KNP. Advanced divers who brave these depths are rewarded with hidden beauties that you won’t want to miss!
Swim down 30-40 meters and you might be lucky enough to swim with three or four friendly batfish as well as observe schooling barracuda, jacks and mackerels. Castle Rock’s soft and hard coral is home to plenty of lively sea critters! You might observe crocodile fish, scorpion fish, pygmy seahorses and whitetip or grey reef sharks.
Crystal Rock
Just 400 meters from Castle Rock, you’ll find the spectacular Crystal Rock, one of the best Komodo dive sites. Here, unique topography peeks out from the water’s surface at low tide and plenty of exciting sights lie beneath!
The name Crystal Rock comes from the site’s crystal clear water and high visibility. This which allows for spectacular views of colorful coral, eagle rays, tunas, schools of anthias, eastern sweet lips and much more. Although Crystal Rock is preferably reserved for advanced divers, this site will leave you longing to return again and again!
The Cauldron “Shotgun”
Temperamental conditions and advanced obstacles make the Cauldron one of Komodo’s most intricate dive sites. However, with more difficulty – comes a bigger reward.
If the current is moving from west to east or in “falling,” then you’re good to go! After entry on the west side of the Gili Lawa Laut Reef, you’ll jump about 100 meters from the canal entrance and descend. A gentle current in the east direction will carry you through the reef and towards the Cauldron. Here, you’ll catch sights of rays, sharks, snappers and giant trevallies. You won’t want to miss “The Fish Bowl,” a crack in the crater filled with snappers and sweet lips. Finally, you’ll drift into an incredible shallow reef called the “China Shop.” On this reef, divers often find young manta rays feeding, hard and soft coral and loads of macro.
The locations listed above are just a sneak peek into the awesome dive sites Komodo National Park has to offer! Are you ready to book your next dive?
Click here to connect with Azul Komodo’s awesome team of PADI-trained professionals. Our dive shop offers everything you need to create unforgettable memories: daily dives, marine exploration and once-in-a-lifetime adventures you won’t find anywhere else. We can’t wait to make your next dive a memorable one.
We hope you enjoyed this guide to the best Komodo dive sites. Make sure to follow along for the adventure on Instagram @azul.komodo!
-Team Azul Komodo