Dive Komodo as a beginner??? Is it ok? This is a question many people ask us when considering a diving holiday to Komodo. A very fair question given the reputation that Komodo has! We welcome divers of all levels here at Scuba Junkie and to dive Komodo does not require hundreds of dives as many are led to believe.
We teach PADI courses here from DSD all the way through to Divemaster. If you can learn to dive here in Komodo then you can come and fun dive Komodo just as easily!! There are so many dive sites in Komodo that each and everyone offers something different to every one. Not just in terms of what you can see, but also the conditions that you might expect to get when in the water.
Komodo National Park offers world class diving on stunningly beautiful coral reefs with the chance to see a huge array of megafauna, fish life and macro treasures on almost a daily basis. What makes this area so incredibly healthy and vibrant is a combination of factors.
Komodo (although a lot more accessible than it used to be) is found between the islands of Flores and Sumbawa where historically there has been minimal boat traffic & human settlements of any great size. The remote location has mean the region has been unimpacted by humans for many years.
More importantly Komodo sits on the shelf of the Indonesian archielpelago between the Pacific and Indian Ocean. The Indonesian Throughflow Current runs right through this area. That coupled with the fact that Trade Winds and currents run in opposite directions here all add to the strong currents that we get in this region. You can read a little more about this here.
The strong currents ensure fresh nutrient rich water is constantly running in and out of the region and continue to keep the area vibrant and healthy for marine life and coral reefs to be able to thrive.
One of the first questions newer divers ask is can I dive Komodo as a beginner? If you have wondered this you are not alone.
Komodo is widely known to have some of the most challenging diving in the world and this can be the case, but every dive is different and the way in which we choose to dive different sites impacts greatly on the experience of our guests underwater. Many of our guests expect to having super strong currents on every single dive, but once you have been here and dived Komodo for yourself you realise that this is not the case!
Scuba Junkie Komodo has been around since 2015!! Our beautiful resort situated on the coast of Flores and overlooking the islands of Komodo National Park has been catering for all levels of divers for 10 years now. We recently just celebrated our 10th anniversary and we pride ourselves on being long standing experts in this region. If you want to dive Komodo who better to dive with than the people who have worked and lived in this region for such a very long time!!
Our Dive Crew know these waters very well and many of our crew have worked for us for years now. The majority of our crew are local to the area and have grown up living on the waters of Komodo National Park. When we say they know the waters like the back of their hand we are not exaggerating! We are very proud of our crew and the knowledge they have about this area.
Some familiar faces such as Yadi, Fauji, Indra and Rahma are all from the region. Yadi & Fauji are both from the island of Komodo, Indra is from Rinca Island and Rahma is from Warloka Village. These 4 Dive Guides, along with others, were born here and have grown up on these waters.
Many of our Dive Crew are Scuba Junkie trained – We offer both Divemaster and Instructor Training across our locations and many of our Dive Guides & PADI Instructors have completed their training with us. This ensure that right from the start our staff are trained to meet the high standards that we expect from all of our Crew.
Here are Scuba Junkie safety is of paramount importance to us and we have an expemplerary safety record. We want to ensure that our guests not only have an unforgettable experience but that you can do so in a safe and enjoyable way! As standard we keep our dive groups small with no more than 4 guests to 1 guide. We also ensure that divers of similar experience levels are grouped together. This allows our guides to have much better control over the safety of our guests and will only add to your enjoyment underwater with having small groups.
Komodo is famous for its currents and it’s one of the main reasons why we have such a wide diversity of healthy marine life here as well as some of the very best coral reefs you will see anywhere in the world! The constant movement of water helps to keep the area nutrient rich and healthy. Some of the dive sites we do in Komodo we deliberately time it so we are jumping in when there is a good strong current, but there are plenty of other sites where we are deliberately diving and timing it in a way to totally avoid the current and for some dive sites there is no current at all.
Dive sites such as The Cauldron / Shotgun and Siaba Kecil are fun to dive with current because that is where the thrill comes from! The adrenaline rush of cruising along a reef and watching the world go by is a feeling like no other! Another famous Komodo dive site is Batu Bolong. Also known for strong currents this pinnacle sits in the middle of the Lintah Strait. Yes the current can be strong, but here we always dive the lee side which means we are diving the side that is protected or hidden from the current.
The way we choose the dive sites depends very much on what the current is doing. We are able to understand what the current will be doing each day as our dive boats are out in the National Park every day of the year so our dive crew & boat crew know what to expect. Anyone who knows Komodo and does dive Komodo on a regular basis will tell you that the currents here are predictable.
Of course nature can surprise us, but it is possible to understand the water flow and current movement to be wellable to predict what will be happening on the individual dive sites. This knowledge and experience of our Dive Crew makes it easy for you to dive Komodo in a safe and enjoyable way without having to worry about what is going to happen.
Things YOU can do if you are feeling nervous to dive Komodo:
As we mentioned we do teach Open Water Courses here in Komodo and we have many guests come to dive with us that have very little diving experience so you are not alone in terms of your experience levels and I can assure you that our dive guides will take excellent care of you!
Komodo is famous for the currents we get here, but as we have said not all dives are crazy, current dives! We will never ask you to dive a site that you do not feel comfortable with. Ultimately it is your choice if you feel ready, but we can assure you that if you choose to come diving with us in Komodo we will take excellent care for you and the time you spend here will give you memories that will last a lifetime!!
To find our more about diving in Komodo and the packages that we offer please get in touch.
[…] in currents can also be one of the most exhilarating and rewarding underwater experiences. In our previous blog we talked about whether it it possible to Dive Komodo as a beginner. From that we had a lot of […]