Indonesia is one of my favorite regions of the world for diving and exploring. Its rich diversity above and below water makes it ever mysterious and full of enchanting surprises. Having visited dive sites around the perimeter of the Moluccas "Spice Islands" in Sulawesi,Banda Sea , Raja Ampat and the Lembeh Strait, I joined friends from Brazil to head for Komodo and the Sumba Sea to the east of Bali. After a rendez-vous at the palatial Hotel Intercontinental in Sanur we spent a blissful night by the beach and set out on our journey. Komodo was a total departure from the other areas I had visited in Indonesia. The landscape is barren, brown and arid. The dry rolling hills resemble slumbering dinosaurs that might suddenly awaken and amble down into the placid aquamarine waters. Small colorful fishing boats glide across the sea, back and forth in the bays and straits, the mirror like surface hiding swift currents that flow around the reefs and sandy bottom.
Komodo National Park is a World Heritage Site and consists of two main islands: Komodo and Rinja, with a few smaller islets sprinkled in between an to the east and north. We spent our first night in the park area by Pink Sand Beach, its lovely expanse the color of a conch shell's interior. My mask fogging plagued the first two days of diving on macro sites which contained a treasure trove of new species to observe. Crystal Rock was a welcome change for sensational wide angle shooting full of fish and rich yellow soft corals like Onemobaa.
We spent time on land surveying Komodo and Flores nearby, and wandered about at the crest of a breezy hilltop overlooking quiet bays on either side. Returning to Mermaid I and swimming off the fan tail was a welcome departure from gearing up and riding out to a dive site in a crowded panga. As I soon discovered this was my last opportunity for days to swim in warm water. As we ventured south the temperature dropped to a chilly 70*F. BRRR! More weight, more neoprene, darker and colder dives.
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