Watch Kong Skull Island Sub Indo

[Brittany Bhadd]

To begin with, should you revisit this adventure, be aware you'll come far to dive Komodo. No surprise, for it seems much of the world's best diving is far from our North American shores. But this one involves multiple airports and airtime of 13 hours from LA to Taipei, another 4 hours to Kuala Lumpur, and a final 3 hours to the city of Denpasar on Bali. Counting the time spent in a lovely beachfront hotel before boarding the Komodo Dancer, and then the final 20-hour steam en route to the first dive off the Komodo Islands, I figure about 75 hours from LA liftoff to giant stride. Long admittedly, but from all the word-of-mouth accolades I'd heard from respected shooters, well worth the effort.

The islands of Indonesia lie in a wide arc more than 5,000 miles long, stretching from the mainland of Southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea. This is the heart of prime exotic diving, and coupled with the topside tropical splendor of scenic volcanic isles, makes for an ideal dive destination. Especially when the hook is UW photography as it is with our groups.

No one really knows exactly how many islands comprise Indonesia, but the range is between 13,677 and 18,585. Some islands are so small that tidal variation at the time of survey may make a difference, but figure 6,000 are named and about 1,000 inhabited. It is the largest archipelagic nation in the world with 80,000 km of coastline and 181 million residents. Most are Muslim, but there is a significant Christian and Hindu minority, especially around Bali.

Research suggests that the reefs around Komodo are among the world's most biologically diverse and productive, probably due to upwellings and the high degree of oxygenation from strong tidal currents passing through the Sape Straits. There are over 1,000 species of fish and 250 species of coral here, with new species constantly being discovered now that scientists and knowledgeable sport divers are more frequent visitors to these waters.

Our group arrives in Denpasar on the island of Bali around 6:00 p.m., but by the time we make it through customs (as is typical of a Peter Hughes tour, we are met at the airport and transported to the hotel as part of the package) and make the 20-minute ride to the Raddin Sanur Bali hotel, there is only enough time on this first night for a much needed shower, dinner, and leep. It is a shame we have so little time at the hotel, as it is quite nice. Situated on the beach with a lovely freshwater swimming pool, a couple of restaurants, and probably plenty of other amenities we'll never have a chance to try. However, it is a comfortable respite, even if we are on the road again by 8:00 a.m. the next day. It's a long boat ride to Komodo and we intend to get off the dock before 10:00 a.m.

After learning about the 20-hour ride to Komodo, I was dreading it. But as it turned out, it was a calm crossing and a chance for us all to catch up on sleep and prepare our cameras in a VERY leisurely fashion for a change. Most of us were working very hard the week before leaving in order to get away from our respective routines; and then with the long plane ride, a day with a chance to relax was rather nice. I've been on live-aboards where they dive right away, and after a long flight, mistakes can happen. It happened to a few of my guests earlier this year in PNG and several cameras got flooded that first dive. Coincidence? Maybe, but I think jet-lag and fatigue conspired against o-ring maintenance. This time, all gear was properly assembled and performed flawlessly. With a dozen hard-core shooters aboard, that's quite an accomplishment in itself.

So, the 20 hours to Komodo is not a bad thing, but of course it means 20 hours back as well. At least I'll know I won't be bubbling with saturated nitrogen from 22 dives over the previous 6 days as the plane lifts off the tarmac.Having a day on board with nothing much else to do gave us a chance to get the boat and dive briefings out of the way, and get to know the Komodo Dancer as well. Known in her native vernacular as the Ombak Biru (Indonesian for "Blue Wave"), she is a wooden two-masted motor-sailer, about 95 feet long by 30 foot beam. Even though she is a Peter Hughes flagged vessel, those who have been aboard one of Peter's elegant custom dive yachts like the Sun Dancer II should be aware this is entirely different.

Actually, I found the vessel extremely charming, with spacious cabins, efficient dive tenders, a reliable nitrox membrane system, and an extraordinary hospitality and dive staff. Of course, amenities common to all Peter Hughes' dive boats such as E-6 film processing, modern Scubapro rental gear, and qualified dive professionals on staff are to be expected. But beyond that, this vessel is comfortable and seaworthy. Somehow she just looks and feels "right" for this destination. Coming back from the dive site and seeing the Komodo Dancer reflecting the late afternoon light over slick calm seas in some gorgeous cove in the Komodo Islands turned out to be one of the enduring memories of a wonderful week at sea.

Sand Chute and Lost Boys were similar in that they were for the most part in less than 60 feet of water with minimal current. But both dives proved the value of having a crew member with familiarity of the site and excellent spotter eyes. On this boat an Indonesian named Yan proved to be our eagle-eye, pointing out leaf scorpionfish, harlequin ghost pipefish, and black-ribbon eels. The water clarity was only about 40 to 50 feet this day, so wide-angle was a challenge. But for those of us shooting 105mm macro lenses in our housed cameras, these reefs were marvelous. Because our group is experienced in both photography and photo etiquette, there was plenty of sharing when a good set-up was discovered, and everyone came back to the boat with nice representations of the significantly photogenic critters along these reefs.

GPS is one of those fabled "marquee" sites that everyone who dives Komodo must visit at least once, and hopefully more than once. A submerged seamount located about a mile offshore of Gili Banta, GPS is about the size of a football field and rises to within 20 feet of the surface. The top of the reef is solid with antler corals, especially perfectly intact staghorns, while along the reef slope are colorful soft corals and LOTS of crinoids. Anthias dart about in greater profusion and variety than I have ever seen anywhere, and the sheer mass of life along the top of the reef is both inspiring and reassuring. While coral reefs may be in decline many places worldwide, no one told the fish at GPS yet.

This is the place for sharks as well. White-tip reef sharks and gray reef sharks are most common, but this is prime pelagic cruising grounds and no doubt anything is possible here. There seems to be a resident great hammerhead as well, but while many of us saw it in the distance, no one got close enough for even a bad souvenir photo. This first dive of the morning offered pretty good visibility, maybe 60 feet or so, but it was the sheer electric quantity of life that overwhelms at GPS. It is likewise notable that several live-aboards keep GPS on their weekly itineraries, and while that may be minimal dive pressure compared to some areas, this is not an unknown site by any means. It is a tribute to the collective quality of the dive briefings, buoyancy control and educated concern of the visiting guests, and water quality that these fragile corals remain pristine.

GPS can only be dived on a light-to-slack current, which means even if we would have liked to have done every dive there this day, only 2 were practical. And even those were quite different. In the morning, we had a waning incoming tide and good visibility. In the afternoon, we had slack following the outgoing tide and the water clarity was far worse. Of course, one only has to look among all the filter feeders that dominate the reef slope to realize that both current and high nutrients wash this reef. But even in 30-foot visibility this is an impressive dive. Our guests saw gray sharks at cleaning stations, the hammerhead, schools of trevally jack and bonito, and of course lots of small critters as well.

** A note on the currents in Komodo** - There are perceptions that color any dive destination, and most have some basis in fact. I had heard that the currents in Komodo rip, and from that little nugget I envisioned having a hard time staying in one place long enough to get a photo and then being swept out to sea on my safety stops. Well, the reality is that in some places the currents can get pretty rowdy, but these are tidal currents. That means a good dive operator with local knowledge and a tide chart can choose the optimal time to dive a site. A little current is good as it brings the pelagics closer to the reef and enhances the soft corals. A lot of current can make it uncomfortable or even dangerous. The Komodo Dancer crew played the currents perfectly all week, and the tender drivers were so attentive and skilled, no one ever waited more than 5 minutes for a pick-up. Current was never really an issue, either in terms of personal safety or photo acquisition. But having said that, I can see where current could be a huge issue here without the benefit of considerable local knowledge and experience.

A note on water temperatures in Komodo - I had also heard Komodo was cold-water diving, and in fact some of the dive sites in the south do drop down into the low-70s. The coldest we ever experienced was 72 degrees, and the warmest was 80 degrees F. Yet, the cold-water dives like Cannibal Rock were so incredibly rich and productive it is important to be prepared to dive them comfortably. To me, that means at least a 5mm wetsuit and hooded vest, booties, and light gloves. In the north, a 5/3mm suit was perfect for the 4 dives a day we do from the Komodo Dancer. To properly enjoy the dives in Komodo, one must bring sufficient thermal protection.

Komodo Island is a huge island, and there are plenty of places for Komodo dragons to be wild. But there is the domestic variety as well, and around the ranger station on the island there is an opportunity to view and photograph a few fairly docile specimens of Komodo dragon and wild pig. There are also numerous vendors offering carved dragons and strings of pearls (expect to bargain with them, and figure to pay about half the asking price). All of this is within a few hundred yards of the dock, so there is an opportunity for an easy and minimally physical introduction to the Komodo dragon. There is also a 4 km round-trip hike through the countryside that I highly recommend. Aside from the lovely scenery, you will see deer, more wild pigs, and the high probability of seeing one or two more Komodo dragons in a more natural setting. Park guides will attend the group, and they will carry stout forked poles to fend off a dragon in the unlikely event one should choose to eat a tourist. Aside from the photo opportunities, the exercise of a vigorous walk after a couple of days at sea is a nice change of pace. This morning diversion will cost a dive or two, but then these are very interesting animals, seen no where else on earth except in zoos. And if you begin thinking this is a zoo, there was the story this week of tourists visiting another island in the Komodos who saw a water buffalo kill a Komodo dragon, and then 13 Komodo dragons ganged up to kill and eat the water buffalo. Marlin Perkins would feel right at home here.

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