I arrived late September and, after a night in Bali, checked-in for my morning flight to Labuan Bajo, Flores. Such flights mean you can concentrate all your dive time within the park, instead of spending 2 or 3 days getting to and from Bali and diving (in my opinion) inferior sites. The flight with IAT was on a little twin propeller plane which, to my eternal relief, handled the flight well and was a steady as any jet. On board were a mix of locals, divers and other tourists gazing down as we soared over the ever-changing coastline and shimmering seas. I was glad to see my face amongst them, kissing the tortoise shell.

On arrival at Labuan Bajo’s little airport, I was met by a representative of Seven Seas who took us the 15 minutes from the airport to the jetty. The guests introduced themselves in the minibus and chatted excitedly about what the next few days had in store for this group of disparate individuals, united only by a shared love of the underwater world.

The first sight of our home for the next few days was impressive. Standing tall and proud in the harbour was this elegant, burgundy schooner. A beautiful Indonesian sailing ship with a pronounced bow, belying the hull’s original cargo purpose. The crew, all clad in Seven Seas burgundy t-shirts, helped us on board and greeted us with smiles and welcome drinks. We were shown to our cabins below deck. I had a cabin with twin beds and, as with all, an en-suite bathroom of a standard you would be lucky to find in a hotel, complete with excellent piping hot power shower.

We set off from Labuan Bajo for our itinerary around the northern section of the Komodo National Park. I had memories of the Southern section on a previous trip where water temperatures had dropped to the teens. However, I was pleased that on this trip we would be diving mostly in the north. The diving, as promised, was excellent. The one thing that seems to stand out in Komodo is the sheer colour of the reefs. Where else can you find such a riot of yellow, blue, green, red, brown and pink all in the one spot?

The Diving in Komodo

Of course diving Komodo is such a varied experience that it cannot really be said to be about one thing. There are also great numbers of fish in the right spots. One of my favourite dives was ‘Fishbowl’ where, in addition to shark and ray sightings and myriad little reef fish, there were also big numbers of snapper, sweetlips, trevally and fusiliers. When such fish biomass is set against the vibrant hues of Komodo’s reefs surely there are few other locations which offer so much.

Night dives are another feature of Komodo which must be emphasised. One evening we slipped away on the Seven Seas’ excellent tender (which has the type of simple but effective seating arrangement that should be copied by all dive tenders) to a spot above a dive site known as ‘Spanish Dancer’. In the dark of night a fantastic number of nocturnal creatures were scuttling and slithering over the reef, including highlights such as slipper lobsters (my first sighting) and of course the eponymous Spanish Dancers, whose mid-water dance illuminated by our spotlights provided a breathtaking moment.

Pillarsteen was another highlight for me given its incredible topography with all manner of caves, swim-throughs and chimneys. This felt like a real adventure with the divemaster leading the way into seemingly dead-end fissures in the rock only to be followed by a snake of excited divers emerging out of the other side into the sunlight. As a change from focusing on all the colour and fish, Pillarsteen proved a very popular addition to our cruise.
Komodo Dragons

A land excursion near Komodo Island

Of course if you mention the word Komodo to most people, the first image they will have in their mind is that of the legendary dragon. Seven Seas’ Komodo trips include a day’s visit to the island where you can get up close with these enormous reptiles. We chose the 2 hour walk option, which took us inland away from the ranger station and onto higher ground, in search of dragons in a more natural habitat. Walking along through the dry sparse vegetation onto viewpoints from where you can gaze all around, and know that you are standing on Komodo Island, is a special thought. Sadly we did not see any large dragons on our trek. However on the way back we did spot a few juveniles scurrying around in the undergrowth. The island itself is a popular spot with divers and non-divers alike so you are likely to meet other travellers there. If you are on board the Seven Seas you can expect to see plenty of jealous glances into the bay when other people realise you are on the large proud burgundy sailing ship standing head and shoulders above the other vessels at anchor.

The Ambience

Mark Heighes, one of the owners and one of Indonesia’s best known characters in the diving community, was our cruise director and throughout the trip kept us entertained with funny stories and also engaged us with interesting information about the park and the efforts to preserve its environment.

Every night we would sit around after one of the tasty and varied meals that we were treated with, and chat about all manner of subjects. The guests were such a mixed bunch that mercifully we were spared the 24 hour diving chat and instead covered vast range of topics. On a couple of occasions we elected to pop on a DVD and all lounged in the saloon enjoying a movie on the flat screen TV and surround sound.

Possibly the best aspect of the Seven Seas is the amount of space. The A/C saloon is large and comfortable and in addition to the table and benches in the middle of the main deck, there is a lot of space on the upper deck. Above the saloon is an open sundeck area with sun loungers and tables and chairs, as well as cushioned sofa beds. In the aft section of the upper deck is a fully-covered lounging area with sofa beds in the trademark burgundy. It all adds up to comfort galore; and to couple the comfort and space above water with the variety and wonder of Komodo National Park below water, truly is a great combination.

Small Things that Make a Big Difference

Perhaps one difference between cruises on the Seven Seas and those with other Komodo liveaboards is that guests are encouraged to explore the islands rather than spending all their free time on deck. We had a trek over an uninhabited island with spectacular views and a gorgeous beach, where the sand is a few shades more red than its more famous neighbour, ‘Pink (sometimes Red) Beach’. Some guests also went of for relaxing sunset kayak excursions which make magical photo opportunities. One day while moored in a quiet bay, a dugong surfaced for breath near the boat,which was followed by a kayak trip for further interaction. Dugongs however only play when they want to and this time it seems we weren’t invited.

On the trip back to Labuan Bajo as we chilled out with cold beers and the setting sun cast a pink glow over the water, dolphins cavorted in our wake and I found myself more in love with Komodo than ever, and sad to be bidding it farewell.

For anyone with a love of scuba diving or an interest in nature, then this one area with Komodo dragons, manta rays, dugongs, dolphins and innumerable delightful fish and reefs, has an allure that can only be resisted for so long.

I know I will be back one day. Perhaps not for some time but I must surely revisit the magical place that is Komodo.

Gavin Macaulay is Marketing Director of Dive The World which aims to help divers find the perfect scuba diving holiday in some of the world’s most exciting dive destinations. He offers opinions and advice on diving related topics based on his own experiences.

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Characteristically no wider than 450m, the Ribbon Reefs are part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and are covered in colourful corals that attract a plethora of reef life big and small, with sandy gullies separating them, themselves containing interesting critters.

The Ribbon Reefs are generally quite shallow, coming up to as high as 5 metres below the surface from a sandy bottom that is between 15-20 metres below the surface. With great visibility year round and mostly calm sea surfaces, they are the staple of many liveaboards and provide fascinating Australia scuba diving opportunities for all levels of diver.

Highlights

One of the most famous Great Barrier Reef dive sites and a spectacle to behold, Cod Hole, as the name suggests, is a dive site famous for cod. Giant potato cod to be exact. What makes this site special is that the giant potato cod are virtually domesticated thanks to 2 decades of being fed by divemasters. There’s something special about a 60 kg fish swimming right up to you for a nibble from your hand. During feeding time everyone joins the action as coral trout, sweetlips, triggerfish and trevally also try to muscle in on the action.

Steve’s Bommie is a bit of a legendary dive site. The ballade of Steve varies according to who’s telling the story, but the common thread is that Steve loved this bommie, came to an untimely end and had the bommie named after him. A memorial plaque can be seen at 25m where most divers start on this site. Legends aside, Steve’s Bommie features a wealth of schooling action, big fish and macro life. Cruising barracudas, whitetip reef sharks and possibly even minke whales will leave you wanting to look everywhere at once.

The Temple of Doom is another peculiarly named Ribbon Reef dive site. Aside from macro action on the bommie itself, pelagic fish are a constant and you’ll have to ration your time between the reef and the blue. Shark sightings are common as are large rays and bluefin trevally of the 70 cm plus variety.

Diving Season

Due to Queensland’s tropical climate, any time of the year is a good time to dive the Ribbon Reefs. Water temperatures fluctuate between 22°C in winter and 29°C during summer. Visibility is good year round, with best vis from September to November.

During the wet summer months rainfall is moderate but usually limited to early mornings and later afternoons. The dry winter months see little rain. Surface conditions are always calm, but can become moderate during winter.

Reef Summary

Good for: Underwater photography, large animals, reef life and health and small animals
Not so good for: Wreck dives
Depth: 5 — 30m
Visibility: 10 — 30m
Currents: Gentle
Surface conditions: Calm, moderate in winter
Water temperature: 22 — 29 °C
Experience level: Beginner — advanced
Number of dive sites: about 25
Distance: 140 km north of Cairns
Access: Australian liveaboard
Recommended length of stay: 1 week

Gavin Macaulay is Marketing Director of Dive The World which aims to help divers find the perfect scuba diving holiday in some of the world’s most exciting dive destinations. He offers opinions and advice on diving related topics based on his own experiences.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gavin_Macaulay

The Oriskany reef lies off the coast of Florida and is not recommended for novice divers as by US Marine Law it has to be a minimum of 55 feet navigational clearance from the surface to allow shipping to pass comfortably over it.

Having said that it is that far down you do not have to go down very far to get a good view of it. The massive air craft carrier is very awe inspiring site under water and although it had only been there for a short time in relative terms a lot of fish and reef organisms have made it there home.

Although I’m an experienced Wreck Diver I did not plan to go into this wreck merely to observe from the safest outside distance was enough for me. This was a really strange feeling to just above the top of the island of the flight deck.

These artificial reefs are going to transform the diving industry and also do a lot for the oceans ECO system, we need to see more developments in this field as more and more of the reefs that are current around the world do get damaged by inconsiderate divers.

By replenishing and conservation of existing reefs we may enjoy the spectacular array of life that manages to exist within the depths. I must admit I would quite like to do a wreck dive and penetrate the vessel just to see the varieties of fish that have made it there home. Not a deep penetration as this is highly not recommended but more of just inside to see a hanger deck.

This would require technical diving skills and a lot of good experts to get advice from before tackling this proposition I hope to be able to come back to this wreck within the next two years as a to have a more intense experience with this wreck.

The Oriskany when it was reefed landed in the upright position as this is an air craft carrier and the top of the ship is broader than the base it was not known if it was going to do this. It’s good that it did because it’s more familiar shape that seeing a wreck on its side.

I have dive many wrecks some of the best ones can be found at Scapa Flow in Shetland Islands. After the war a lot of German ships were scuttled there and remain as wrecks they are very popular with divers but it’s a hell of a long way to go to get there. You sometimes think about flying but that cuts down the amount of diving you can do, as most of the Scapa Flow ships are deep dives too.

I hope to find some more artificial reefs to explore and take more photos and keep a good record to see how these artificial grow in diving popularity.

Andy Bolton 41 Liverpool UK England

Automation Engineer | Divemaster | Website Designer | Musician | Hot Air Balloonist | Author Mostly Harmless, Enjoy Travelling and trying new gadgets.

Accident Claims | Compensation | No Win No Fee

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The UNEXSO dolphin dive is a single tank trip only available on certain days and fills up quickly so it is highly recommended to make reservations well in advance. The divemasters suggest that all divers add on an additional two pounds to what they normally use on their weight belt. This is because the majority of time spent during the dolphin dive will be kneeling on an open sandy surface at the bottom of a chosen dive site. After all divers are onboard, the dive boat goes to the dolphin facility minutes away where the dolphins stay. Once there, a dolphin trainer at the facility gives a briefing about the specifics of the dolphin dive as well as dolphins in general. Two dolphins are pre-selected for each dolphin dive. After the briefing, both the dive boat and a second boat carrying two dolphin trainers head out to the dive site with two dolphins following. During the trip out to the dive site, the two dolphins ride the wakes of the boats and make numerous leaps out of the water along the way giving lots of photo opportunities.

Once at the dive site, the divers are instructed to get in the water quickly and head to the bottom which is about 50 feet. The request for the rush is to get the interactions going before the dolphins lose interest. It is emphasized that the dolphins are never forced to interact with the divers and are free to swim off anytime they want. Therefore, interactions with the dolphins are never guaranteed by UNEXSO. Luckily for the divers, the dolphins seem to enjoy interactions with humans as well as the free food. Once at the bottom, the dolphin trainers now in scuba diving gear, direct the divers to space out in a wide circle. The trainers, equipped with a bucket full of food, are in the center of this circle. This is where they direct the various types of interactions that the divers will get to experience with the dolphins.

The first interaction is usually having a dolphin rest in front of each diver. This is when the divers are allowed to touch and stroke the dolphins while avoiding their fins, eyes and blow hole. The second interaction involves a dolphin kiss. Divers are instructed to take their regulators out of their mouths upon a signal given by the trainers. The trainers then point towards each diver. The dolphins would approach each diver and ‘kiss’ each one in the mouth with their snout. A third type of interaction is like a human spinning top. One at a time, the divers are asked to adjust their buoyancy and stay up about five feet off the bottom with arms fully outstretched. The dolphins then push each diver by the hand with their snouts spinning them around in circles. All of these interactions are captured on camera by a UNEXSO staff divemaster. Of course, the photos are available for sale back at the UNEXSO dive shop. At the end of the final interaction, both dolphins make one more pass while waving one of their fins to bid each diver goodbye. Of course, the divers wave back with smiles through their regulators.

What is really unique with the dolphin dive is that scuba divers get to see the dolphins at depth rather than just at the surface of the water. This is in the natural environment of the dolphins. It is really magical to watch from the bottom as the dolphins swim up to the surface for air sometimes leaping right out of the water followed by a dramatic diving re-entry. They move like torpedoes with grace, agility and speed. The divers can’t help but marvel at the abilities of the dolphins. Dolphins do not require gradual ascents and safety stops like us scuba divers do. For any scuba diver who loves dolphins, the UNEXSO dolphin dive is a wonderful diving experience and well recommended.

Clint Leung is a NAUI certified Master and Rescue Scuba Diver. He is also owner of Free Spirit Activewear http://www.FreeSpiritActivewear.com, an online retailer/designer specializing in premium quality scuba diving activewear. Also numerous articles on scuba diving.

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