Are you planning a dive trip to Komodo but unsure how many days to spend exploring this underwater paradise? This guide will help you determine the ideal number of days to dive in Komodo, covering everything from dive types to non-diving activities.
Table of Content
- Choosing Between Liveaboard and Day Boats
- How Many Dives Do You Need in Komodo?
- Why 15 Dives?
- Diving Across Komodo’s Regions
- Non-Diving Activities in Komodo
- Conclusion: How Many Days for Your Komodo Diving Trip?
Choosing Between Liveaboard and Day Boats
The first decision you’ll need to make is whether you want to dive from a liveaboard dive boat or a day boat from Labuan Bajo. Both options offer unique advantages:
Liveaboard
A liveaboard provides a convenient, hassle-free experience. You won’t need to pack up your belongings each day, and you can enjoy the flexibility of diving at your convenience, either first or last on a dive site. With a liveaboard, you’ll get to dive more often (four dives per day).
Day Boats
Day boat trips are less flexible, and the long journey means you will only dive three times per day. Your day begins early, usually around 7:30 or 8:00 AM, and ends by 5:00 or 6:00 PM.
How Many Dives Do You Need in Komodo?
For a comprehensive experience of Komodo National Park, we recommend a minimum of 15 dives. This gives you a well-rounded sample of the park’s incredible underwater diversity. Here’s the breakdown:
On a Day Boat
For day boats, you’ll need at least 5 days of diving to get a good variety of sites. However, due to daily diversities in groups, you might end up revisiting the same sites multiple times. So, aiming for 8 to 10 days will ensure you dive at 15 separate locations.
On a Liveaboard
On a liveaboard, you’ll visit different sites each day, ensuring variety across 4 to 6 days.
Why 15 Dives?
So now back to the question of why we say that you should do at least 15 dives in Komodo national park. Well, this is based on the types of dives and the different dive areas within the national park. Komodo is famous for currents, so obviously an action-packed drift dive like Cauldron (AKA Shotgun) is a must.
But Komodo also has unmissable wall dives, submerged sea mount dives, night dives and macro filled muck dives. For example, many people come to Komodo and end up seeing many new species of Frogfish on muck dives then they could have ever even imagined.
ALSO READ : Is it safe to dive in Komodo?
Diving Across Komodo’s Regions
To make the most of your dive trip, ensure you experience a spread of sites across Komodo’s different regions:
West Komodo and North Rinca
These areas are home to the must-see dive sites, especially for shorter trips of 5-6 days. Basically, all the must visit dive sites if you only have around 5 to 6 days lie on the west side of Komodo island and to the north of Rinca island with a few smaller islands in between
Komodo Bay and South Padar
With an additional 2 days, you can explore even more diverse sites in Komodo National Park, delving a bit deeper into Komodo bay and the south of Padar island.
The Lintah Strait
The Lintah Strait is a section of deep water that cuts through Komodo from north to south and draws strong currents carrying fresh nutrients with it. Because of this you will experience a wide variety of marine life and dive conditions which really makes Komodo such a unique place.
Non-Diving Activities in Komodo
Apart from diving, Komodo offers several land-based activities that you won’t want to miss. If you’re diving from day boats, dedicate a non-diving day to a land tour from Labuan Bajo. These tours typically include:
Komodo Dragons
Visit either Komodo or Rinca Island to see the famous Komodo dragons.
Padar Island
Hike to the viewpoint for stunning panoramic views.
Pink Beach
Relax on the iconic pink sand beach.
If you’re on a liveaboard, these land tours are often included, so no need to set aside an additional day. This is especially the case with La Galigo Liveaboard, as we included all these three non-diving activities into our Itineraries, Jurassic Komodo (6 Days 5 Nights) and Ultimate Komodo (8 Days 7 Nights).
ALSO READ : What are the best Indonesian diving spots?
Conclusion: How Many Days for Your Komodo Diving Trip?
- Liveaboard – We recommend 6 to 8 days for a liveaboard trip to fully explore Komodo’s dive sites.
- Day Boats – For day boat divers, plan for 9 to 11 days, including the land tour day.
By following these guidelines, you’ll experience a wide variety of dive sites and the natural wonders Komodo has to offer.
