Labuan Bajo, Flores, Indonesia.
Traveling to the Komodo islands is so very much more than a dive adventure. It’s about Dragons, and bats and local Indonesian island life. This small isolated corner of the world is home to some of the best diving on the planet. Removing your shoes before entering any building – restaurants, hotel rooms, dive shops – everywhere. The 7-times a day chants of the mosques. The live music flowing from lively hotels and restaurants and dive shop employee’s killing time. Learning to conduct transactions is hundreds of thousands and millions of Rp. Yes, it has a third world feel to it at times; but in a comfortable, welcoming type of vibe.
I arrive without hotel or dive arrangements – travel on the edge. Just a flight in, and a flight out – a week on Flores. I’m here to dive the famous ripping currents of Komodo, see its Manta’s and discover another corner of Indonesia. Its off season, so I’m not really taking any risks. There are plenty of hotel rooms and empty dive boats. I select a mountain top hotel; but the steep-steep stairs down to the main street of Labuan Bajo is intense. I make to trip several times…but that was enough – the last time of a motor bike, no helmet in the rain up a winding road. Staying at this isolated hotel was NOT a good plan. Oh-well, I did remedy that for the finish of this adventure here in Labaun Bajo. But for now…..its find a dive shop and dive.dive.dive.
There are at-least 20 small dive shops that line the street overlooking the harbor. In fact, all I see in this town are dive ships, a few hotels and restaurants. Life here clings to the sea’s and the tourist divers,,and the curious dragon seekers. I’m unable to secure a live aboard heading to the south of Komodo – my goal; so I settle on a 3 dive day trip to start my adventure here. DiveKomodo is the dive operator. At a second shop, I am able to find a 3-day live aboard diving with Devine Diving - just Central Komodo islands. The weather in the North limits the destinations during my week here on Flores…and the South not widely dove at this time of year (visibility, weather issues).
Next trip; I’ll try to be here in Oct/Nov. – to dive the south and Horseshoe bay. But for March; and my diving is all in the central Komodo islands west of Flores.
My 1-day trip, and my 3-day live aboard dives was fantastic. 12 dives in total. I see a dozen Manta’s, Up-close shark encounters, Cuddle fish, and the typical Indonesia collection of reef fish and nudibranch. Clearly the Manta experience alone make this trip worth the effort. They where Huge. Like being next to a car under the oceans. Every dive was a high current event. Mostly drift diving or hiding behind an island zig-zagging the reef to avoid the on-coming current lines. We are dead center of the earth’s continental currents. Full of plankton, fish and coral. In many places, the current is so intense, only low-growing hard coral can survive. Where there is a place to hide…the soft flourishes in abundance.
Dive Local. Very interesting boat adventures and new friends on the Komodo seas. Common toilets, small boats makes for fast friends. We had only 4 paying divers onboard. A young European couple – A German man, and a French girl: Another example of world travelers - They have been living in Vietnam for 8 years..just now heading back to Europe. And a young American with an amazing travel lust. He has traveled everywhere on a dime. Living in hostels, couch surfing, catching cheap air fares. A firefighter from Montana in his non-traveling moments…but seems to be determined to see every corner of the planet. His adventure stories are truly amazing and inspiring.
Not surprisingly, I’m the old man again on board. But, as with most diving, age is not always a disadvantage. I more than hold my own. I’m the experienced diver of the group and it’s make my diving effort easy. Always coming to the surface with plenty of extra air, and managing the high current conditions with control. But; I do have an very challenging moment when I drop my pointer while starting a screaming fast drift dive. I fight my way back to retrieve my equipment with Herculean effort. An all out sprint for about 30 seconds against the crazy strong current. Kicking, clawing, pulling myself back to grab the dropped gear. Success!! Lesson learned, I need a better technique for managing that piece of gear as I enter the waters. Camera, pointer, and back-rolls on fast decent can be tricky. I’ll keep my senses about for that error in the future. A reef hook would have bee useful here. Especially when trying to watch the Manta Ray’s from a static position in the currents. - I think I’ll be adding that piece of gear in the near future.
We see Manta’s on several dives. Up-close encounters. Same with a fantastic swim with Gray Reef sharks. For such a short stay here. It was packed with excitement. I loved it. Captain Don would be in his element on this old wooden boat; diesel fumes, rolling seas, dive equipment and fish everywhere. No GPS, the captain relying on dead reckoning and charts – the captains of these boats are amazing.
After my live aboard adventure, I switch hotels to Green Hill, - in the center of the town. Walking from dive shop to dive shop the following day. Learning the options for future trips here. Mostly all the shops charge the same prices and have similar boats and itineraries. If you want luxury, you need to arrange that online in advance. No shop here in Labaun Bajo has that option. Diving here is a strictly local operation. The Siren live aboard travels here; but like their other destinations, they do not maintain a dive shop. ( They are a floating dive shop.)
I eat a Bajo Taco several times, sharing stories with my live aboard friends. Tex-Mex with an Indonesian twist. New friends under an Orange sky. How lucky can I be cross paths with world travelers and interesting people. It reinforces my optimistic beliefs in the future of the world - good will prevail!! Mankind will solve all problems. The world is a marvelous place and only getting better.
The dive boat prices are in-expensive; just $500-600US for a 3 day live aboard. It’s not luxury, but great diving and good food. Park fees do add a bit, at $300 Rp/day - $21US It adds to the cost. But still very reasonable compared to diving at most places.
Well, as I finish this blog I’m off the one more dinner here in Labaun Bajo. The sounds of a Mosque cantor singing the call to prayer from the Koran fill the streets. The calls add to the unique, foreign feel of this town. Although Flores is predominately Christian – unusual in Indonesia (which is 80% Islamic), this Flores’ town seems to be mix of religions. Being a dive focused town, life here seems relaxed and un-threatening. Religion takes a back seat. Bikini’s, shorts, casual dress, alcohol everywhere. For my part; I live on the expresso !!!
I haven’t even talked of the Komodo Dragon hike on Rincon. Powerful huge creatures that were a privilege to walk among. I wanted to touch them – not a good plan. But they where calm and very easy to enjoy up close in the wild. Komodo has so much to offer a visitor.
And the Kalong Bat experience is indescribable. On my live aboard, we anchor behind a mangrove island at sunset. As the sun sets; Out from the mangroves begin a column of bats rising and flying over our boat. Hundreds of thousands of huge bats. The go on and on forever. So many it almost seems impossible. They never stopped. We finally depart for our next dive site location.
Flores and its Komodo islands are an amazing adventure. So much to see. Diving, Wild life, Indonesian local island life. I’ve packed in another adventure. Leaving for Singapore in the morning. I’ll remember this forever. If I'm fortunate, life will me the chance to return here. There’s so much to learn from these people and their life style.
留言