Sep 10 – Sep 20, 2026

subject to change without prior notice, at the discretion of cruise director and captain Day 1: Embark in Labuan Bajo Day 2: Nusa Koda Day 3: Komodo Central + walk with the dragons Day 4: Manta Alley / Pink beach Day 5: Crystal Rock / Castle Rock Day 6: Gili Lawa Laut / Sabolan Island Day 7: Paloe Island / Maumere Bay Day 8: Lembata Island Day 9: Pura Island/Pantar Island Day 10: Alor/Kalabahi Bay Day 11: Disembark in Alor Komodo National Marine Park, because of its location, it is one of the best places in the world where you can find an amazing biodiversity. It is part of the famous CORAL TRIANGLE and is declared a UNESCO WORLD HERRITAGE site. In the North of Komodo NMP we have the Flores Sea where after few miles from the coast reaches depths of 5000 meters, or even more towards Banda Sea. At the south, we have the Indian Ocean with also great depths a few miles out.
Komodo NMP has an average depth of about 150 meters, so when we have tidal movement of 2 meters rising or falling tide, the water comes from very deep and needs to rush through Flores and Komodo Island where only shallow water is found.
The consequences are that the water has to pass between islands at high speed, forming currents that provide nutrients and oxygen rich waters to the fish and the coral reef.
Currents are for the underwater world like the logistics in any big city. Having strong currents equals to have more shipments of supplies for the city. Plenty of nutrients arrive to these waters and makes and spectacle of life wherever you look.
The big difference of characteristics between Flores Sea and Indian Ocean gives a more variety of marine life at different islands. North Komodo National Park the water temperature is usually nice and warm from the Flores Sea (27a-29a). There is an abundance of fish on these underwater pinnacles, schooling surgeons, big eye jacks, snapper or barracudas and pelagic are a common site. The further South we travel the water temperature will drop (18-24°). Padar island has some beautiful sites where we can start to feel the influence of the Indian Ocean. More nutrients in the water is giving the corals a different look, colors are sharper, fish life is about to change. Even further South, we have Nusa Kode this horseshoe shaped bay has stunning corals.
Not only in a rainbow of colors but also the size. Fish live in abundance and creatures you may have never seen before in your life, they may remind you the monsters that live under your bed as a child. There is muck diving in places you least expect and under water pinnacles attract big schools of snapper, big eye jacks, surgeon fish, barracuda’s and Spanish mackerel. You feel like you fly over beautiful coral gardens that you can barely see because of the amount of fish darting in the currents.
Manta rays have their own cleaning stations, that we can visit.
Here we can observe them getting cleaned but if the currents bring in the right nutrients and krill, they will start to feed, shooting to the surface to dive down while with their mouths wide open, filtering the water. Your trip is not complete without meeting the last living dinosaurs, the Komodo Dragons.
You will get a chance to see them up close at the National Park. With a bit of luck, you will also see the macaque monkeys, some deer’s, wild pig and wild horse.
 Paloe Island is an active volcano that will make us a transition to Maumere Bay, Volcanic topography with crystal waters and
many baby reef fish along the steep walls.
We will end up our trip in Maumere Bay where we can visit many islands inside the bay depending on weather or divers’ level.
Inside the bay, it’s famous for black sand and macro critters hunting, opposite outer in the atolls where shear walls and crystal water is predominant. The scenery above water is also spectacular as we can see 3 volcanos from our anchor place. In the north Flores Sea, we can find beautiful coral walls with overhangs and crevices, where you can find the tiniest pygmy seahorse to white tip reef sharks sleeping in the corals. Weather depending, we could visit the south of Pantar Island as Pulau Lembata that has to offer a very different landscaping. In the south Savu Sea has currents with different nutrients and a colder water temperature give life to another dimension. Bays full of exceptional world class macro and isolated rocks out at sea make this especial diving were the critters seems from another planet. In Alor we find yet again great diversity, from vertical coral walls to sloping gardens covered in anemones for miles on end. We can dive an active volcano where you can see hot air bubbles coming from the rocks. Because we are in the Pantar Strait that brings lots of nutrients, we can also expect to see some dolphins or even whales welcoming us into the bay. With a bit of luck, the coolers currents bring us the Mola Mola or even Thresher shark. Kalabahi bay in West Alor, has world class muck diving in the bay, many different ghost pipefish hide in the mucky bottom, many nudi’s and all families of scorpion fish even the elusive rhynopia commonly spotted here. We can visit a village that still lives the traditional ways and they will invite us for a traditional ceremony with dance performance. Near our anchoring in Pura Island we get the village kids with their wooden crafted goggles, showing of their free diving skills. Almost always locals approach the boat with their finest handcrafted “Ikat” fabrics made by a traditional technique.