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Komodo Diving - Best dive sites on Komodo

Komodo National Park - Komodo, Rinca and Padaro

Komodo National Park is situated 200 nautical miles east of Bali between the islands of Flores and Sumbawa. The Park was declared a Man and Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site in 1986. KNP includes three major islands, , and numerous smaller islands together totalling 41,000 ha of land. Attractions: Komodo Dragons, mangrove forests, coral reefs.

The Komodo Dragon (Varanus Komodoensis) is the largest lizard in the world. It grows to 2.5 meters in length and around 125 kilos in weight.

In 1995, the Conservancy and Park Authority conducted a broad-scale Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) at 67 Park sites:

Threats: Dynamite fishermen have damaged 52% of the coral reefs. (Source: The Nature Conservancy)

Best dive sites on Komodo

An estimated 900 - 1,000 fish species make Komodo National Park one of the world's richest fish habitats.

Corals: A total of 253 Scleractinian (reef building) coral species from 70 genera reside within the Park and at nearby Banta Island. The KNP area supports a particularly high abundance of Tubipora musica (organ pipe coral), which make up some of the distinctly pink coral sand beaches.

Sponges: An estimated 70 sponge species were recorded in a wide variety of coral reef and near-shore marine habitats. Encrusting sponges make up the vast majority possibly due to the area's strong currents.

Algae: KNP supports a high diversity of algae, including economically important species such as gracillaria, gelidium and caulerpa.

Turtles and Marine mammals: Dolphins, hawksbill turtles (eretmochelys imbricata), and green turtles (chelonia mydas) frequent the Park's waters, and hawksbill turtles nest in the Park. Occasionally whales are spotted, possibly during their regular migration through the area. (Source: The Nature Conservancy)