Dragons, manta rays, uncommon critters and Hobbit Males’s stays await the scuba diver visiting Komodo Nationwide Park, a magical reserve however one which additionally has its challenges to beat. PIERRE CONSTANT supplies his overview in phrases and photos
The Indonesian archipelago lies on the crossroads of three main tectonic plates: the Indo-Australian, Eurasian and Pacific. The Lesser Sunda Islands are a part of the Western Banda Arc, between Java and the Banda Islands, the origin of which is Tertiary volcanic.
Flores Island is a part of this internal arc of younger volcanic islands, comprising from west to east Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Komodo and Rinca, then persevering with to Solor, Pantar, Alor, Kambing and Wetar.
The preliminary volcanism that fashioned Flores was submarine. In the course of the mid-Miocene interval, sandstone and limestone had been deposited below water inside basins that encompass the volcanic backbone of Flores.
Sixteen fossil websites have been found on the island, displaying big tortoises and the 900,000-year-old pygmy elephant Stegodon sondaari. Vertebrate fossils embrace the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), crocodile and the elephantoid Stegodon floresensis. This extremely endemic fauna was eradicated by a serious eruption.
In 2003 Theodore Verhoeven unearthed stone artefacts and the bones of Flo, a 25-year-old feminine simply over 1m tall from 18,000 years in the past. She represented a brand new species, Homo floresensis, often called Hobbit Man, her form thought to have inhabited the cave the place she was discovered for 100,000 years.
Fossils of 47 particular person stegodons had been additionally discovered on the web site. The younger of the species would have been a major meals supply for Homo floresensis.
In 2014 different, a lot older human stays had been found on Flores, nearer to these of our ancestor Homo erectus and arriving from Africa about one million years in the past. Over time, the evolutionary course of had led to island dwarfism.
The Crimson Boat
Italian-born digital engineer Cinzia Mariolini turned a devoted diver in 1990. A dive teacher in Australia and the Maldives, she ultimately began managing diving operations, shopping for 75% of Flores Diving Centre in 2015.
Cinzia operates day-trips out of Labuan Bajo, the western tip of Flores, to the islands of the Komodo Nationwide Park on a conventional Indonesian picket kapal kayu.
Named Mutiara Permata or Shining Pearl the “Crimson Boat”, as it’s also recognized, is 21m lengthy, 3.6m vast and has a six-cylinder 180hp Mitsubishi diesel engine. It has a crew of seven and capability for 13 divers.
Komodo Nationwide Park covers 2,200sq km, comprising a coastal part of western Flores, the three bigger islands of Komodo, Rinca and Padar, in addition to 26 smaller islands and the encircling waters of the Sape Strait.
It was created in 1980 initially to guard the world’s largest lizard, the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), and was declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Web site, then a Man & Biosphere Reserve.
This a part of the Coral Triangle comprises a few of the richest marine biodiversity on Earth, with 1,000 species of fish, 385 of laborious corals, 70 sponges, 10 dolphins, seven whales in addition to manta rays, turtles and dugongs.
A inhabitants of 1,200 resident reef mantas has been recognized within the park. Manta fisheries had been formally banned in Indonesia in 2014.
The dive day begins early. Divers meet at Flores Diving Centre at 7am. A five-minute stroll alongside the busy most important avenue of Labuan Bajo results in the Pelabuhan, the city’s harbour which has the looks of a really energetic marina of fishing and vacationer boats. In dry season Labuan Bajo is a dusty, noisy place, the place temperatures rise rapidly in the course of the day.
Sea breezes carry welcoming aid in the course of the 90-minute cruise to the islands, that are principally barren, yellow and gray, with grassy savannah burnt and bleached below the scorching solar. Hardly stunning, the place temperatures attain a median of 40°C in the course of the day.
A really detailed briefing is given on deck by Darmin, the 30-year-old Indonesian dive-guide, about our first web site, Siaba Besar, within the northern a part of the park above Rinca and Komodo.
There are particles within the water however the coral backyard is spectacular and fish-life plentiful. We see colleges of striped fusiliers, bigeyes in pink or silver relying on their temper, diagonal sweetlips (Plectothinchus lineatus), yellow masked angelfish (Pomacanthus xanthometopon), six-banded angels and clouds of anthias.
Tame inexperienced turtles
With delight, I discover a bonanza of tame inexperienced turtles resting lazily on prime of desk corals. Unusually, certainly one of them had no objection to my zooming in for a close-up shot and a portrait. Dozing on the seabed, one other massive particular person measured as much as 1.5m lengthy.
Shy by nature, a college of humpback unicorns (Naso bachycentron) made for a nice encounter. A rock-mover wrasse (Novacullichthys taeniourous) was at work on the coral rubble.
Glorious Indian dive-guide Navneet, an teacher within the Andaman Islands, gave the briefing for the Mawan web site. It was promoted as a cleansing station for mantas, making us keen, however no rays had been to be seen. “Final Saturday, we had an encounter with a whale shark!” beamed a German visitor. Fortunate you.
The present went forwards and backwards annoyingly. Not a lot was taking place apart from a stunning tomato anemonefish (Amphiprion frenatus) hovering above its anemone.
A lunch field on the sundeck, below the shade of the canvas, was the norm. For the afternoon dive we headed to Loh Buaya on the north-west coast of Rinca, the placement of the Komodo Nationwide Park ranger station. This might supply an opportunity for an in depth encounter with a Komodo dragon.
We disembarked on a picket pontoon and a cemented walkway led to the park station, the place we had been met by the ranger who would information us round. In early afternoon, the warmth was intense. Six good-sized Komodo dragons had been snoozing placidly within the shade of the barracks, passively awaiting their guests with a cool stare.
Armed with a protracted picket stick, the information made certain we didn’t get too near the lizards. This was adopted by a hike to the highest of the hill for a panoramic view of the bay and surrounding hills, and a 45-minute return stroll on which we met no dragons. The right booby lure for vacationers.
Again in 2005, I had loved an genuine encounter within the south of Rinca. The boat had dropped anchor off a abandoned seaside in Horseshoe Bay and the golden late-afternoon gentle was fabulous. It was excellent timing for pictures of the yacht, so I had requested the captain for permission to go on land.
“Not with out a crew-member, for safety,” he warned. No downside. I had not been on the seaside for 5 minutes when a 2.5m Komodo dragon emerged from the bushes about 40m away.
Head low, it moved with a cat-like gait, the bifid tongue sticking out and in of the snout to get a good scent of me, it approached, swinging its highly effective arms ahead from left to proper. It was a captivating but fearsome sight.
All of a sudden it paused 20m from me as I used to be framing it with my telephoto lens, one knee on the bottom. With a pink devilish eye, it stared at me for some time, its head on the facet. The world stood nonetheless. Then, as if its curiosity had been happy, it had gone again into the bushes.
Northern Komodo websites
Many dive-sites are greatest suited to inexperienced persons, with calm waters and little fish motion. Diving in Komodo distinguishes between “falling tide”, when the Pacific waters circulation south into the Indian Ocean, and “rising tide”, when Indian Ocean waters circulation north into the Pacific.
There’s a conspicuous drop of 2-3° in water temperatures from the standard 28°C on a rising trip, because of the upwelling of the southern trench. You might handle with out a wetsuit however most individuals put on a 3mm anyway and a few even fancy a 5mm!
As a result of they’re uncovered to those temperatures each day, divemasters all the time put on a wetsuit together with a hood. To dive the southern shores of Komodo and Rinca, a 5mm wetsuit is obligatory.
Mantas, the long-lasting spotlight of Komodo, are seen at Mawan, Manta Level and Cauldron on the east and north of Komodo Island. On day three, the plan was to dive northern Komodo websites: “It’s the most effective there may be in Komodo by way of fish motion,” confirmed Cinzia. I might not be disillusioned.
Dived on a falling tide, Fortress Rock is a rocky outcrop jutting out of the ocean. The present runs from west to east, and we noticed education yellowfin surgeonfish (Acanthurus xanthopterus), big and bigeye jack, whitetip and gray reef sharks, education Teira batfish, pink snapper and really tame Napoleon wrasse. A big noticed eagle ray superior, full body, on the finish of the dive.
Cauldron is a clearwater channel between Gili Lawa Laut and Gili Lawa Darat, with solely a slight present. Visitor Katrina from England, engaged on a analysis challenge for the Marine Megafauna Basis, got here onboard to offer a little bit discuss mantas earlier than the dive.
The organisation, which began in 2008 in Mozambique with Drs Simon Pierce and Andrea Marshall, opened a base at Nusa Lebongan on Bali in 2011 and later arrange in Labuan Bajo, the place Katrina supplied weekly talks in regards to the newest analysis.
In the course of the dive a juvenile resident black and white reef manta, inquisitive in regards to the divers, turned out to be a co-operative mannequin, circling us a number of occasions over the white sandy backside.
Cauldron narrows right into a funnel and a channel known as the Shotgun, the place the present picked up. Faculties of pink and black snapper and bigeye jack collect on the entrance. The security cease was performed on the opposite facet of Shotgun, the place a colony of backyard eels carpeted the sandy backside.
Mantas are 5 million years outdated however have an elasmobranch ancestor that goes again 415 million years. These bottom-feeders are additionally filter-feeders with 5 gills, and the diamond form is made for velocity.
There is no such thing as a extra Manta genus now – it has been changed by Mobula, and two distinct species are recognised: the pelagic big manta (Mobula birostris) and the resident reef manta (Mobula alfredi). Melanistic mantas are usually not a separate species, however there’s a doable third species within the Caribbean.
Females all the time seem adopted by the smaller males in sizzling pursuit in the course of the mating season. The male makes use of his enamel to carry on to the feminine’s pectoral fin. Going through one another ventrally, the copulation lasts from 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
After a 12-month being pregnant, a child manta is wrapped inside the feminine earlier than beginning, like a corn-cob. When born it unfolds to disclose a 2m wingspan.
Mantas have the most important mind of any fish, and a life expectancy of 40-70 years. They eat plankton, plastic perhaps, barrel roll, and might dive to depths of 1,400m to feed. Manta migration has been noticed from Komodo to Bali.
Mantas are on the IUCN Crimson Listing as Susceptible to extinction and their world inhabitants is lowering, however they’re now protected in Indonesia, the place they’re reckoned to herald 15 million vacationer {dollars} yearly.
Gap within the Rock
One other worthwhile dive-site is Batu Bolong or “Gap within the Rock”. Discovered north of Manta Level to the north-west of Komodo Island, this remoted rock emerges barely and horizontally, with a conspicuous arch on prime.
Underneath water, it’s a sheer drop-off. On the falling tide, the present rushes wildly from north to south on either side of the rock, and divers must zigzag backward and forward within the protected space.
Plenty of fish life congregates there, from glossy unicorns, Vlaminck unicorns and bluefin jack to large sweetlips (Plectorhinchus albovittatus), with hawksbill turtles feeding on the coral. Massive desk corals within the shallows host clouds of anthias, damsels, parrotfish and wrasse.
Napoleon wrasse are a typical sighting, and one will get the occasional shock of a giant banded sea snake on a hunt. On the rising tide, when the circulation of present reverses, temperatures will drop from 28°C to 25°C.
North Tatawa was a welcome change. The island was dry, hilly and brownish with white volcanic cliffs and abandoned white-sand seashores.
The underwater surroundings was that of a vibrant slope and coral backyard, with rocks and bommies coated in orange and white comfortable corals, Dendronephthya purple and Tubastrea inexperienced corals and huge brown tube sponges.
With loads of reef fish, the odd hawksbill grazing on the reef and alternatives for wide-angle pictures in opposition to the solar, the stimulating atmosphere was an enchantment.
Awe and magic
Identical to Galapagos, Komodo has a reputation wrapped in an aura of awe and magic. Nonetheless, Komodo Nationwide Park (KNP) may be a sufferer of fame that might ultimately result in its downfall.
On my final dives at Fortress Rock and Crystal Rock within the north, I used to be shocked by the presence of 15 dive-boats on web site, translating right into a crowd of divers below water. Not what you’ll outline as an genuine pristine expertise.
Within the late Nineties, 30,000 individuals visited Komodo Nationwide Park. This rose to 36,000 in 2009, by 2015 was 95,410 and in 2018, 176,000, with large projections for the years to comply with.
The scenario was getting uncontrolled and several other dive operators in Labuan Bajo, together with Flores Diving Centre, had been elevating their voices in disapproval. Contemplating the excessive charges being levied on guests and divers, was the KNP administration being somewhat irresponsible?
The IUCN 2017 World Heritage Conservation Outlook Evaluation for the KNP had denounced abusive and unlawful fishing practices and unregulated will increase in vacationer numbers. Critical threats additionally got here from the human inhabitants by way of air pollution and trash, and the KNP’s World Heritage Web site itemizing turned a “vital concern”.
Fishers didn’t respect the no-take zones and shark takes had been rising; park rangers didn’t implement or sanction wrongdoers successfully, dive-boat journeys had been rising exponentially – all this demanded regulation of boat entry to dive-sites.
Mooring services wanted to be applied to keep away from anchor harm to coral reefs. Zoning was required by which particular actions had been permitted or forbidden.
Then got here the Covid pandemic, and by 2022 tourism had dropped again to about 50,000 per yr. In 2023 the park welcomed 300,488 guests, a considerable improve from the earlier yr. Whereas guests to Labuan Bajo quadrupled between 2019-2024, they’re predicted to succeed in one million this yr.
A earlier examine indicated that the variety of guests to Komodo yearly must be restricted to a most of 219,000 due to the influence of huge crowds on the behaviour of Komodo dragons. Authorities have lengthy sought methods to restrict numbers by growing park charges.
Consequently the park administration, the BTNK, now plans to shut it on sure days of the week to regenerate the ecosystem, and redirect vacationers to different sights within the area. This coverage is predicted to be applied from 2025. Residents of Komodo Island are in opposition to the plan, as a result of their revenue and livelihood rely on tourism.
The each day entrance price for Padar Island is at the moment 150,000 rupiah (£7.40) on weekdays and 250,000 rupiah (£12.40) at weekends. For individuals occurring a cruise, the entry price to the KNP was up to date in April 2024 to 400,000 rupiah for nationals and 700,000 rupiah (£34.70) for foreigners.
Muck-diving
No journey to Flores can be full with out some diving in Maumere, on the japanese facet of the island. Maumere was dramatically destroyed in 1992 by a 6.8 earthquake with its epicentre within the Flores Sea, adopted by a devastating tsunami that killed 2500 individuals.
Coral reefs suffered consequent harm and though there was some regeneration since, the world can’t match the diving in Komodo Nationwide Park.
Having stated that, one ought to take into account the superb muck-diving on supply. It mixes each coral rubble and patches of volcanic sand, superb silt and even beds of seagrass, that host the Flores seahorse amongst others.
Nudibranch encounters had been pleasant and included species akin to: Halgerda batangas, Cheilinodura inornata, Trinchesia yamasui with blue cerata and orange suggestions, Glossodoris atromarginata, Glossodoris hikuerensis, Thuridilla lineolata, Thuridilla bayeri, Jorunna funebris, Ceratosoma sinuatum and several other Phyllodesmium species together with P magnum.
The jaw-dropping spotlight of all of them for me was the large Niamira alleni ex-Ceratosma sp nudibranch, a really uncommon sighting and my first ever! Pearly white, it’s coated in knobs and shows an incredible cross of appendages on its again, with the pearly silvery gills like a flower within the center.
Much more hanging was the probe-like appendage extension rising excessive from the highest of its head, additionally coated in knobs. A panoramic creature, that left me panting as if having a hallucinogenic imaginative and prescient…
Why are Komodo dragons so massive?
The big dimension of the Komodo dragon is defined by it being a “relict inhabitants” of huge varanid lizards that when lived throughout Indonesia and Australia within the Pleistocene period. Fossils present in Australia had been dated to three.8 million years outdated.
900,000 years in the past on Flores Island, Komodo dragons ate up dwarf elephants (Stegodon sondaari). At present, their meals is generally Timor deer, though additionally they eat carrion, invertebrates, birds and even fish.
It was as soon as thought that their venomous chunk was as a consequence of potent micro organism within the mouth, but it surely now seems that there are venom glands within the decrease jaw that secrete a number of poisonous proteins and an anticoagulant amongst others. This induces decreasing blood strain, muscle paralysis and a lack of consciousness.
The dragons kill by utilizing their dentition to trigger shock and trauma. Surprisingly, they’ve good mouth hygiene. After feeding, they spend as much as quarter-hour lip-licking and rubbing their head within the leaves.
Mating happens between Could and August and eggs are laid in September. Males struggle over females.
Dragons could also be monogamous and type “pair bonds“, a uncommon behaviour for lizards. Sixty per cent of the eggs are deposited within the nest of the orange-footed megapode, 20% at floor stage and 20% in hilly areas. They lay clutches of as much as 20 eggs on common, with an incubation interval of 7-8 months.
Newly hatched dragons break the egg with an egg tooth. Susceptible at beginning, they measure 46cm and search refuge within the bushes for the primary few years of existence to keep away from predation by cannibalistic adults. It takes 8-9 years for a dragon to mature, and it could possibly reside for as much as 30 years.
One superb phenomenon was noticed at Chester Zoo in England in 2005. A captive feminine named Flora, who had not had contact with a male for greater than two years, had a clutch of 11 eggs. Seven hatched and all had been males.
Scientists at first assumed that Flora might need saved sperm from a earlier encounter with a male, however this was proved incorrect. It was the primary instance of parthenogenesis in Komodo dragons.
A second case was noticed at Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas in 2008 when two unfertilised eggs additionally gave male hatchlings. This reproductive adaptation permits a feminine in isolation – that’s, an island area of interest – to supply male offspring by parthenogenesis, and mate with these to insure a sexually reproducing inhabitants of each female and male offspring.
Twenty-four assaults on people had been reported between 1974 and 2012. In 2008, a gaggle of 5 scuba divers stranded on the seaside of Rinca Island had been attacked by Komodo dragons. They had been picked up two days later by an Indonesian rescue boat.
In 2009, a nationwide park information stationed on Rinca was ambushed and mauled by a dragon that had hidden below his desk. In Could 2017, a 50-year-old Singaporean vacationer strolling alone on Komodo island regardless of all recommendation, survived an assault however for a severely injured leg.
In 2015, the declining inhabitants of dragons was assessed to be 3,014 people. The Komodo dragon had turned extinct on Padar Island in 1975. A weak species on the IUCN listing, the Komodo dragon has been formally protected since 1980.
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