Tatawa Island ( Komodo )

North Komodo

The prevailing current, north or south, will dictate where you enter at this dive site, some 30km east of Komodo's northern-most point.

When the current runs south, chances are you'll drop into a two or three knot current, possibly on the north east corner of the island.

The first stage of your dive can happen rather quickly and will require all of your attention as you are hit with an up-current just before you reach the north-west corner. Once you round the corner the rollercoaster is over for this dive and you'll have time to appreciate the remainder of your stay at this beautiful Komodo scuba diving site.

Turtles are everywhere and you can expect to see many as you navigate the site. Before you leave the currents behind watch out for the grey reef sharks and black-tail barracuda. Manta rays also make occasional guest appearances.

Further south and slightly west of Tatawa Island is a rocky islet called Batu Besar, meaning big stone, and this is the location of a dive site called 'Current City'. Diving in Komodo often takes the form of drift dives. East of the Batu Besar, as the name suggests, currents can regularly exceed three knots, making for some serious drift diving. If the current is this strong along the east face however, it is usually fairly calm along the west.

The west face of Batu Besar offers a series of steep drops to about 30 metres, and several interesting coral caves. The soft coral cover is very good, and there are lots of fish, including large schools of sweetlips. Sharks are again common here, as are turtles and very large fantail stingrays.

Tatawa Reef Basics: Fringing reef and steep banks with turtles

Depth: 5 - >40m
Visibility: 15 - 25m
Currents: Can be strong
Surface Conditions: Can be rough
Water Temperature: 21 - 26°C
Experience Level: Advanced
Number of dive sites: 3
Diving Season: March to December
Distance: ~500 km east of Bali (25 hours)
Access: Komodo liveaboard cruises from Bali

Source : www.divetheworldindonesia.com