Lost in Komodo

The lush green island of Setonda on route to Komodo, Indonesia © Soren Egeberg // Zeamonkey Images

A long planned trip finally took form and turned out to be everything I expected and more. Cruising Indonesia’s Nusa Tengerra archipelago from Bali to Komodo and Rinca islands for 7 days onboard the MV Queen Scuba, dropping in to shoot some of the best diving the World has to offer. Needless to say my expectations were high.

From the moment we left Bali, the world as we know it disappeared. At dusk we crossed the Lombok strait, passing Lombok overnight and woke up to our first magic sunrise at Moyo Island. Gone were other boats, other life for that matter. A glassy surface, only broken by a the tiny golden sandbank that marks Angel Reef, awaited us for the first dive.

Sleeping on the top deck of any liveaboard diveboat is an essential part of my experience at sea. Wake up with the sunrise before anybody else, pick up the camera and put the memory card to work. What better day to start the day, followed by first caffeine boost of the day, along with a light breakfast before the boat start coming alive with crew and divers.

Backrolling in from the rib with a  small group of experienced divers, deflating and then seeing…noone. Clear blue water, no other divers, a steep wall and minimum 30 meters visibility. Corals healthier than I’ve seen them anywhere and  a colorful vibrant marinelife everywhere I looked.  For once it was hard deciding where and what to shoot, there was just so much it was overwhelming. Only diving from a liveaboard in remote corners of the globe, will give you this kind of experience. The diving industry is extremely developed in Thailand where i normally work and dive. This could not compare. Seeing what a healthy coral reef could look like without impact from hordes of divers, was quite an eyeopener.

Komodo Dragon resting in the forest on Komodo Island, Indonesia © Soren Egeberg/Zeamonkey Images

Black sandy slopes dominated the first few days of diving on Moyo and Setonda islands outside Komodo National Park. Dives are dedicated to the weird and wonderful macro life that hides itself so well that is take a set of very trained eyes to spot them. While not to everyones taste, this is my preferred type of diving. With pelagic species like trivially and sharks you are left to chance, macro life is everywhere if you can find it. Our guide Hari did an excellent job. Hairy Squat lobster, Nudibranchs, Shrimps, Frogfish, Octopus, Ghost pipefish and the funky stuff seemed to pop up out of nowhere. Needless to say my macro lens worked overtime on these dives. It was nice being productive again.

As we cruised through this seemingly vast expanse of deserted islands from one crazy cool divesite to the next, we were slowly approaching Komodo National Park, home of the famed Komodo Dragons.