Nusa Tenggara - Fact sheet: diving in Komodo, Flores, Alor (original) (raw)
Fact Sheet about diving in Nusa Tenggara (FAQ)
he most important facts like dive conditions and climate, a list of dive operators (for places where there are more than 10 dive centers I have listed dive centers not anymore), dive safety (addresses of the hyperbaric chambers), and how to get to Nusa Tenggara on one page and ready to print.
On this page: diving facts about Komodo, Flores, Alor
Look at my website about dive sites in Komodo, Flores, Alor
Click here to look at underwater photos taken in Nusa Tenggara (Komodo, Flores)
Indonesian dive terms
How to get to the islands of Nusa Tenggara
Maps of Indonesia: Collection of maps / Overview map Indonesia (keyword Indonesia)
Maps of Nusa Tenggara: map of Nusatenggara / map west Nusa Tenggara / east Nusa Tenggara / Google maps
Articles about Nusa Tenggara: www.indonesiaphoto.com
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| | The closest international airport is in Denpasar in Bali. The best connections into Nusa Tenggara are from Denpasar but there are also flights from Surabaya (Java). Some of the islands can only be reached by ferry (Pelni oceanliners and local ferries) or by liveaboard. Please notice, that the schedules of feries change often and if there is bad weather some of them are better avoided! | | 
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| There are also several airports on Nusa Tenggara but they are usually small and airplanes can't land when it is dark. Flights can be very irregular and are sometimes canceled, so plan plenty of time for your trip and plan in some extra days if you need to connect to an international flight!! Please notice that you might have to pay for dive luggage exceeding 20 kg. Airports: Lombok: Mataran / Sumbawa: Sumbawa Besar, Bima / Flores: Labuhan Bajo, Ende, Maumere / Alor: Kalabahi / West Timor: Kupang / Sumba: Waingapu. Air line offices: International Airlines Offices in Jakarta - Offices of Domestic Airlines in Indonesia | | | | |
Alor, Pantar, Lembata
You find more information about Alor on the website of the regional government of Alor www.alor-island.com
Dive conditions
- Diving all year around possible, best time is May to September
- Water 27 to 29�C, in the south around 23-24°C
- Visibility is mostly good (up to 20-30m)
Dive operators around Alor
The weather
In general Indonesia has two yearly seasons of monsoon winds: the southeast monsoon (dry) and the northwest monsoon (rain). The dry season usually runs from May through September and the rainy season from November through March. Exception are the Moluccas (Maluku) where seasons are reversed. Map with weather in Indonesia - weather now - weather records and average in Kupang (Timor!).
Places to stay
The dive resorts also offer accomodation.
Flores
Dive conditions in Flores
- Diving all year around possible, best time is late March to early May and late September to early November
- Water 27 to 29�C. The south of Komodo can be cold with temperatures from 21 to 23°C
- Visibility is mostly good (up to 30m)
- Some places have a lot of plankton, so visibility can be reduced but there are mantas and other plankton feeding animals
Weather averages in Maumere - weather map Indonesia
| | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | |
| ------------------------- | ------- | ------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| Best time to travel | | | | 
| | | | | | | | |
| Highest temperatures (�C) | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 32 |
| Lowest temperatures (�C) | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 25 |
| Daily hours of sunshine | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Rainy days | 24 | 23 | 14 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 18 |
| Humidity (%) | 86 | 86 | 83 | 80 | 74 | 74 | 69 | 69 | 69 | 70 | 74 | 81 |
| Water temperatures (�C) | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 30 |
Dive operators and liveaboards
Most of the diving around Flores is done by liveaboard boats starting either from Labuan Bajo or Maumere (Flores). However you can also stay in Labuan Bajo or Maumere and dive from there.
DIVE OPERATORS
Labuan Bajo:
Sorry - but there are so many dive operators and liveaboards that I have decided not to list them anymore, it has become too much hassle to update all the information.
Maumere:
Ankermi Happy Dive in Watumita (about 30km east from Maumere) / Sea World Club in Maumere / Budi Sun resort
Places to stay
There is a large choce of accommodations in Labuan Bajo from backpackers joints to large hotels.
In Maumere you can stay at any of the above mentioned dive operators. There are also small resorts along the coast, but some accomodations are simple bamboo huts.
Komodo and Rinca (including Padar, Banta, Motong)
Dive conditions in Komodo
Weather averages in Bima (Sumbawa) - weather map Indonesia
| weather now in Bima (Sumbawa) | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |
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| Best time to travel | |
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| Highest temperatures (�C) | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 34 | 33 |
| Lowest temperatures (�C) | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 24 |
| Daily hours of sunshine | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 5 |
| Rainy days | 28 | 24 | 22 | 19 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 18 | 24 |
| Precipitation (mm) | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Humidity (%) | 85 | 84 | 82 | 82 | 78 | 77 | 75 | 70 | 68 | 69 | 76 | 81 |
- Diving all year around possible, best time is late March to early May and late September to early November
- Sometimes some dive areas are inaccessible due to rough seas
- Water 26�C or less in the south, 27° to 28° in the north
- Visibility is mostly good (up to 20m) but can be as bad as 5m
- Currents are strong most of the time
Dive operators and liveaboards in Komodo
There are no dive operators on the Komodo islands themselves, but several in Labuan Bajo (Flores - see above). Most of the diving is done by liveaboard boats starting either from Sape (Sumbawa), Labuan Bajo or Maumere (Flores) or Kalabahi (Alor). Some liveaboards start in Bali or Lombok, but this means less time in Komodo itself. Probably all tours include a visit to the Komodo dragons.
DIVE OPERATORS IN LABUAN BAJO:
Please check out the part of fact sheet about Flores (above)
Places to stay
There are several cheap accomodations in Labuan Bajo (Flores) and there are camping areas in the Komodo National Park and some bungalows.
Dive safety
Phone DAN (Divers Alert Network) outside Australia +61-8-8212 9242
Hyperbaric chambers (or recompression chamber) in Bali and Java:
Bali: Sanglah General Hospital (in Indonesian language) USUP Sanglah Denpasar JI. Diponegoro, Denpasar 80114 Bali, Indonesia: Phone 62-361-227911 through -15 ext. 232 (hyperbaric medical department) Fax 62-361-22426 Run by Dr. Antonius Natasamudra and Dr. Etty Herawati
Jakarta: Rumah Sakit Angkatan Laut (Navy Hospital) in Jl. Bendungan Hilir No.17, Central Jakarta (see text in italian with some addresses - list of help)
For more information about hyperbaric chambers look at the Indonesia page or the dive safety page.
More Information about scuba diving in south-east Asia
This page www.starfish.ch/dive/info/Nusatenggara-info.html . Copyright Teresa Zubi (write to me).
I am not responsible for the contents of any sites linked to this website or any other off-site pages. Link to them at your own risk.