BEST OF THE BEST: DIVE IN BATU BOLONG

Dive spot yang satu ini selalu jadi favorit semua orang. Satu kali dive lebih dari 50 menit rasanya tidak cukup untuk menikmati titik penyelaman di Taman Nasional Komodo, Flores ini. WHY? Oh well, here are some of the reasons:

This one dive spot is always a favorite of everyone. One dive more than 50 minutes is never enough to enjoy this dive spot which is located in the Komodo National Park, Flores. WHY? Oh well, here are some of the reasons:

THE AMAZING CORAL REEFS

Sejak pertama turun di Batu Bolong, kita sudah dapat menikmati wall dengan batu karang yang memukau. Bebatuan, hard coral, soft coral, sponge menghiasi kontur dive spot yang satu ini. Menyelami Batu Bolong, mata kita selalu dimanjakan warna-warni karang yang indah.

When first getting down at Batu Bolong, we can enjoy a wall with dazzling coral reefs. Rocks, hard coral, soft coral, sponges decorate the contour of this dive spot. Dipping into Batu Bolong, our eyes are always pampered with colorful beautiful coral.

ANTHIAS EVERYWHERE!

Ikan kecil jenis anthias berwarna merah adalah penghuni mayoritas di Batu Bolong. Warna merah menyala membuat Batu Bolong semakin "menyala." Namun bukan hanya anthias, kita juga dapat dengan mudah bertemu dengan sekumpulan moorish idol yang sedang mencari makan, vlaming's unicornfish wandering around between the anthias, parrotfish dan boxfish yang menggemaskan!

Small red anthias fish are the major occupants in Batu Bolong. Its bright red color makes Batu Bolong more "flaming." But not only anthias, we can easily meet with a bunch of moorish idol who was looking for food, Vlaming's unicornfish wandering around between the anthias, parrotfish and boxfish are also adorable!

  

BABY SHARK'S SLEEPING SPOT

It's a neighborhood and mama sharks got babies on board! Sebelum safety stop (berhenti sejenak di kedalaman tertentu untuk menetralisir nitrogen dalam darah), kita akan menemukan karang di mana dua baby sharks tidur dengan nyaman (walaupun bertumpuk) dan tampak tidak perduli saat kami mendekat. Remember to only take photos, jangan iseng menarik buntut mereka, menyodok dan mengganggu untuk membuat mereka keluar dari sarang ya! :)

It's a neighborhood and mama sharks got babies on board! Before the safety stop (pause at a certain depth to neutralize the nitrogen in the blood), we will find the reef where two baby sharks sleep soundly (although overlapping with each other) and seemed undistracted as we approached. Remember to only take photos, do not idly pull their tails, poking and annoy them to get them out of the nest, please! :)

THE AMAZING ALLEY

We got golden moment saat menuju pergantian arus dan sejenak area yang biasanya diliputi down current yang berbahaya menjadi sangat tenang. Spot ini biasanya tidak dapat diakses karena berbahaya, namun saat tenang kita dapat memperhatikan "gang" di antara dua "tebing" bebatuan yang diliputi gugusan karang yang indah, plus ikan-ikan yang tinggal di area ini, totally stunning!!

We got the golden moment when the current changes and for a while this area that is usually filled with dangerous down current is very quiet. This spot is usually inaccessible because it is dangerous, yet quiet when we can pay attention to the "alley" between the two "cliffs" rocks covered with clusters of beautiful corals, plus the fish that live in this area, totally stunning!!

NEVER ENOUGH

Waktu satu jam serasa berlalu sangat cepat di spot ini, kami memperlama waktu safety spot karena masih ingin menikmati Batu Bolong. I know next time I dive in Komodo, this spot is a must dive spot

An hour seemed to pass very quickly in this spot, we increase the time to safety spot because we still want to enjoy Batu Bolong. I know next time I dive in Komodo, this spot is a must dive spot

  

@marischkaprue - happy go lucky diver

NOTES

BATU BOLONG

Dive spot in Komodo National Park, Flores

TO KNOW

Penyelaman di Komodo sebagian besar berarus kencang sehingga diperlukan kemampuan tertentu, jika log anda masih sedikit, sebaiknya menunda menyelam di Komodo, sambil menambah log. Sertifikasi yang dibutuhkan: Advance Scuba Diver. Sediakan hook (gunakan hanya jika diperlukan) dan  peluit (untuk emergency jika kita terpisah dan mesti naik ke atas sendiri). Selalu perhatikan instruksi dive master/ guide/ instructor, safety is number one, guys!

Diving in Komodo is mostly with strong currents so it requires a certain ability, if you still have only a few logs, you should postpone diving in Komodo, while adding logs. Certification required: Advance Scuba Diver. Provide hook (use only if necessary) and whistle (for emergency if we are separate and must ascending alone). Always pay attention to instructions dive master / guide / instructor, safety is number one, guys!

 

BUDGET
Spot-spot terbaik Komodo dapat diakses dengan menginap di kapal, LOB (Living On Board), ikuti jadwal penyelaman grup yang disediakan masing-masing operator dive dan liveaboard.

Komodo best spots can be accessed by staying on board, LOB (Living On Board), follow the schedule provided by the dive groups that are available on each dive and liveaboard operators.

Favorite sun deck during our trip with ID Dive Safaris

Budget bervariasi tergantung tipe kapal, cek ID Dive Safaris yang menyediakan berbagai trip LOB ke Komodo (ada beberapa jadwal untuk Komodo LOB), cek di Instagram ID Dive Safari di sini. Budget sekitar Rp. 7,7 juta untuk 4D/3N (exclude tiket pesawat). Tiket pesawat Denpasar - Labuan Bajo sekitar Rp. 3 juta PP (Garuda) atau Rp. 1,6 juta PP (WingsAir, note: bagasi hanya disediakan 10kg saja, biaya kelebihan bagasi WingsAir Denpasar - Labuan Bajo Rp. 13.200,- per kg)

Budget varies depending on the type of boat, check ID Dive Safaris which provide various LOB trip to Komodo (there are several schedules for Komodo LOB), checks on Instagram ID Dive Safari here. Budget around Rp. 7.7 million for 4D / 3N (exclude air tickets). Flight tickets Denpasar - Labuan Bajo approximately Rp. 3 million PP (Garuda) or Rp. 1.6 million PP (WingsAir, note: only supplied 10kg baggage only, excess baggage charges WingsAir Denpasar - Labuan Bajo Rp. 13.200, - per kg)

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Shark "Hunt" in Crystal Rock & Castle Rock

Bagi divers, bertemu hiu adalah suatu kesenangan. Binatang yang terancam karena maraknya pemburuan sirip hiu ini tidak mudah ditemui di sebagian besar perairan Indonesia. Bertemu satu ataupun dua hiu sudah merupakan keberuntungan dan kesenangan bagi saya selama ini. Namun disini saya bisa bertemu sekitar selusin hiu yang berseliweran seakan tidak perduli dengan kami, para divers. This sharks encounter is a wonderful feeling here, in Komodo.

For divers, seeing shark during diving is a pleasure. This animal are threatened due to rampant shark fin hunting, and now seeing shark isn't that easy anymore since the population is decreasing a lot. Seeing one or two sharks consider a fortune and big pleasure for me so far. But in here I saw about a dozen sharks milling about as, also these sharks seems not care at all. This shark encounter is a wonderful feeling here, in Komodo.

Beautiful Flores sea

Crystal Rock dan Castle Rock adalah dua spot diving di area perairan Flores dimana hingga saat ini bertemu hiu adalah jaminan 100% saat menyelam. Kedua spot menyelam ini letaknya berdekatan, yaitu di area timur laut pulau Komodo, Flores, dekat dengan Gili Lawa Laut dan Gili Lawa Darat.

Crystal Rock and Castle Rock are two diving spots in the Flores sea where guarantee 100% that you will meet sharks during diving. This two diving spots located not far away to each other, and lies in the northeast area of the Komodo island in Flores, close to Gili Lawa Laut and Gili Lawa Darat. 

White tip reef shark

Schools of longfin bannerfish

Kedua spot ini cukup berarus sehingga entry dilakukan dengan cara negative entry (masuk ke laut dan langsung turun tanpa berkumpul di permukaan terlebih dahulu), tidak lama menyusuri coral slope maka kita sudah dapat melihat white tip reef shark berseliweran di area arus, bahkan saat di Castle Rock kami langsung menemukan hiu saat turun.

Both spots have strong currents so we have to do the negative entry by emptying the air in our BCD (Buoyancy Control Device). Miling down the coral slope we can already see white tip reef sharks around. Also even in the Castle Rock, we immediately found the shark when we first descend.

Giant Trevally

Netfin Grouper

This Napoleon wrasse is about 1,3 meters long

Selain white tip reef shark yang ditandai dengan warna putih di bagian sirip atasnya, di kedua spot ini juga banyak terdapat ikan besar lainnya, mulai dari Napoleon wrasse, Grouper berbagai jenis dan Giant Trevally. 

Beside white tip reef shark which is marked with white on the top of the fin, in both diving spot there are also many other large fish, ranging from Napoleon wrasse, different types of Grouper and Giant Trevally.

Schools of blackspot snapper

Di Castle Rock saya menemukan rombongan ikan Blackspot snapper dengan hiu white tip yang mondar mandir di dekat schooling tersebut, pemandangan yang sangat seru.

In Castle Rock I found the group of Blackspot snapper with white tip sharks back and forth near the schooling, incredibly exciting.

Spotted sweetlips with a group of Lattice soldierfish

Kedalaman maksimum untuk penyelaman di dua area ini sekitar 20 hingga 25 meter, di area 20 meter biasanya hiu sudah dapat dengan mudah ditemui. Saya bertemu hiu terus menerus hingga saya sudah berhenti menghitung saat lebih dari sepuluh hiu yang saya temui.

The maximum depth for diving in these two areas about 20 to 25 meters, in the depth of 20 meters usually sharks can be found easily. I met sharks continuously until I've stopped counting when more than ten sharks that came across.

Jauh dari kesan akibat film "Jaws," hiu bukanlah binatang yang agresif terhadap manusia. Hiu yang kami temui di area ini bahkan tampak cuek dan beberapa kali menjauh saat saya dekati untuk mengambil foto. Kali ini saya yang jauh lebih bersemangat dari si hiu dalam segi berburu foto. So this is a fun shark photo hunt! :)

Far from its bad reputation due to "Jaws" movie, sharks are not aggressive to humans. Those sharks we encountered in this area even seems ignorant to us and some time swam away as I approached to take photos of them. This time I was much more excited than the shark in terms of hunting photos. So this is a fun shark hunt photo! :)

@marischkaprue - wish to swim like dolphin, but friends with sharks

NOTES:

• Area penyelaman Crystal Rock dan Castle Rock cukup berarus, lebih disarankan bagi advance divers namun pemegang sertifikasi Open Water pun dapat menikmati area ini dengan pengawasan instruktur. Ikuti arahan dive master/ instruktur dan jangan melewati area penyelaman yang disarankan.
• Crystal Rock and Castle Rock are fast-current area, more recommended for advanced divers but Open Water certification divers can also enjoy this area with the supervision of an instructor. Follow the direction of the dive master / instructor and do not pass the recommended diving area.
• Saat bertemu hiu dekati dengan santai, biasanya hiu akan menjauh tapi akan berbalik arah dan berputar putar di area yang sama. It's fun seeing them! 
• When seeing sharks, relax and approach them if you want. The shark will usually swim away but will reverse its direction and turning in the same area. It's fun seeing them! 
• Selalu cek sisa udara di tabung. Penyelaman berarus cenderung lebih membuat kita boros konsumsi udara di tabung.
• Always check the remaining oxygen. Dive in the strong current make you consume more air.
• I dive with Komodo Cruise, cek info harga untuk paket live aboard (LOB) dan diving di info@komodocruises.com
• I dive with Komodo Cruise, for live aboard (LOB) and dive in Komodo, contact info@komodocruises.com

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DIVING IN KOMODO, DIVE SPOTS:

•  Batu Bolong
  

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