Scuba Junkie Komodo, Komodo National Park

Diving at Scuba Junkie Komodo Resort

Scuba Junkie Komodo is a PADI 5-Star dive resort that offers small dive groups limited to four divers per guide and organised according to certification and experience. Boats normally leave between 06:30 and 07:00 for a full day in the national park, completing three dives before returning between 16:30 and 17:30. The custom-designed wooden boats feature spacious dive decks, shaded eating areas, upper sundecks and marine toilets. Dive packages include a guide and rental equipment, although dive computers are rented separately. Twelve-litre aluminium cylinders are standard, with a limited number of 15-litre tanks available on request. PADI courses, refresher training and private instruction are available, but nitrox is not currently offered at the resort.

Dive sites are selected each day according to tides, currents, weather and guest experience. From March to October, the diving focuses on central and northern Komodo, where sites such as Castle Rock, Crystal Rock, Tatawa Besar, Batu Bolong and the channels around Gili Lawa offer guests the chance to experience the park’s colourful reefs, schooling fish, reef sharks and fast-paced drift diving. Between October and March, diving focuses more on the central and southern areas or the park, including cooler, nutrient-rich reefs known for soft corals, unusual macro life and manta encounters. Manta rays can be seen throughout the year, with larger numbers often reported from January through March, although visibility can be lower and conditions cooler at this time of year.

Snorkelers can join the same boats as divers and are accompanied by trained snorkel guides. Many of Komodo’s reefs and shallow manta cleaning stations are ideal for snorkelling, though the crew may use an alternative site when currents make a planned dive site unsuitable.

Diving in Komodo

Komodo National Park offers more than 50 dive sites including the remote northern reefs, current-swept central channels and the sites of the south bathed in cooler, plankton-rich waters. Signature experiences include adrenaline-pumping drift dives, manta cleaning stations, coral-covered pinnacles and sheltered reef slopes inhabited by nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses, shrimps and other macro subjects. Reef sharks, giant trevally, turtles and dense schools of fish are common throughout the park.

Northern sites such as Castle Rock, Crystal Rock, Shotgun and Tatawa are known for clear water, vibrant hard corals and pelagic action. Southern Komodo offers a contrasting environment of soft corals, fans, sponges and prolific invertebrate life, with celebrated sites including Manta Alley, Cannibal Rock, Yellow Wall and Three Sisters. Conditions can be demanding, so while sheltered options are available for beginners, more experienced divers will be able to dive the widest range of sites.

Learn more diving in the Komodo National Park on the ZuBlu site here.

ZuBlu’s dive travel experts will help you create the ideal package at Scuba Junkie Komodo Resort, including your preferred room type, diving, excursions, equipment rental, transfers and any special requests. Share your travel dates, group size, diving experience and budget, and we’ll recommend the best options for your trip.

We’ll also help with practical travel planning, including flight routes, arrival timings and resort transfers, making sure your itinerary works as smoothly as possible from start to finish.

Once you’ve finalised your plans, your travel expert will put a complimentary hold on your preferred room and send a final quote that includes accommodation, meals, diving, transfers, rental equipment or excursions. This quote will also show any extras paid in advance or at the resort - there are no hidden fees - as well as a payment schedule and cancellation terms and conditions.

Your booking is confirmed once the required deposit, or full payment when necessary, has been received.

After confirmation, your dedicated guest concierge will take over and assist with flight routes, transfers, any personal information required by the resort, and questions about your reservation. They are there to make the entire process as straightforward as possible.

Ready to start planning you trip? Talk to a travel expert now.

Getting there

The nearest airport is Komodo International Airport in Labuan Bajo (LBJ). Regular domestic flights connect Labuan Bajo with Bali (DPS) and Jakarta (CGK), and there are now also international flights from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Flight schedules and entry requirements should be checked when booking, as routes can change.

From the airport, the drive to Scuba Junkie’s Labuan Bajo office and departure point takes approximately five minutes. The resort’s scheduled boat departs Labuan Bajo harbour at 14:30 and takes just over an hour, depending on sea conditions. Guests arriving after 14:00 may be able to arrange a private transfer, but flights must land before 17:00 to reach the resort that day. Later arrivals require an overnight stay in Labuan Bajo.

On departure day, the scheduled boat normally leaves the resort at around 08:00 and reaches Labuan Bajo at approximately 09:30. Flights should depart after 11:00, provided guests have met their no-fly interval after diving. Transfers can occasionally be delayed or cancelled by weather, particularly during periods of stronger winds.

Other activities

Guided snorkeling is available on the dive boats and the resort can also help arrange land excursions, including visits to see Komodo dragons on Rinca Island. Nearby Kalong Island is known for the thousands of flying foxes that leave their roosts around sunset. Please note, activities inside the national park require the appropriate permits which must now be booked in advance.

Good to know

• WiFi - Starlink internet is available in the restaurant area.
• Mobile coverage - Telkomsel is the only network reported to work reliably at the resort.
• Electricity - Mains electricity is supported by backup generators.
• Plug type - Indonesian two-round-pin sockets are used.
• Payments at the resort - Bring sufficient Indonesian rupiah as card payments cannot be made at the resort and there are no ATMs nearby.
• Currency - Indonesian rupiah (IDR).
• Time zone - Central Indonesia Time, WITA (UTC+8).
• Dive insurance - Dive and travel insurance is mandatory.
• Nitrox - Nitrox is not currently available.
• National park permits - Required for each day of activity inside Komodo National Park and arranged in advance by the resort. A quote on daily visitors means booking and paying for permits early is strongly recommended.
• Nearby amenities - There are no neighbouring restaurants or bars; a nearby village shop has only basic supplies.
• Water temperature - Typically around 26–29°C from March to December and 23–26°C from December to March.