KomodoIndonesia’s Dragon Isle

CLOCKWISE: The brilliant colors of a fire urchin; An impressive view of the surf break below Uluwatu; dragon Komodo Island kept bobbing in and out of my field of vision as we continued to circle in water that was churning. I could almost see the Pacific colliding with the Indian Ocean. Ali, one of the many talented dive guides from the luxury liveaboard Arenui, popped up from the depths and shouted, “The current is going off!”

The negative back waters of the Pacific combine roll entry couldn’t with the warm shallow waters of come soon enough, and the Indian Ocean are the perfect promptly, we were plummeting recipe for thriving life and diversity. downward in cool blue water swirl- Add into the mix a living volcano ing with life. Ali was right, the cur- and deadly oversized lizards and rent was pumping, and we worked you have yourself Komodo National hard to get down to depth—all the Park. while, jacks and fusiliers were cut- The area of Komodo is comprised ting lazily through the water as if of three large islands, Komodo, there were no resistance at all. and Padar as well as 26 We were here because when more, and was originally protected Text and photos by two oceans meet, there is magic in 1980 for the dragons themselves. Abigail Smigel Mullens to behold. The cool, nutrient rich However, later exploratory diving,

12 X-RAY MAG : 48 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel Komodo

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: A snorkeler enjoys crystal clear waters and white sand beaches; One of the visitor’s for which Manta Alley was named, located in Tora Langkoi Bay along the south coast of Komodo; Pink Beach magic—a green sea turtle, schooling fish and sun rays. INSETS: Colorful flora of

we swam into a flatter patch of the reef hooks to the cusp of the reef. dive site known as Crystal Rock and Below us, we beheld the show of had a reprieve from the impressive white-tip sharks and the occasional current. Here, brightly colored soft corals bloomed around us, and the fusiliers and trevally continued their tango of cat and mouse above our heads. When the sun suddenly became blocked, all our heads snapped skyward to witness the fusiliers largely by Larry Smith, revealed the compacting tightly into a seem- wonders below the land of the liz- ingly endless school, as the trevally ards. Hence, the park, in its entirety, made their move. It was impressive, was designated a UNESCO World and I sensed that we were not the Heritage Site in 1991. only ones on the reef observing the action. Diving Continuing on, we again fought Skirting the edge of the seamount, the current and connected our

13 X-RAY MAG : 48 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel Komodo

grey reef shark while our regulators visibility, but on the other produce the ted it, I will never know. ceaselessly vibrated against our most resplendent reefs I have ever The icing on the cake was located mouths. laid eyes on. at the base of the wall in all his pink Both Crystal Rock and Castle Rock Tucked in Horseshoe Bay is Cannibal glory—a paddle flap rhinopia. He are dive sites where one coud feel Rock, named for a voracious Komodo shifted to show me his best angle, and the power of Komodo’s unpredictable dragon observed eating another. I snapped a few photos. The dive just and infamous currents. But to really To say the reefs are flourishing is an got better as we continued—nudi- experience the bounty these nutri- understatement. branchs, sea apples, anemonefish, ents’ yield, we had to travel south, Here, life thrived and critters jostled eels, crabs and more frogfish. I was and add another layer. for precious real estate. As we slowly dazzled by the shades of purple and The waters in Horseshoe Bay, at the sank down the wall that comprised green, as we made our way up the CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A tight southern end of Rinca Island, harbor this dive site, I heard our talented wall. school of fusiliers swim past a soft coral constant and unpredictable upwell- cruise director, Debbie Benton, gig- In this area, night dives became covered rock off Crystal Rock; A pink ings of cold ocean water from the gling through her regulator and point- even more appealing than an early Paddle Flap Rhinopia mugs for the Savu Sea. These currents carry nour- ing. On the wall, tucked into some cocktail on the upper deck of our camera; One example of the unique and gorgeous nudibranchs found in Komodo ishment and spark phytoplankton sponges, was the tiniest juvenile warty splendid boat. Although they were (Eubranchus mandapamensis); Juvenile blooms that on one hand drop the frogfish I had ever seen. How she spot- shallow, 45 feet at most, the black, anemonefish in purple anemone

14 X-RAY MAG : 48 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel Komodo

lunar landscape was host to some of the to consistently see these gentle giants is large manta swam low across the bot- most bizarre critters most of us hoped to at Manta Alley, located at the southern tom, over the tops of the divers as if find. tip of Komodo Island—although the day patrolling the deep. These mesmerizing I was seeking the bobbit worm. Named boats will tell you, Takat Makassar. creatures would hover motionless for sev- after the infamous Lorena Bobbit, this Here, the currents smashed up against eral seconds and then, with one beat of creature is the stuff of nightmares. It the rocks concentrating phytoplankton their expansive wings, disappear into the has an opalescent, segmented body, for feasting. Small mantas skimmed the blue. topped with incisors that look like they surface above us while the occasional Of course, we walked with the were put there for a reason. Even more disconcerting is that for the three to six inches exposed there is liable to be nine feet more below the sand. On our second dive at Torpedo Alley, I responded to much tank clinking and swam to a group of at least six divers surrounding one such critter. Apparently no one else had brought their camera, and they ushered me into the stew pot to shoot. As I lined up for my first frame, I looked up and noticed I was suddenly alone with a bobbit worm. One flash of my strobes and the thing emerged two more inches. What was I dealing with here? I wracked my brain but couldn’t think of any diver tales of bobbit worm attacks. I shot a few more frames and swam off, looking over my shoulder as I went. At the opposite end of the CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Glassy sweepers swirl under a coral outcropping; A spectrum are Komodo’s manta lizardfish secures dinner; A cuttlefish profile; Juvenile clown frogfish in the reef rays. One of the best locations

15 X-RAY MAG : 48 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED A temple attendee in (left); A small Balinese temple goer (below); One of many travel Balinese temples (right) Komodo

A temple offering in Bali (left); A resident of the island of Bali, which flights to Labuan Bajo fly through (right); Something not to miss are Bali’s colorful temples (far right)

Komodo dragons as well, the draw for almost 45,000 Castle Rock. An exhilarating dive with surround its submerged self below. visitors a year. Unique to this area, they are found Hot Rocks. The dive guides will assure strong currents, you will want to bring Schools of anthias and fusiliers pulse nowhere else in the world. you that Gunung Api, the volcano on your reef hook for this one. Hook in and over the rich underwater landscape Sangeang Island, is “alive” rather than watch the show while whitetip reef of soft and hard corals. If you look into Dive sites active. Black sand contrasts with the sharks pace back and forth along the the deep blue you may catch a shark is comprised of several islands, fluorescent colors of soft corals and reef and trevally hunt fusiliers. Don’t sighting. the largest being Komodo and Rinca. This dive trip is crinoids creating a feast for the eyes. forget to take your eyes off the show to a two-wetsuit trip with warmer waters along the north The volcano won’t allow you to ignore view lush soft corals all around you. Cannibal rock. This dive site got its and waters cooled by upwellings along the south. its presence however, bubbles of gases name from the large Although cool water sounds less than appealing on a escape through the black sand in Crystal Rock. Just the tip of Crystal feeding on another of its kind when tropical vacation, with it comes nutrients that creates streams that you can swim through. Rock juts out from the swirling waters, this area was being explored. Below, an explosion of life below the surface. leaving no indication of the riches that the richness of this reef will leave you

16 X-RAY MAG : 48 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel Komodo

awestruck. Frogfish, nudi- branchs, anemonefish and even rhinopias, if you’re lucky. You won’t even mind the cooler temps and green water.

Torpedo Alley. Torpedo with what seems like no Alley is named for the small effort at all, these animals electric stingrays that can are a sight to behold. be found here. This shallow dive makes for a produc- The diversity of life that we tive night dive with usual witnessed, large and small, suspects of frogfish, bobtail land and sea, will keep me squid, skeleton shrimp and coming back to this very even the bobbit worm. special place. A dive loca- Hop from interesting critter tion anywhere else in the to even more bizarre critter world will be hard pressed for your entire dive at 30 to top it. ■ feet. Abigail Smigel Mullens is an Manta Alley. This is the spot underwater photographer for in Komodo for diving based in San Francisco, with mantas. It is located California. She specializes along the south coast in both underwater chil- of Komodo and harbors dren’s portraits and travel/ strong currents in relatively lifestyle underwater pho- CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Underwater photographer, Abigail Smigel shallow water that the tography. See: www.seas- Mullens; Residents of Bali’s Uluwatu temple; Not a bad view from an mantas love. Feeding lazily tarportraits.com and www. Indonesian villa’s pool; A Komodo dragon walks along Rinca Island; at the surface or hovering abigailsmigel.com The Arenui with a late afternoon glow

17 X-RAY MAG : 48 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED nasa

factKomodo, file Indonesia

RIGHT: Location of Komodo on global map BELOW: Location of sources: US cia world fact book, Komodo on map of SCUBADOC.COM, e-med.co.uk Indonesia

History Komodo National a number just Park was established in 1980 under 17,000. and was declared a World Heritage Site and a Man Currency and Biosphere Reserve by Local cur- UNESCO in 1986. Initially cre- rency is the ated to conserve the Komodo Indonesian Park dragon, the park now encom- Rupiah. is on a liveaboard as passes marine species as well American dol- there are no resorts as terrestrial. lars are also within the park widely accept- itself. However, if Geography The Komodo ed here. There you choose not too National Park is a national are a hand- book a liveaboard, park in Indonesia located ful of ATMs Labuan Bajo is a within the Lesser Sunda in Labuan great destination for Islands. The park itself includes Bajo, but your day trips to the park the three larger islands of best bet is to for scuba diving as Komodo, Padar and Rincah, bring cash to well as experiencing as well as 26 smaller ones, with avoid the high the majestic drag- a total area of 1,077 square exchange ons. miles. rate. Getting There Climate The climate is one Language Indonesian is Decompression The jumping off point for of the driest of Indonesia with the official language here, Chamber Unfortunately Komodo is Labuan Bajo. annual rainfall between 31.5 with a smattering of local there is no decompression Flights are almost daily from and 40 inches. The dry season languages spoken as well. chamber in and around , Bali via the four runs from May to October and Additionally, many people Komodo. The closest chamber airlines Merpati, Lion Air, the average temperature runs speak English. is located in Bali, Indonesia. Trans Nusa and Indonesia Air about 100 degrees farenheit. Transport. Your liveaboard will Health Malaria and BALI, INDONESIA more than likely assist in book- Population Approximately diarrhea are problems in the Sanglah General Hospital ing this leg of travel. 4,000 people live within the villages within the park due USUP Sanglah Denpasar JI. park. These inhabitants are to the scarcity of fresh water, Diponegoro, Denpasar 80114 Web sites members of villages that exist- especially during the dry sea- 62-361-227911 extension 232 Indonesia Tourism ed prior to the park’s incep- son. All of Mesa island’s water indonesia.travel ■ tion in 1980. Just outside the is brought in from Labuan Planning Your Trip park’s borders the population Bajo. Currently the only way to increases dramatically with sleep in Komodo National

18 X-RAY MAG : 48 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED news

Edited by „If the sharks die, Don Silcock the oceans will die!“ Andrew Cobb, Ambassador Sharkproject South Afrika

andrey bizyukin Issues with cyanide fishing

The coral reefs of Komodo gerated and denied claims of lax tices in the marine park by creat- are amongst the richest in enforcement. ing “no-take zones”, protecting Iriyono said park rangers have spawning areas, putting coastal the vast Indonesian archi- arrested more than 60 fishermen areas off limits and using park pelago and yet, despite over the past two years, includ- rangers, navy personnel and local being designated U.N. ing a group of young men cap- police to enforce the restrictions. World Heritage Site and a tured recently after they were Then in 2005, the government seen bombing fish in waters in the gave a 30-year permit to Putri National Marine Park, they western part of the park. Naga Komodo, a nonprofit joint continue to be plagued One of the suspects was shot venture company partially fund- by the twin scourges of and killed after the fishermen ed by The Nature Conservancy cyanide and dynamite tried to escape by throwing fish and the World Bank to operate bombs at the rangers, Iriyono tourist facilities in hopes of even- fishing. said. Three others, including a tually making the park financially 13-year-old, were slightly injured. self-sustaining. The remoteness of the 202,340- “You see?” said Iriyono. “No Entrance and conservation hectare reserve means that it is one can say I’m not acting firmly fees, previously just a few dollars extremely difficult to police the against those who are destroying at the time—went up significantly marine park, and rogue fishermen the dive spots!” giving the park, with around take advantage of this to ply their Dive operators beg to dif- 30,000 local and international visi- incredibly destructive practices. fer and say enforcement has tors annually, a budget of well There are conflicting reports as dropped dramatically since 2010, over US$1 million. But outraged to the severity of these practices, when the government reclaimed government officials demanded with dive operators and conser- sole control of operations. that the funds go directly into the Sharkproject vationists saying the government For two decades before that state budget and the deal col- is not doing enough to protect The Nature Conservancy, a U.S.- lapsed in 2010, when Putri Naga the area while Sustyo Iriyono, the based nonprofit organization, Komodo’s permit was terminated. head of the marine park author- had helped the government ■ © Andreas M. Sere c/ www.sharkproject.org ity, said problems are being exag- confront destructive fishing prac-

19 X-RAY MAG : 48 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED