I'm in Love with Flores Island!

Another diving exploration with Bali Marine Sports to beautiful Indonesia, this time we are heading to Flores and Komodo Islands in East Nusa Tenggara during last 17-21 October 2012. Together with new diving friends, 13 of us, flying to Labuhan Bajo by Merpati Airlines, staying in a very comfort and cozy hotel, Bintang Flores Hotel which providing us with a gorgeous ocean view from our window, and exploring various dive sites in its surrounding islands: Sebayur Kecil, Castle Rock, Crystal Bomie, Tatawa Besar, Manta Point, Siaba Kecil, Batu Bolong, and Dead Man's Rock.

Here are some photos from our journey. A new heaven that I just discover. Yes! A new heaven, and I've falling in love with this island!

This is the view from my hotel room. Made me feel so comfort with the ocean view. Made me feel so blessed to have this view as the first thing that I see when I open my eyes and wake up on the morning before we go for diving!

Further about Komodo National Park as seen on my below photo. It is located in the center of the of the Indonesian archipelago, between the island of Sumbawa and Flores. Established in 1980, initially the main purpose was to conserve the unique Komodo dragon (Varnus Komodoensis) and its habitat. In 1986, the Park was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. 

For this time trip, we all stayed at the mainland. From our hotel, it took about an hours by boat to go to our dive sites destination. I used to say that my most favorite diving spots are in Papua (Raja Ampat and Cendrawasih Bay water) and of course Bali. But I have to say that I am in love with this province of East Nusa Tenggara, especially with Flores and Komodo Island. I have visited the capital city of the province few years ago, Kupang, but I wasn't really as excited as today's visit! I am in love with both surface and the underwater view!

The corals in Komodo National park are pristine, with mantas, sharks, turtles,  many pelagic, to the tiny pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs, frog fish, you name it we’ve got it. The sites vary from gentle easy coral slopes to heart pounding adrenalin rides, from the warm waters of the Flores Sea in the north to the chillier waters down south in the Indian Ocean, the underwater terrain is so varied with sheer cliff walls, pinnacles, channels, sandy flat bottoms, underwater plateaus, slopes, caves, swim-throughs, all with varying colours, sizes and types of coral both hard and soft.

3 days for diving and exploring the beauty of the islands and its underwater world, definitely not enough! I feel so sad when I have to leave the island. But one thing for sure and I've pray for it, that there will another time that I can visit the islands again and explore more beautiful diving sites in there! 

I would like to express my special thanks to my newly diving buddy, mas Purwanto Nugroho. These two below photos are captured by him. Look forward for another diving adventure with you! :) And to my always and very special diving-buddy, Nicky Wirawan, from Bali Marine Sports...I've asked for this trip and you made it came true! Forever be my buddy!