Scuba diving in Komodo from Labuan Bajo: currents, season and who should book which dive
5 min read
The answer first. Komodo diving splits into two kinds of trip. Complete beginners take a Try Scuba day with a maximum depth of 12 metres. Certified divers take a three-dive day. For beginners, the Full-Day Scuba Diving in Komodo National Park (€243.46 per person) offers both options on one boat.
The four dive trips
| Trip | Who it is for | Dives | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-Day Scuba Diving in Komodo National Park | Certified divers (fun dive) or beginners (Try Scuba) | 3 fun dives or 2 Try Scuba dives | €243.46 |
| Full-Day Open Trip Try Scuba Diving | Fun Diving or Try Scuba, as chosen | Try Scuba: 2 dives; ask how many fun dives | €231.94 |
| Komodo Scuba Diving Day Trip with 3 Dives | Certified divers | 3 dives | €275.75 |
| Try Scuba 1-Day Experience for First-Timers | Beginners | Guided dive, maximum depth 12 metres | €231.94 |
The full-day trip, the open trip and the three-dive trip all serve lunch on board. The open trip and the three-dive trip say they run on a wooden boat with up to four divers per guide. The three-dive trip names Manta Point or Mawan for reef manta rays, a calm reef such as Siaba Besar where turtles rest, and a steeper site such as Batu Bolong or Tatawa Kecil “when the current allows”. The listing says sightings of mantas and turtles cannot be guaranteed.
Why the currents decide
PADI states that tides and currents are an important part of diving in Komodo throughout the year, that current-swept pinnacles and channels suit experienced divers, and that calmer sites exist for newer divers (PADI, Diving in Komodo). The operators say the same in their own words: the open trip picks sites each day according to sea conditions, currents and weather, and the three-dive listing chooses the sites on the day. So you cannot book a named site, and a certified diver with little recent experience should say so when booking.
Season
PADI describes April to November as the drier period, with good visibility and favourable conditions across much of central and northern Komodo. December to March is wetter, and PADI says southern sites can still be rewarding when conditions allow. Manta rays can be seen all year, with sightings “often particularly good from around October to April”. One listing advises booking early for June to October.
Who should book what
- No certification: Try Scuba. The full-day trip, the open trip and the 1-Day Experience give the same depth limit of 12 metres for Try Scuba. The Try Scuba 1-Day Experience lists children under 10, people with heart problems and people with respiratory issues as not suitable.
- Certified: the three-dive day. Pick the trip whose page lists everything you need.
- Park fee: the pages handle it four ways. The three-dive listing excludes it and names IDR 300,000 per diver, paid in cash on the day. The Try Scuba 1-Day Experience names national park tickets in a list that mixes inclusions and extras. The full-day trip marks each dive stop “Extra fee” without an amount, and for the open trip, ask whether the park fee is included. The park office itself gave the ticket for foreign visitors as IDR 250,000 per person, plus IDR 25,000 per dive activity (Antara, 25 October 2024). Since 1 April 2026 the park admits at most 1,000 visitors a day, and the limit also covers 23 dive sites (Floresa, 14 April 2026); park tickets are sold only through the park authority’s SiOra app (detik, October 2025). Ask the operator before you pay whether it buys your ticket in advance.
- Pickup: only the three-dive listing names hotel pickup and drop-off in the Labuan Bajo area as included. The full-day trip says “Pickup included” at the top but puts pickup and drop-off in a list that mixes inclusions and extras, and the open trip does the same; the Try Scuba 1-Day Experience gives a meeting point in Labuan Bajo. Ask the operator.
- Pregnant women: the open-trip listing names them, and people over 70, as not suitable, and does not recommend the trip for anyone with serious medical conditions.
- Non-swimmers: the Try Scuba 1-Day Experience says they are still welcome, as long as you are in reasonable health and comfortable in the water.
Our recommendation
First-time divers who want a full day: the Full-Day Scuba Diving in Komodo National Park, because the same boat takes beginners on Try Scuba and certified divers on fun dives, so a mixed couple can spend the day on one boat; the open trip offers the same split. If you only want to look at the reef from the surface, see the snorkelling and diving category and the Manta Point guide.
