Destinations in Indonesia

Overview

A marine counter-part of the Garden of Eden – this is what could be said of the waters of the islands that are collectively part of Komodo National Park which lies within the 10 Degrees latitude of the equator off the island of Flores in the province of East Nusatenggara.  An endless variety of habitats like fringing reefs, scattered isolated offshore islands of every shape and size, sheltered bays, weather-beaten rocky coasts, mangrove swamps, seagrass beds, extensive shallows, and precipitous underwater drop-offs, are home to countless undersea wonders in these bountiful waters.

Water temperatures fluctuate greatly here. From the Flores Sea in the north, warm shallows of the South China Sea constantly flow in and mix with cold upswellings from the abyss of the deep Indian Ocean in the south, originating from Antarctica. This violent clash of opposing temperatures produces whirlpools and fierce currents that divers should be very cautious of. This is the reason for such an astounding mixture of tropical as well as temperate marine creatures, some species which have no business being here at all, while some are found nowhere else, and others that are completely new to science and have never been seen before. At least fifteen varieties of whales and dolphins have been observed here: shark-eating tropical Orcas and entertaining acrobatic Spinner Dolphins, to name a few.

Coral and fish abound, especially in the warm water sections of the Park, rivaling any other area in the Indonesian Archipelago. Over 350 species of both soft and hard coral have been found. Fishes are most conspicuous in the reefs of Komodo. The most abundant in species are the families of damselfishes, wrasses, gobies, cardinal fishes, groupers, butterflyfishes, surgeonfishes, blennies, snappers, and parrotfishes and they make up 63% of Komodo’s fishes.
Sessile, flamboyantly-colored invertebrate life, particularly echinoderms, sponges, and tunicates, dominate southern Komodo's cooler waters. All in all, well over 1000 variety of fish and marine life have been found in Komodo and its surrounding islands. Species are being added as the survey area expands.
Komodo is thus unique in this manner: having the marine wealth of not only tropical marine life but of temperate ones as well, and in such abundant variety that there is no other place on earth like this!

WHY  such an extraordinary variety of marine life?
It is known that when a species is separated & isolated from its ancestral population, a new species diverges or evolves. With Indonesia’s sheer number of islands and the distances between them, fragmentation occurs. Each time a piece of land breaks away or a new one is spewed out from molten core, any isolated species gradually evolved into new ones. You will not tire of exploring, observing, discovering and adventuring in the riches and beauties of undersea living treasures thriving in the waters of Komodo National Park.

Conservation
1970 – The first trickle of tourists
1980’s – Scuba divers begin venturing in Komodo’s waters
2000’s – The realization of just how rich and mysterious this region is, and that it is now under threat.
Growing populations and the hunger for more fish and meat has led to fisher bandits destroying Komodo’s reefs with cyanide and dynamite, not to mention poachers on land also seeking deer and pig, the life support of our great lizard, the Komodo Dragon.  With this in mind, let us all do our part or what little we can to protect and preserve this portion of Eden on our wonderful planet that we call home. Let our children and our children’s children be able to one day also partake of this little bit of heaven on Earth.