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Firefly - Komodo, Diving and Dragons



Its Tuesday 22nd September, the sun is about to set and Firefly is anchored in a large semi circular bay, that was originally a caldera. The scenery is spectacular around this island called Gili Banta - there are no people and not much vegetation and as we are close in to the shore, lava flows can be seen on the steep slopes. This is our last stop in the Komodo area, tomorrow we will be traveling to Sumbawa which can be seen about 20 miles away. The island lying off the NE tip of Sumbawa is actually the most prominent part. This is Pulau Sangeang and it has a live volcano that is 6000 feet high, called Gunung Api - either steam or smoke can be seen emerging from the crater.

About 10 days ago we reached Ruing on the north coast of Flores and stayed there for 2 nights, attending our first event having joined the Sail 2 Indonesia Rally. Ruing has 17 off lying deserted islands and on both days we motored out and anchored off one off the pristine beaches, enjoying being in one place for a time after a few weeks of moving on every day.

Labuan Bajo, on the west of Flores was the next rally stop and this is the main port that serves the Komodo National Park. The 100 or so miles was covered in 3 days, with overnight stops in Lingeh and Gili Bodo. The first days 2 provided some glorious sailing in relatively light winds, but with the wind at a great angle (on a broad reach) for flying the Gennaker.

Arriving in Labuan Bajo, the first anchorage was just off the town in a melee of boats and activity - small traditional fishing boats, larger Phinisi Charter boats (mainly for liveaboard diving holidays), some commercial ships and a few yachts. Having survived a dinghy trip ashore in the intense midday heat, we moved Firefly to the anchorage off the Eco Lodge, about 2 miles south of the town. It was not particularly picturesque and the water was dirty due to being adjacent to the busy harbour but was much more peaceful and it proved to be a good place to base ourselves.

As well as being famous for the Komodo Dragons, the National Park has some world class diving and we had booked 4 days with a company called Blue Marlin. The currents are very strong in the straights between the various islands (called Selats) and this is where the best diving is found. In order to satisfy their requirements, Susie signed up to undertake her Advanced Diving Certificate with Blue Marlin and passed the course having learned and practiced some useful new skills.

Each morning the dive boat would divert to the Eco Lodge anchorage and pick us up before heading off. The crew on the dive boat were great and the diving absolutely excellent. The better known dive spots visited were; Makassar reef, Crystal Rock, Castle Rock, The Cauldron, Semayor Kecil and Besar, Batu Bolong and Tatawa Bolong. The latter being the most extreme, a drift dive with the current running at about 5 knots, with our group of divers shooting along the side of a beautiful reef. The marine life biodiversity within the National Park is superb, there are so many coral species and the so many different kinds of fish. Makassar is famous for drifting with Manta rays and on both dives there we saw about ten and on the other dives we saw numerous sharks, large pelagic fish, octopus, cuttlefish and turtles as well as a plethora of reef fish.

Being in the vicinity of Komodo and Rinca Islands, after the second days diving, Blue Marlin also took us to Rinca to see the Komodo Dragons. There are in fact more Dragons on Rinca and the Ranger Station there is the most popular place to see them. All the visitors arrive by boat and its a short walk to the Ranger Station where our group of ten was joined by 2 guides. Both armed with large forked sticks, the head guide made it very clear that the Dragons are a serious predators that will attack humans. He lead us around the park and made sure the younger guide was guarding the rear.

Apparently during the morning tours there had not been many Dragons to be seen but this had all changed by mid afternoon when we arrived. The huge prehistoric looking lizards seemed to be everywhere in the vicinity of the Ranger Station buildings, especially near to the kitchen. They are however all wild on the island and are never fed by the Rangers. Our group headed off the path to take a closer look at one Dragon and then all hell broke out as a group of about 5 were hunting a monkey, one of them pounding after the primate who just about managed to climb a tree for safety. The guide said he had only ever seen them do this a couple of times before - maybe he was just saying this but he did look very concerned and the young guide got a telling off in Indonesian. The males can grow up to 3 metres long and although the females are smaller they are in fact more dangerous. The animals are cannibalistic and the young have to stay away from the adults to survive. They are venomous and when prey is bitten it dies as the result of being infected with multiple poisons.

The completion of our diving was timed to coincide with the rally dinner at Labuan Bajo hosted by the local Hotels Association. Taking place at the best hotel on the beach near the anchorage we were treated to some excellent food, a combination of local and international cuisine, all prepared and served by an incredibly happy and gracious team of Indonesians.

This morning we left the Eco Lodge anchorage and the trip to Gili Banta was about 30 miles, all under engine due to little of no wind. Tomorrow we plan to get up early and will be heading along the north coast of Sumbawa. Our next rally stop is at Medana Bay on Lombok the next island to the West. From here its 200 miles and our plan is to get there in about 4 long day sails.

Paul and Susie



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