Destinations for Diving in Labuan Bajo

Komodo dive destinations by zone: North, Central, South Komodo, and the Sumbawa extension, each with links to individual dive site guides and itineraries.

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A Komodo coral reef with schooling anthias in clear blue water

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Labuan Bajo Diving: Your 2027 Destination Guide

Labuan Bajo, often misspelled, is the primary embarkation point for diving in Komodo National Park. This guide provides specific details regarding diving options, pricing, and trends for 2027.

By zone

Diving Options and 2027 Pricing Estimates

Divers visiting Labuan Bajo have two main options: daily dive trips or multi-day liveaboard excursions. Pricing for 2027 reflects current trends and anticipated increases.

Daily Dive Trips

Daily trips from Labuan Bajo are suitable for those with limited time or who prefer to stay on land each night.

Daily Dive Trip (3 dives): on request. This rate includes equipment, breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks.

Liveaboard Trips

Liveaboards offer extensive diving opportunities across Komodo National Park, allowing access to more remote sites. Prices vary significantly based on duration and vessel standard.

Liveaboard (3D/2N Diving): is on request, including up to 8 dives.
Liveaboard (6D/5N Standard): Realistic all-inclusive cost is on request, equating to on request.
Liveaboard Daily Range: Typically on request. Luxury vessels may exceed on request.

By zone

Diving Certifications and Additional Costs (2027)

Labuan Bajo offers opportunities for dive certification courses, along with various supplementary charges for equipment and services.

Certification Courses

Open Water Certification: on request This includes two daily dive trips and the certification itself.
Advanced Open Water Certification: on request This package includes five adventure dives.

Equipment and Services

Nitrox (Onboard): Expect to pay on request on vessels such as La Galigo, or on request depending on the operator.
Equipment Rental (Full Set): on request.

At a glance

Komodo National Park Fees and Charges (2027 Tourist Tariff)

All visitors to Komodo National Park are subject to mandatory fees. These charges are in addition to diving package costs.

Fee Type	Cost (USD)	Cost (IDR)
Harbour Fee	$75	1,050,000
Komodo National Park Entrance (Weekdays)	$11	150,000
Komodo National Park Entrance (Weekends/Holidays)	$16	225,000

Harbour Fee

Cost (USD): $75
Cost (IDR): 1,050,000

Komodo National Park Entrance (Weekdays)

Cost (USD): $11
Cost (IDR): 150,000

Komodo National Park Entrance (Weekends/Holidays)

Cost (USD): $16
Cost (IDR): 225,000

By zone

Key Diving Sites Around Labuan Bajo

The waters surrounding Labuan Bajo, within Komodo National Park, are known for their strong currents and diverse marine life. Specific sites cater to different experience levels.

North Komodo Diving

Sites in the north typically feature vibrant coral reefs and pelagic species. The currents here can be robust, making these areas suitable for experienced divers.

Castle Rock: A seamount known for sharks, giant trevally, and large schools of fish. Currents are often strong.
Crystal Rock: Another seamount, frequently visited by reef sharks and barracudas. Visibility is generally excellent.
Cauldron (Shotgun): Famous for its drift dive through a channel, offering encounters with manta rays and schooling fish.
Batu Bolong: A small rock island with dramatic drop-offs and abundant reef life. Currents split around the rock, requiring careful dive planning.

Central Komodo Diving

The central areas offer a mix of drift dives and calmer sites, providing varied experiences.

Manta Point (Karang Makassar): A consistent location for observing manta rays feeding and cleaning. It is a relatively shallow drift dive.
Siaba Besar: Known for its gentle currents and calm conditions, making it suitable for beginner divers and for spotting turtles.
Siaba Kecil: Offers a drift dive with chances to see reef sharks and various reef fish.

South Komodo Diving

The southern sites are characterised by cooler waters and nutrient-rich upwellings, leading to different marine ecosystems, often including macro subjects and unique soft corals.

Pillarsteen: Features swim-throughs and overhangs, with a variety of soft corals and reef fish.
Yellow Wall: A wall dive covered in yellow soft corals and sea apples.
Cannibal Rock: Rich in invertebrates and macro life, with cool water currents.

By zone

How Are Komodo's Dive Sites Organized by Zone?

As of 2026, most operators plan a trip zone by zone, since current strength and certification requirements shift noticeably from north to south. For a complete depth, current, and season breakdown across every named site, our full Komodo dive sites library is the reference; the summaries below point to the right page for your zone.

North Komodo: Strong Current, Advanced Diving

Around Gili Lawa, North Komodo carries the park's fastest and coolest water, and its dive sites are built for experienced drift divers rather than a first Komodo dive. Castle Rock, Crystal Rock, and Shotgun (The Cauldron) are the three pinnacle and channel dives that define this zone, rewarding divers with schooling trevally, grey reef sharks, and the occasional hammerhead in exchange for genuine current-reading skill.

Central Komodo: The Classic Starting Zone

Central Komodo is the most accessible zone by day trip and where most first-time visitors start: Batu Bolong, Manta Point (Karang Makassar), Mawan, Tatawa Besar & Tatawa Kecil, and Siaba Besar all sit within a manageable boat ride of Labuan Bajo harbour, with current running gentle to moderate depending on site and tide.

South Komodo: Cooler Water, Macro and Muck

South of Rinca, water temperature drops and the diving shifts from big-animal drama to critter hunting. Cannibal Rock & Horseshoe Bay, Manta Alley, Three Sisters & German Flag, Wainilu, and the Yellow Wall of Texas reward a slower pace, a torch, and patience for nudibranchs and frogfish over wide-angle drama.

Komodo-Sumbawa Extension: Beyond the Park Boundary

Divers with enough days can push east past the park itself into Sumbawa waters. Gili Banta diving — its GPS Point and K2 sites — bridges Komodo and Sumbawa with expert-level current, followed by Sangeang's volcanic reefs, Bima Bay muck diving, Saleh Bay's bagan whale sharks, and the crater-lake stop at Moyo & Satonda. This is liveaboard-only territory; see the 8-9 day Komodo-Sumbawa liveaboard page for how the route sequences day by day.

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North vs South Komodo Diving: Which Zone First?

The honest answer depends on certification and priorities more than preference. North Komodo's current-driven pinnacles reward experienced drift divers with big fish but are unforgiving of shaky buoyancy; South Komodo's calmer, cooler water suits divers who want time to compose a macro shot rather than ride a drift line. Itineraries reaching both zones typically sequence north first while the team is fresh, work through Central Komodo mid-trip, and close with the slower south — the logic behind most multi-day Komodo liveaboard routes. For a full comparison of conditions and who each zone suits, our dedicated north vs south Komodo diving guide breaks it down site by site.

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Planning a Komodo-Sumbawa Itinerary Around These Zones

A realistic komodo sumbawa itinerary treats the four zones above as a route, not a menu: 4-5 days covers Central Komodo plus a North site or two; 6-7 days adds a South Komodo day and a short Sumbawa detour such as Gili Banta; 8-9 days works north to south through the park before pushing east to Sangeang, Saleh Bay, and Moyo-Satonda. Day trips by speedboat only reach Central and, on longer days, some North sites — South Komodo and the Sumbawa extension both need a liveaboard. Check our day trip vs liveaboard comparison first if you have not settled on a format.

Not sure which zones fit your certification level and travel dates? Part of Juara Holding Group — operating from Bali across Indonesia since 2015 — the Komodo Luxury team can map a zone-by-zone route to your dive count and season. Message WhatsApp at +62 811-3823-875 or email bd@juaraholding.com to start planning.

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WhatsApp the trade desk +62 811 3823 875 Email sales sales@komodoluxury.com