Have you ever thought about diving and meeting sharks in Indonesia? The question is, is it safe to swim with sharks? Komodo National Park is one of the best diving spots in East Nusa Tenggara which offers memorable dives with reef sharks. What do you need to prepare when diving with a reef shark? Say Hello Flores and enjoy the remarkable underwater!
Do Your Research About The Reef Shark
In fact, there are 4 reef sharks that you can find at Komodo National Park. Whitetip, backtip, bamboo, and gray shark. Sounds cool right? Let us discuss the characteristics of each shark.
Whitetip Reef Shark
You can find Whitetip in several diving spots on Komodo Island. Several dive spots that you might explore to be able to dive with the whitetip such as Siaba Besar, Siaba Kecil, Tatawa Besar, Mawan, Batu Bolong, Manta Point, and Pengah Kecil. Is it safe to dive in Komodo National Park with the White reef shark? This type of shark is nocturnal and they hunt at night. It would be very, very diving with this type of shark during the day.
The specific gravity of this shark is 18.3 kg with an average length of 6 meters. The Whitetip has lived on the earth for about 42 years! Amazing!
Blacktip Reef Shark
Blacktip species are less likely to be found at the dive site than those on Komodo. But you can find Blacktip Reef Shark in several locations such as Cauldron, Manta Point, Mawan, and Tatawa Besar. What’s interesting about this type of shark is that it is shy. The best thing you can do during your dive when meeting a blacktip is to observe from afar and let them approach you.
Bamboo Shark
For this type of shark, you can find it during the dive at 2 locations, namely, Manta Point & Cyrstal Rock. This type of bamboo shark is a rare animal that you can only find in coastal areas in Indonesia. So don’t miss diving with rare sharks at Komodo National Park.
Grey Shark
This type of shark is the largest compared to other sharks on Komodo Island. To be able to dive and see this type of shark, you can go north to Komodo, Castle and Crystal Rock. The characteristics of this type of shark are an elongated body, a rounded nose, and large eyes. This shark moves quite slowly but is capable of reaching speeds of 25mph when chasing down its prey.
What do you need to prepare when Diving in Komodo National Park with a shark?
If you are a lover of bright-colored costumes, you should discourage using them when diving. Using bright colors when diving is not a good idea! Based on research, sharks are very attracted to bright colors. It is not possible if you use bright colors, the sharks will see you as their prey. For safety, you should use a wetsuit with a soft color.
What should you do when diving at a shark location?
Descend Quickly
The first time you hit the water, you have to get down as fast as you can. Its purpose is for your safety. Anything floating, whether it’s an animal or something, signals to the sharks that you are something to explore or that you are their food.
Slow Movements
Meeting sharks for the first time is indeed the best experience! But you have to scan the fast movement towards the shark. Sharks can detect you as food or their prey. It is best to stay calm and make slow movements. The aim is to prevent the sharks from thinking that you are not their food.
Don’t Feed the Sharks
This is important and you must obey. Sharks are very aggressive when stimulating their eating frenzy which causes them to get excited, and even fight with other sharks. Sharks will bite anything that gets in their way including the diver that feeds them.
In the end, you should always remember the buddy system. Make sure you get close to your friends or friendships in Komodo National Park. If you lose friends and guides during the dive, it is best to cancel the dive and return to the boat.
Exploring Komodo National Park and diving with sharks will certainly be memorable and an unforgettable experience. If you follow the rules and become a responsible diver, your diving will be very safe and enjoyable. Komodo National Park is one of the best spots in Indonesia for you to dive with sharks. Doing group dives with your friends may be a very good idea and will allow you to charter a private boat. There are so many private boat options, depending on your vacation budget! Try research Komodo liveaboard to increase your diving skill.
