In September 2018 we spent two weeks snorkelling in Komodo National Park. Komodo is known for its vast colourful coral gardens, abundant macro life, mantas, sharks, turtles and extreme currents. We heard that the diving was some of the best in the world and wanted to see if the snorkelling was just as good.

Discovering the best snorkelling in Komodo

The best snorkelling in Komodo was discovered during our liveaboard adventure. We thought the reefs seemed to get better the further west we went, but we couldn’t have accessed these remote spots without our own boat. During the trip we encountered some ferocious currents but luckily we had an awesome guide who helped show us the way.

We had previously snorkelled some other reefs around the Komodo National Park on group day tours. These included the famous Pink Beach, Angel Island and Nusa Batu. However these were just an aperitif compared to the spots we were about to encounter.

(1) Snorkelling Pengah Reef

Pengah Reef is possibly one of the most under-rated sites in the park. This was the first stop on our liveaboard. Our guide explained that the conditions had to be just right for this site to work, and it was touch and go as we only had a small window of time before rising tide.

We had to jump and swim quickly to the rocks to avoid getting hammered by the boat and waves. As we swam closer to the reef, the waves calmed and we looked down to find ourselves amongst vibrant underwater caves covered in beautiful coral, and no shortage of fish life. Pengah snorkelling was out of this world!

Our minds were blown, and this was only our first spot on the liveboard. Expectations were now really high…

Visibility: Very Good

Coral: Good

Small Fish: Good

Big Fish: Good

Current: Very Strong

Time of year: September

(2) Snorkelling Batu Bolong

Batu Bolong is one of the signature sites for the best diving in Komodo National Park. It’s quirky name translates as ‘rock with a hole in it’ and from the surface, it looks not much more than a small outcrop rising from the depths, but underneath the surface it is a giant, sweeping down 70m into the blue.

We’d heard so many rave reviews about Batu Bolong, but also understood its dangers. It is renowned for some unpredictable conditions, and divers refer to it as a washing machine due to the whirling up and down currents. However these currents are what make this magical rock so special, as it is home to all kinds of marine life with an amazing hard and soft coral cover.

Our experience can only be described as a fish explosion, it was a reef on acid. As the only snorkellers at the site, we felt truly privileged to be there. Maybe because Batu Bolong is normally only accessible for experienced divers. But as a result of having an experienced guide with us, we were able to explore this amazing spot.

Probably the best snorkelling in Komodo, and probably one of our best snorkels of all time. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to go back and explore Batu Bolong a little deeper as divers one day 😉

Visibility: Excellent

Coral: Excellent

Small Fish: Excellent

Big Fish: Good

Current: Very Strong

Time of year: September

(4) Snorkelling Siaba Besar

Our third and final spot for the day was Siaba Besar, which is nestled in a wide bay, and was to be our anchorage for the night.

The calm sea was teaming with divers, and liveaboards boats. Quite the contrast to our previous sites as we had been the only ones there. This time, it was safe for us to go snorkelling alone. We would recommend Siaba Besar for the less experienced, as the reef is quite shallow and large areas are protected from strong currents.

Our guide pointed us in a general direction, but there is an expansive area to explore. The visibility was great, we saw critters in the sand and many turtles over the shallow reef. We were also lucky and saw a large group of trevally in the deep!

Visibility: Very Good

Coral: Good

Small Fish: Good

Big Fish: Good

Current: Mild – Protected

Time of year: September

(4) Snorkelling Tatawa Kecil

We were up at 5.30am the following morning and in a rush to reach Tatawa Kecil at slack tide.

Tatawa Kecil is renowned for having some of the best snorkelling in Komodo. It has very strong currents and is meant to be dived at slack to rising tide. Our guide managed to get us there just at the right time.

Upon entry to the water, we were met with a garden of hard and soft corals covering almost every inch of the reef, and sweeping tables full of life. You could feel the current building to the left and right corner of the island. Our guide advised us to stay close to the rocks.

For us, this site compares well with Batu Bolong as both are first class and similar in fish life. We heard that Tatawa Kecil is probably the anthias (small colorful serranide fish) capital of the world. We can totally believe that now!

Visibility: Very Good

Coral: Very Good

Small Fish: Excellent

Big Fish: Good

Current: Very Strong

Time of year: September

(5) Snorkelling Mawan Island

We were travelling under pressure again to get to Mawan Island in time for rising tide. Mawan is renowned for mantas, hawksbill turtles, black & white reef sharks, and schooling fish.

The variety of coral and fish life over the reef is immense. It’s worth taking time to look more closely. We saw a lot of cool little nudibranches here. But this site ended up being all about the big stuff for us. We had our first ever encounter with an oceanic Manta, he had a wingspan of around 3.5metres – a gentle giant.

Nothing could prepare us for what we saw next, as we heard our guide scream through his snorkel. Right there in front of us – a mother and baby dolphin!

As we surfaced to share our amazement in this super rare encounter, our guide Ris punched the air. In all his years of diving, he had never seen wild dolphins whilst underwater.

Seeing the dolphins was one of our most memorable experiences ever whilst snorkelling. Unfortunately we couldn’t turn our cameras on quick enough to get any decent footage, but we did manage a quick snap.

Visibility: Good

Coral: Good

Small Fish: Good

Big Fish: Excellent

Current: Strong

Time of year: September

(6) Snorkelling Kanawa Island

Our final stop before heading back to Labuan Bajo was Kanawa Island. Famous for its white sand beach and easy snorkelling.

This was by far our most relaxing snorkel. In contrast to the other spots, there weren’t any currents to battle with, and there was even a beach to relax on afterwards. It was nice to momentarily be back on land even though the beach was lacking any (free) shade from the scorching sun.

The snorkelling here was excellent for most standards, but didn’t really compare to the other spots we had just experienced.

Visibility: Very Good

Coral: Good

Small Fish: Good

Big Fish: Good

Current: Mild – Protected

Time of year: September

The best snorkelling in Komodo National Park

As snorkellers, we were incredibly fortunate to have been able to reach these top dive sites. The reefs here are phenomenal and hard to beat.

Even though the conditions and distance to get to them may be slightly more challenging, we believe that they are well worth the effort as this is by far some of the best snorkelling in Komodo, and indeed the world.

We are already planning our next liveaboard in Komodo. Therefore we will report back again on any other good spots we find! The next trip will be longer and hopefully we will get to explore the further western and southern dive spots. Please let us know if you can recommend any other good snorkelling spots in the Komodo region? We would love to hear from you 🙂

Planning a snorkel trip soon? Be sure to check out our essential packing list for snorkelers!