Today was our last day onboard Tatawa, and as usual I awoke at 5.30 a.m. to do a little exercise and warm up while enjoying the sunrise over Komodo National Park.

Sunrise over Komodo National Park

Our first dive was at Castle Rock. Our divemaster Faby warned us that the currents can be strong at this site, and we must be careful to stay together as a group. We recorded several whitetip reef sharks here, and it was definitely worth our effort to hold on in the strong current.

Next we dived at The Cauldron, and the current here was much more gentle. We recorded a spotted eagle ray, hawksbill turtle, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, and also saw trevally, unicornfish, giant moray eels, and many types of reef fish. Faby told us “the Cauldron is the best place to learn about underwater naturalist”.

Whitetip reef sharks patrol the schooling surgeonfish

Crystal Rock, our next site, was a clear blue water dive site, and we descended to 24 meters where we recorded more sharks. This was my first experience swimming against the current and holding position with big schools of fusiliers and surgeonfish all around us. I saw whitetip reef sharks swimming around us, patrolling their territory and occasionally herding the schooling fish. I remembered our code of conduct to enjoy aquatic animals, and that are behavior can influence the sharks. Most importantly, I remembered that if we are calm and don’t startle the sharks, they will approach us. We don’t need to be worried about the sharks biting us, as this is a defensive mechanism.

I think today was our Shark Expedition, because today we found reef sharks unlike the previous days when we found mantas. It was a wonderful journey for me, and an unforgettable moment with MIP. As we arrived back in Labuan Bajo at the end of a long day, we were greeted by a rainbow reaching across the sky. The beauty of Komodo National Park never ends!

A rainbow welcome us back to Labuan Bajo