- Open Water course
- IDR 25,000,000
Updated July 2026
Good to know
Good to Know
- There is no meaningful shore diving in Labuan Bajo itself — every dive site requires a boat, so budget for day-boat trips or a liveaboard rather than expecting walk-in dive access.
- Water temperatures vary a lot by area: the north can be warm, while southern sites like Cannibal Rock experience cold upwelling water, sometimes dropping into the high teens Celsius, so a thicker wetsuit is worth having even in a 'tropical' destination.
- If a trip is focused on the famous southern macro and manta sites, check the season first — outside roughly April–July/November, rough seas can make these long transfers unreliable or uncomfortable.
- Shop around before committing — several ScubaBoard/Tripadvisor reviewers note quality varies noticeably between operators even though prices are broadly similar, and it's common practice to compare which dive sites different operators plan to visit during your stay.
- Divemaster candidates need a minimum of 18 years old, 15 logged hours and 45 logged dives as a prerequisite at at least one major operator — check specific prerequisites before booking a course, as they can vary slightly by shop.
- Course prices usually exclude a handful of personal gear items (dive computer, compass, wetsuit, DSMB) that Open Water students are expected to bring or rent separately — factor this into your budget.
- Nitrox availability is not universal — only a minority of Labuan Bajo operators offer it, so ask specifically if that matters to you.
Dive Sites And Conditions
- Access Summary
- Labuan Bajo town itself has no shore diving — it is a jumping-off port, not a dive site. Central and north Komodo sites (Batu Bolong, Castle Rock, Crystal Rock, Manta Point/Karang Makassar, Siaba, Sebayur, Tatawa, Mawan) are genuinely reachable as day trips by speedboat, typically 1–2.5 hours each way. Southern sites near Rinca and the far south (Cannibal Rock, Yellow Wall/Wainilu, Manta Alley/Manta Point South, Torpedo Point) require much longer boat transfers (often 3–5+ hours) and are more reliably covered by multi-day liveaboards, especially outside the calmer season. Most operators offering full Komodo National Park coverage (north to south) run either long day trips or 2–4+ day liveaboards rather than promising easy single-day access to everything.
- Overall Seasonality
- The dry season (roughly April to November) generally offers calmer seas, better boat access to the more remote north and south sites, and clearer visibility. The wet/windy season (December to March) brings rougher seas that can limit access to exposed and southern sites, plankton blooms that reduce visibility in some areas (though this can also draw manta activity), and generally restricts diving more to sheltered central sites.
- Experience Level Note
- Komodo's currents are a defining feature — many of its signature sites (Batu Bolong, Castle Rock, Crystal Rock, Golden Passage) involve strong, sometimes unpredictable drift and are recommended for divers with genuine drift-diving experience and a higher certification level. A smaller set of sheltered sites (Mawan, Sebayur Kecil, Siaba) are commonly used for beginners and check dives.
Sites
Batu Bolong
- Type
- Pinnacle / wall / drift
- Location
- Central Komodo, between Komodo and Sebayur islands
- Best Season
- Year-round, but currents are strongest and least predictable; calmer conditions more likely outside the January–March wet/windy period
- Marine Life
- Dense coral cover on a small steep pinnacle, reef fish schools, sharks, and occasional pelagics; considered one of the park's most colorful reef walls
- Notes
- Strong, unpredictable multidirectional currents — recommended for experienced divers only
Castle Rock
- Type
- Seamount / drift
- Location
- North Komodo, near Gili Lawa
- Best Season
- Best diving generally April–June and September–November when seas are calmer for the boat transfer; strong currents can occur any time of year
- Marine Life
- Large schools of fusiliers and trevally, grey reef sharks, occasional hammerheads, big fish action on top of the seamount
- Notes
- Advanced drift dive due to strong current; often paired with Crystal Rock
Crystal Rock
- Type
- Seamount / drift
- Location
- North Komodo, near Gili Lawa
- Best Season
- Similar window to Castle Rock — April–June and September–November for calmer transit seas
- Marine Life
- Vibrant soft coral growth, reef sharks, large schools of fish, occasional manta and turtle sightings
- Notes
- Strong currents typical; considered a top north-Komodo site
Karang Makassar (Manta Point, North)
- Type
- Sandy bottom / drift, manta cleaning station
- Location
- Between Komodo and Rinca
- Best Season
- Mantas can be seen much of the year, with sightings often considered more consistent in the drier months (roughly April–November)
- Marine Life
- Reef manta rays at a cleaning station, occasional eagle rays
- Notes
- Shallow sandy-bottom drift dive, generally accessible for a wide range of experience levels depending on current strength on the day
Manta Alley / Manta Point (South)
- Type
- Drift / cleaning station
- Location
- Far south Komodo, near Nusa Kode
- Best Season
- Southern sites are generally only reliably diveable in the calmer window, roughly April–July, due to swell and wind the rest of the year
- Marine Life
- Manta rays at a cleaning station, cooler water than the north due to upwelling
- Notes
- Long boat transfer from Labuan Bajo; predominantly liveaboard territory or very long day trips
Cannibal Rock
- Type
- Reef / muck-style macro site
- Location
- South, near Rinca / Nusa Kode
- Best Season
- Best accessed roughly April–November when southern seas are calmer
- Marine Life
- Renowned macro site — frogfish, ghost pipefish, nudibranchs, rhinopias, dense soft coral and crinoid cover
- Notes
- Cold, nutrient-rich upwelling water; long transfer, mostly liveaboard-accessible
Yellow Wall / Wainilu
- Type
- Wall / macro
- Location
- South Komodo, Rinca area
- Best Season
- April–November for calmer southern conditions
- Marine Life
- Vivid yellow soft coral wall, muck-diving critters, seahorses, mandarin fish reported at Wainilu
- Notes
- Far south transfer; typically a liveaboard or long day-trip site
Torpedo Point / Torpedo Alley
- Type
- Slope / macro
- Location
- South Komodo, near Rinca
- Best Season
- April–November
- Marine Life
- Macro life similar to Cannibal Rock — frogfish, pipefish, nudibranchs
- Notes
- Part of the southern macro circuit, best reached by liveaboard
Tatawa Kecil
- Type
- Reef / drift
- Location
- Central Komodo
- Best Season
- Year-round, generally calmer than the northern pinnacles
- Marine Life
- Healthy coral reef, reef sharks, turtles, schooling fish
- Notes
- Popular easy drift dive, day-trip accessible
Sebayur Kecil
- Type
- Reef
- Location
- Central Komodo, close to Labuan Bajo
- Best Season
- Year-round, one of the more sheltered sites
- Marine Life
- Coral garden, reef fish, occasional turtles
- Notes
- Common check-dive and beginner-friendly site, easiest day-boat access from Labuan Bajo
Siaba Besar / Siaba Kecil
- Type
- Sandy slope / drift
- Location
- Central Komodo
- Best Season
- Year-round
- Marine Life
- Turtles are a highlight, along with reef fish and occasional rays
- Notes
- Gentler current than the northern pinnacles, suitable for less experienced divers
Mawan
- Type
- Reef / bay
- Location
- Central Komodo
- Best Season
- Year-round
- Marine Life
- Turtles, reef fish, calm shallow coral garden
- Notes
- One of the calmest sites in the park, used for check dives and beginners
Golden Passage
- Type
- Channel / drift
- Location
- North Komodo, near Gili Lawa
- Best Season
- April–June and September–November for calmer transit
- Marine Life
- Sharks and pelagics in a narrow current-swept channel
- Notes
- Strong current site for experienced divers
Typical Course Pricing
Discover Scuba Experience (2 dives, no certification)
- Price
- IDR 2,850,000
- Note On Price
- Price excludes park and harbour fees, per operator listing
PADI Scuba Diver (2-day course)
- Price
- IDR 6,500,000
- Note On Price
- Includes equipment, online manual, e-card and lunch on the open-water day
PADI Open Water Diver
- Price
- IDR 25,000,000
- Note On Price
- Quoted price includes boat lunch, park & harbour fees and scuba equipment, but excludes personal gear (dive computer, compass, wetsuit, DSMB) which students must bring
PADI Divemaster add-on costs (on top of prerequisites)
- Price
- IDR 3,250,000
- Note On Price
- This is the 'Divemaster CrewPack' materials fee quoted by one operator; a separate PADI certification processing fee (quoted by that operator as roughly 245 AUD, converted here to approximately 162 USD / 2,925,000 IDR equivalent) is also charged on top
Operator Density
- Summary
- Labuan Bajo has a dense, competitive market of named dive operators clustered along the main harbor-front street (Jalan Soekarno Hatta) and nearby, easily 15-20+ established named shops rather than just one or two, ranging from budget backpacker-oriented outfits to higher-end resort dive centers.
Named Operators Identified
- Bajo Dive Club
- Manta Rhei Dive Center
- Diving First
- Flores Diving Centre
- Komo Dive
- Dive Komodo
- Dive Tribe Komodo
- Blue Marlin Dive Komodo
- Uber Scuba Komodo
- Dragon Dive Komodo
- Divers Point Komodo
- Divers Paradise Komodo
- CN Dive Komodo
- iDive Komodo
- Aqura Dive
- Maika Komodo Tour & Diving
- Scuba Junkie Komodo
- Komodo Resort & Dive Club
- Neren Dive
Certifying Bodies
Certifying Bodies
- PADI is by far the dominant certifying body among Labuan Bajo dive shops
- SSI is also present at some centers (e.g. Uber Scuba Komodo operates as an SSI Dive Center, though its instructors are also PADI members and offer PADI courses too)
Levels Commonly Offered
Levels Commonly Offered
- Discover Scuba Diving / Discover Scuba Experience (no certification, intro try-dive)
- PADI Scuba Diver (2-day, limited certification)
- PADI Open Water Diver
- PADI Advanced Open Water Diver
- PADI Rescue Diver / EFR
- PADI Divemaster
- Enriched Air (Nitrox) specialty at a minority of operators
Freediving Crossover
- Detail
- Freediving crossover exists but is a niche exception rather than a widespread offering among Labuan Bajo dive shops. One Labuan Bajo-based liveaboard operator's co-owner and dive guide is documented as also being a certified freediving instructor, with freediving courses available on request on that specific boat. This does not appear to be a common add-on across the wider dive shop scene here — most day-boat operators are scuba-only.
- Genuinely Confirmed
- Yes
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.