Log Date: Friday, Sep 22, 2017 Entry By: Indo Aggressor crew   Your itinerary in brief Day 1: 22nd September 2017. Labuan Bajo   Day 2: 23rd September 2017. North Komodo 07:15: Dive 1 – GLD Bay 10:30: Dive 2 – Mauan 14:30: Dive 3 – Tatawa Besar 18:15: Dive 4 - Wainilu   Day 3: 24th September 2017. Horse Shoe Bay 07:00: Dive 1 – Cannibal Rock 10:30: Dive 2 – Crinoid Canyon 14:30: Dive 3 – Yellow Wall 18:15: Dive 4 – Torpedo Alley   Day 4: 25th September 2017. Central Komodo 07:15: Dive 1 – Shotgun 10:30: Dive 2 – Batu Bolong 14:30: Dive 3 – Siaba Besar 18:15: Dive 4 – Spanish Step Day 5: 26th September 2017. Gili Lawa Laut 08:00: Dive 1 – Crystal Rock 10:30: Dive 2 – Castle Rock 14:30: Dive 3 – GLD Passage 18:15: Dive 4 – West Side 16:30: Land Excursion – Hike GLD   Day 6: 27th September 2017. 07:15: Dive 1 – Shotgun 10:30: Dive 2 – Siaba Kecil 14:30: Dive 3 – Mauan 18:15: Dive 4 – GLD Bay   Day 7: 28th September 2017. 07:15: Dive 1 – Karang Makasar 10:30: Dive 2 - Wainilu 14:00: Land Excursion – Dragon trekking (Loh Buaya)   Day 8: 29th September 2017. Labuan Bajo, Departure Departure at Labuan Bajo.     Cruise Overview Our cruise for the next ten days in the Komodo National Park and outer areas started out on 22nd at the quaint harbour town of Labuan Bajo where all of our guests boarded after which we started the engines and made out way out into the park. The Following day we started our activities with a check out dive at Gili Lawa Darat. After the check out dive was done we continued our diving activities in the Linta Strait. As the moon phase clicked over to spring tides we moved down to Horseshoe Bay, where tidal flow is not so much of a concern. We were surprised at the great visibility that we had down here, very unlike the norm for September. Although we had some fairly strong winds and water four degrees colder than the north sites we spent a day diving some of the most pristine and life packed sites anywhere. Due to the windy conditions, we decided to miss out on diving Langkoi Bay and trekking on Padar Island and move our operations back up to the north, a popular decision with cold members the group. We continued diving in the Northern area of the Komodo National Park and visited the best sites that Komodo has to offer. Batu Bolong – an incredible pinnacle dive with fish everywhere! Castle Rock – Sharks and large schools of fish. Crystal Rock – Lots of sharks and stunning soft corals. Golden Passage/Shotgun – exciting drift dives in strong current. More exciting land excursions were on offer, including a trek on Gili Lawah Darat and the official Komodo Dragon Trek on Rinca Island. After the Rinca land excursion our guests came back to see the Indo Aggressor under full sail as we made our way back to Labuan Bajo to finish the cruise.           23rd September 2017 Dive 1: GLD Bay Time in: 07:15. Water temperature: 26°C. Visibility: Good, 20 metres. Dive report: We started diving with a check-out dive in the bay of Gili Lawa Darat. Crystal clear warm water welcomed us on this first beautiful dive. Special marine life: crocodile fish, nudibranchs and hawksbill turtles.   Dive 2: Mauan Time in: 10:30. Water temperature: 27°C. Visibility: Good, 20 metres. Dive report: Our second dive of the day was at Mauan, a dive site we visit to search for manta rays. This time we were in luck with 2 giant manta rays circling the cleaning stations. Special marine life: Manta rays, black tip reef sharks and mating octopus.   Dive 3: Tatawa Besar Time in: 14:30. Water temperature: 27°C. Visibility: Good, 20 metres. Dive report: Our third dive was an exciting drift dive at Tatawa Besar, a sandy reef slope, big coral heads covered in orange and yellow soft corals. Special marine life: Cuttlefish, black tips, hawksbill turtles.   Dive 4: Wainilu Time in: 18:15. Water temperature: 26°C. Visibility: 15 metres. Dive report: Our night dive was on the sandy reef slope of Wainilu. Special marine life: soft coral crab, bobtail squid, cuttlefish, nudi’s.   24th September 2017 Dive 1: Cannibal Rock Time in: 07:00. Water temperature: 22°C. Visibility: Good, 15 metres. Dive report: We started our day diving at Cannibal Rock, a submerged seamount that is covered in an abundance of hard and soft corals, crinoids and fish. Special marine life: cuttlefish, nudibranchs and hawksbill turtles.   Dive 2: Crinoid Canyon Time in: 10:30. Water temperature: 22°C. Visibility: Good, 15 metres. Dive report: Our second dive of the day was at Crinoid Canyon, a combination of a sloping reef and a stunning wall. Special marine life: sea apples, zebra crab, coleman shrimp, octopus.   Dive 3: Yellow Wall Time in: 14:30. Water temperature: 22°C. Visibility: Good, 15 metres. Dive report: Our third dive was at Yellow Wall, another stunning sloping reef/wall combination. The wall is completely covered in yellow/green soft coral and crinoids. Special marine life: nudibranchs, giant frogfish, hawksbill turtles.   Dive 4: Torpedo Alley Time in: 18:15. Water temperature: 22°C. Visibility: 15 metres. Dive report: Our night dive was on a black sandy reef slope called Torpedo Alley. Special marine life: torpedo rays, frogfish, starrynight octopus, cuttlefish, nudi’s.     25th September Dive 1: Shotgun Time in: 07:15. Water temperature: 27°C. Visibility: Good, 20 metres. Dive report: We started our day with a dive at the famous dive called Shotgun, n exciting drift dive between Gili Lawa Darat and Gili Lawa Laut. Special marine life: manta rays, mobula rays, hawksbill turtles.   Dive 2: Batu Bolong Time in: 11:00. Water temperature: 27°C. Visibility: Good, 20 metres. Dive report: Our second dive of the day was a spectacular pinnacle dive called Batu Bolong. Special marine life: hawksbill turtles, white tip reef shark, octopus.   Dive 3: Siaba Besar Time in: 14:30. Water temperature: 27°C. Visibility: Good, 20 metres. Dive report: Our third dive was at Siaba Besar, a sandy reef slope which is a feeding ground for large green turtles. Special marine life: pipefish, spiny devil fish, white tips, green turtles.   Dive 4: Spanish Step Time in: 18:15. Water temperature: 26°C. Visibility: 20 metres. Dive report: Our night dive was on a coral reef called Spanish Step. Special marine life: soft coral crab, bobtail squid, cuttlefish, nudi’s     26th September 2017 Dive 1: Crystal Rock Time in: 08:00. Water temperature: 28°C. Visibility: Good, 25 metres. Dive report: We started our day diving Crystal Rock, was a stunning pinnacle dive called crystal rock. A wide variety of soft corals and lots of fish makes this for one of the best dive sites in the KNP. Special marine life: free swimming moray eels, white tip reef sharks, hawksbill turtles.   Dive 2: Castle Rock Time in: 10:30. Water temperature: 28°C. Visibility: Good, 25 metres. Dive report: the second dive was at a submerged reef called Castle Rock, Castle Rock is home to large schools of fish and lots of sharks. Special marine life:   Dive 3: Golden Passage Time in: 14:30. Water temperature: 27°C. Visibility: Good, 20 metres. Dive report: Our third dive was an exciting drift dive between Komodo Island and GLD. In the channel you find large coral ridges covered in a wide variety of marine life. Special marine life:   Dive 4: West Side Time in: 18:15. Water temperature: 26°C. Visibility: 15 metres. Dive report: Our night dive was on West Side a combination of a sandy slope and a coral reef. Special marine life: .27th September Dive 1: Shotgun Time in: 07:15. Water temperature: 28°C. Visibility: Good, 20 metres. Dive report: We started our day diving at the famous dive site called shotgun. A fast drift dive between GLD and GLL. Special marine life: mantas, nudibranchs and hawksbill turtles.   Dive 2: Siaba Kecil Time in: 10:30. Water temperature: 28°C. Visibility: Good, 20 metres. Dive report: Our second dive of the day was at Siaba Kecil, an exciting drift dive over a stunning coral reef with an abundance of fish life. Special marine life: black tips, hawksbill turtles, octopus.   Dive 3: Mauan Time in: 14:30. Water temperature: 28°C. Visibility: Good, 20 metres. Dive report: Our third dive was at Mauan, here we hoped to see mantas getting cleaned on one of the many cleaning stations. Special marine life: Manta rays.   Dive 4: GLD Bay Time in: 18:15. Water temperature: 28°C. Visibility: 15 metres. Dive report: Our night dive was on a sandy reef slope called GLD Bay. Special marine life: Spanish dancer, octopus, cuttlefish, nudi’s.   Dive 1: Karang Makasar Time in: 07:15. Water temperature: 28°C. Visibility: Good, 20 metres. Dive report: We started our day diving at Karang Makasar, on this dive site we hoped to see the mantas one last time. Unfortunately no mantas but we did have many sightings of other marine life. Special marine life: black tips, marbled stingray, spotted eagle rays and green turtles.   Dive 2: Wainilu Time in: 10:30. Water temperature: 28°C. Visibility: Good, 20 metres. Dive report: Our second dive was at Wainilu. Special marine life: dwarf cuttlefish, zebra crab, coleman shrimp, octopus.