The sailboat drops anchor and he dives into the vigorous waters, rife with rip-tides and whirlpools, the most tempestuous in Indonesia.  Gutsy Tuason goes on a 10-day mission to Komodo Island in search of a little heart-stopping action

October 17 
Bali, Indonesia   9:57 A.M.
Back in June, I met a couple of crazy guys at the Celebrate the Sea festival in Manila. Their booth was next to mine (actually, I was manning a booth for Scuba Diver AA and Asian Geo), and I discovered that they ran a boat that does charters out of Thailand, Komodo, and now the Philippines. Well, one thing led to another, and I managed to weasel my way onto the boat for free. Actually, not free—because there is no such thing as a free lunch—but, in exchange for some pictures, an article, and good behavior, I would be let on the next boat. The only problem was that it would be full. Still, I wanted to get on this specific trip because it worked out with my schedule for the World Shoot in Bali, a gun-shooting competition (and which will be an entirely different story). 
So, back to the trip—I was looking at a 10-day, 10-night trip to Komodo Island on a first class sailboat. I ‘ll be sleeping on deck or with the crew, and will have to eat after all the guests eat. After what I went through on my tuna story, this is the Four Seasons.  
As all the journeys start, I went from Manila to Singapore, then on to Bali. Am just about to board my flight to where the boat is: Bima. About an hour flight from Bali. 
 
On board Merpati M2622   10:36 A.M.
I thought it was going to be a little plane, but it turned out to be a Fokker 100 Jet. I think my Indonesian friend was trying to scare me when I said I was flying on Merpati going to Bima. He said, “Just put on your black-out mask, ear plugs, and take a few Valiums and you should be okay for your flight.” Anybody that knows me or that has read my articles knows that I am just a wee-bit shit-scared of flying. Especially in Indonesia. When I went to Raja Ampat, I actually took a Dormicum for an hour flight to Manado. It’s a 50-minute flight to Bima, so we should start descending any time now. It’s a beautiful day for flying, by the way. 
 
On board Siren   8:00 P.M.
Landed in Bima, a really barren town. Took quite a while to get to the pier where the boat was. Friday prayers = road block. Finally get to the boat, and it is a beautiful Phinisi (Indonesian sailboat).  Met some of the crew, checked out where I could plant my things (camera, laptop, etc.), and look for a spot where I will plant my ass for the next 10 days. Looks like I will be sleeping in various places. Most of the guests are European and American couples. Everybody is really nice 
. . . so far. Lunch was good: salad, sitaw (snake beans), and really good fried chicken. I just had dinner (great as well): veggie soup, garlic snapper, chicken, and beef curry. Yeah, I pretty much stuffed my guts. I think I might sleep with the compressor guy tonight. 

The site is called “Current City.” Crazy-ass current—up, down, sideways, you name it. Even the fish can’t swim in this shit. 

October 18 
West Komodo Island   9:08 A.M.
Slept under the stars last night until it got too cold, then transferred next to Charlie the compressor guy. Woke up at 5:00 A.M., sorted out the camera, and did our first dive at Batu Moncho. Gentle slope with coral Bommies, lots of Sweepers, big and friendly Cuttlefish, Fusiliers, and reef fish everywhere. But I must say that the highlight of the dive was running into another live-aboard, the Sea Star, which was packed to the rafters with honeys.
 
Gili Lawa Laut   12:29 P.M.
Just came up from the “lighthouse” dive again. Great coral in the shallows, a large White-tip shark, giant Sweetlips, lots of large Malabar grouper, Batfish, Snapper, Bumphead, Parrotfish, and three Napoleon Wrasse. Lunch was superb: squid and chili, lemongrass chicken in tomatoes (Thai style), salad, and kangkong. Punched a hole through the current, but managed to get back with the group. Am thinking of climbing the mast for some pics, but it looks a bit suspect. If I fall, I should be fine—but my D3 will be screwed. Going to think this one through.
 
5:00 P.M.
Just came off Crystal Rock, a submerged mound near the island. Great, great coral and fish life, giant Trevally and Sweetlips, Snappers, a few sharks, Napoleon Wrasse, milkfish, Spanish mackerel, and the freaking list goes on. . . . This island is quite different from other islands in the tropics. It is barren and has a desert-like feel to it. Apparently, the dry season lastsfor six months, and the land only turns green in the rainy season. 

8:48 P.M.
Good night dive. Housi, the Swiss divemaster, showed me a bunch of stuff—baby cuttlefish, squat lobster, Ghost Pipefish, and a few other critters on our dusk dive. Had dinner after a few beers, downloaded the pics, and am ready to hit the sack. Not much action as far as social scene goes. I can’t speak German. 

October 19 
Tatawa Besar Island
Slept on deck last night, and woke up next to a blonde. Well, not really—but one of the guests slept on deck as well. We are at an island between Komodo and Flores Islands, and the currents here are crazy.  Last April 8, divers got swept away, their boat ran out of fuel, and they were found some 36 hours later on an island. They claim to have fought off Komodo dragons on the island. So the site is called     “Current City.” No shit. Crazy-ass current—up, down, sideways, you name it. Even the fish can’t swim in this shit. Did manage to see three turtles, a Black-tip shark, and a school of giant Sweetlips that came pretty close. Took very few pictures, strobes going in all sorts of directions. Nice corals as well. Could be one of the strongest currents I have ever dove. 

Got to see three Komodo dragons, just lounging around like one of the guests. Big male got to hump the female after he woke up from a nap. Typical dude, I guess. 

On route to Pantai Merah   12:53 P.M.
Just did the second dive at Tatawa. No current this time, but was lucky enough to have a manta do a really close fly by. Lucky. Had a bunch of friendly turtles as well. The shallows are full of brilliant hard corals. Lunch was good as usual: Indonesian soup (similar to chicken mami) and fish with peanuts and tomatoes. Not much else is happening on the boat . . . pretty much sleep, eat, dive, eat, dive,  sleep.
South Komodo Island (ranger station) 
9:45 P.M.

It took forever and a day to get here from Tatawa Island. The currents were so strong that the boat was actually going backwards at one point. Looked at the speed, and we were traveling at 5 knots. Got into the water past 4:00 P.M. and, as promised, the water temperature has dropped 4°C from 28 to 24. Site is called Pantai Merah. Lots of fish: Fusiliers, Sweetlips, Groupers, Decks, and some good macro. 

Froze my ass off, cut the dive short, got back on the boat, and grabbed a beer. Screw it! Bag the night dive. Went to the ranger station which has a small resort—well, not really a resort. I don’t know of many resorts that have 9-foot lizards hanging from your hut. Yup, got to see three Komodo dragons, just lounging around like one of the guests. Big male got to hump the female after he woke up from a nap. Typical dude, I guess. There were some deer and wild pigs milling about as well. Talked to one of the guys that worked at the station, and he said that the Komodo dragons don’t eat pigs because they’ll get ganged up on by the other wild pigs if they decide to eat one of their brethren. Got back to the boat in time for dinner: satay and veggies. Yummy! The cold water from the third dive kicked my ass. Am going to hit the sack early. Looks like we might have a big day tomorrow.

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