Learning to unwind in the Komodo National Park

Located off the west side of the island of Flores in Indonesia, the Komodo National Park is home to ancient giant lizards (Komodo Dragons) and some of the best dive sites in the world. It is a truly fascinating and unspoilt island world that has a unique sense of mystery and wonderment to it.

We went on a four night liveaboard dive trip with Dive Komdo on their boat Tatawa. We could not have been happier with these guys, the local crew were awesome, the dive instructors were knowledgeable, the food was amazing (even more amazing when you see the tiny size of the “kitchen”!), the boat clean and comfortable.

Now onto the diving, it was seriously incredible. We would dive three or four times each day, and every single time were left with a feeling of amazement at the array of life in the National Park. We saw a huge variety of fish and coral, several types of reef shark, sea snakes, sea turtles, crabs, octopus and my favourite, manta rays. There's nothing quite like the feeling you get watching these magnificent creatures glide around you.

This was our first time doing liveaboard diving and I don’t think we’ll ever go back to doing day trips. There are so many benefits to being on a live aboard – you can wait for the perfect tides because you don’t have to be back in harbour by a certain time, you wake up and dive before the day boats have even headed out, and of course you get to do night dives.

Not only this, but it is so relaxed. You fall into a rhythm of dive, eat, sleep, repeat, only broken by sea gazing, drinking tea and reading books. Of an evening locals would pull up alongside our boat and try to sell us some dragon carvings, but were really there to get some hot water from Tatawa for their tea and coffee.

This trip reminded me how to just be. Somewhere along the way of all the hustle and bustle and busyness of life I had forgotten how to stop, slow down and surrender. On Tatawa I would find myself just sitting, quietly gazing out to sea, our boat anchored in a gorgeous still bay. There was no internet, phone reception, television or computers, no social media and buzzing of notifications. I felt close to nature, close to myself, and it was bliss.

Watching the sun set over craggy islands that look like they haven’t changed in a thousand years, after a day spent diving with manta rays, sharks and turtles it’s impossible not to feel like you’ve found paradise.