Ethical Diving in Komodo National Park

A boat sits anchored off a dry, brown island. In the morning, a ranger walks guests along a trail where a Komodo dragon may be resting in the shade. In the afternoon, the same guests slip into a channel where reef manta rays glide through the current. I can hardly think of a place that asks more of a visitor’s manners. That is what ethical diving in Komodo National Park comes down to: respect for the animals on land and in the water, and honest planning around the park’s limits.

The short answer, if you are planning a trip: Komodo is a World Heritage park with strong currents, a famous manta population and a new daily visitor cap introduced in 2026. Book with an operator who can explain how they behave around mantas, and check the current rules before you travel.

One park, two remarkable stories

Komodo National Park was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. It covers a group of rugged islands and the sea around them in eastern Indonesia. It is known for the Komodo dragon, the largest living lizard, and for rich marine life. In its 2025 assessment, the IUCN’s World Heritage Outlook rates the site’s overall conservation outlook as “significant concern”, while it rates the natural values themselves as low concern. A useful reminder that a famous place is not automatically a safe one.

For divers, the park is part of the Coral Triangle, a region famous for its marine diversity. I will not claim to know exactly why every site is so rich, because the oceanography is complex. But currents moving through narrow channels between islands are a big part of the story. They are also the reason the diving here can be demanding.

What the research says about the mantas

The best evidence comes from a 2022 study in the journal PeerJ by Germanov and colleagues, with the Marine Megafauna Foundation. They used photographs from divers and operators taken between 2013 and 2018 at four popular sites: Cauldron, Karang Makassar, Mawan and Manta Alley. From those photos, the team identified 1,085 individual reef manta rays. That makes Komodo one of the largest known reef manta aggregations in the region.

The study also carries two warnings. First, fishing gear injuries appeared on 56 individuals, about 5%, and injuries from predators on 32, about 3%. Second, the Marine Megafauna Foundation’s summary reports that tourism use of the aggregation sites increased by 34% during the study period. I could not find that last number in the paper’s text, so please read it as a summary figure. Fishing for manta rays was banned in the park in 2013, a year before nationwide protection in 2014, which is good news. But a site loved by divers is also a site under pressure.

How to dive with mantas without disturbing them

I do not know of a single official rulebook that covers every manta site in Komodo. So I will describe how we look at it at Ocean Calling, and what to ask any operator. We never touch, chase or block an animal’s path, and we do not use flash. We stay low and let the manta decide. Anyone may skip any dive, and we never promise a sighting.

Ask the operator how many divers are on a site at the same time, and how they brief the group. A good answer is specific and a little proud. A vague answer is information too. Our article on the different roles of Komodo’s manta sites and the one about tourism pressure on the mantas go deeper. If you are taking pictures, a simple underwater or action camera, used without flash and from a distance, is enough. No photograph is worth a manta leaving.

Wildlife encounters are unpredictable. Diving with manta rays should always follow local regulations and experienced professional guidance.

The dragons and the conservation layer

In 2021, the IUCN moved the Komodo dragon from Vulnerable to Endangered on the Red List. Reports of the assessment say rising seas linked to climate change are expected to shrink the lizard’s small habitat by at least 30 percent. The time frame and exact numbers vary between news reports (some say 30 to 40 years, others 45), so I prefer to say only that the IUCN expects a significant loss of habitat. The dragon lives only in Komodo National Park and nearby Flores.

This matters for travellers, because the same changes that threaten the dragons, like rising seas and warming water, also threaten the reefs where we dive. I wrote more about this in Komodo dragons, climate and safe havens. On land, the practical rule is simple. Go only with a ranger or an operator that follows the park’s instructions, keep your distance, and never feed or tempt an animal. Dragons are wild predators. Avoid any operator who offers a staged or baited encounter.

Is there a visitor limit in Komodo National Park in 2026?

Yes, at least on paper. In early April 2026, reports say Indonesia began capping visitors to Komodo National Park at 1,000 per day, with online registration through a system called SiORA. A local news report from 7 April 2026 quotes a park official calling it a trial. The same report says the system did not yet enforce the limit consistently, and that the cap had been exceeded at least once. In 2025 the park recorded around 432,217 visitors, according to a liveaboard operator, which explains why the authorities wanted a limit.

What does it mean for you? Booking ahead matters, especially from July to October, when operators say space fills early. Different sources report different entry fees, so do not trust a single blog. Ask your operator for the current fee and check with the park authority. My honest summary: the rules are new, may still change, and are not yet applied the same way every day. Our article on the visitor quota for divers follows the story.

What to ask before you book

Ask which sites the operator plans to visit and why, and whether they reduce group size on busy sites. Ask how they handle current, since it can be strong here, and whether the trip suits your level. Ask who holds the park permits. Our ethical dive operator guide lists what we check. For snorkellers, the habits in how to snorkel without damaging coral apply fully.

Bring less, and bring it well. A roll-top dry bag protects phones on a small boat, and a long-sleeved rash guard means you need less sunscreen. And remember that flying to Indonesia has a real carbon cost, so a longer stay with fewer flights is kinder than a quick trip. If this made you curious about travelling the ocean this way, you can explore our upcoming retreats.

Questions people ask

Wildlife encounters are never guaranteed and never forced. Ocean Calling works only with vetted, ethical local operators, and every animal is free to approach, or not, entirely on its own terms.