...Highlights: whale sharks, great macro life/ marine diversity...
...Diving environment: wall dives, drift diving, beginner and advanced divers...
The rugged, sprawling land mass of Sumbawa, with its many jutting and twisted peninsulas, forms plenty of protected bays for its islands dotted along the north coast such as Moyo, Sangeang and Satonda. These sheltered and varied havens offer crystal-clear waters, deep and vibrant walls, steaming underwater volcanic vents, fertile breeding grounds and conditions that are perfect for some fantastic muck diving opportunities.
Lying between the islands of Lombok to the west and Komodo to the east, Sumbawa Island is consequently visited as part of the itineraries of the Indonesia liveaboard diving cruises that run between Bali and Komodo Island. However, in the last few years some pioneering liveaboards have started to include Saleh Bay ('Teluk Saleh' in Bahasa) in their itineraries, where whale sharks come to feed on krill and on the discarded remains from fisherman bagans.
Previously overlooked as just a convenient port of call onto the better dive destinations that are further on to the east, Sumbawa scuba diving now has a trump card in Saleh, in addition to vast schools of countless triggerfish and butterflyfish, macro sightings of blue-ringed octopus, clown frogfish and nudibranchs, numerous reef sharks and tunas in the deep walled sections.
Allied to the scuba diving are the topside visual attractions of volcanoes and enormous bat colonies, and you'll soon have enough reasons to plunge deep and explore the spectacular underwater tapestry that surounds the island of Sumbawa.
As there are no dive resorts on the island, you're only options are a liveaboard safari running from Bali to Komodo, or one that departs from Bima in Sumbawa, or Lombok to Komodo. The dive sites are handily placed along the northern coastline of Sumbawa for these trips to visit them all.
And any cruise that includes Komodo in its itinerary is going to be a memorable experience. The diversity there is incredible, with the national park holding reefs that are full of life, from giant-sized manta rays, tuna and dolphins, to tiny seahorses, frogfish and blue-ringed octopus.
For more information on the tour routes and durations, and all the other travel information you might need to visit Indonesia, check out our Sumbawa liveaboard section.
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The season for scuba diving in Sumbawa runs all year round but overall the best conditions are from April to November. January to March can experience inclement weather.
With water temperatures ranging between 24 and 28°C, it is often a little warmer in Sangeang than in Komodo National Park, where you will also likely be diving. The visibility is normally very good here and also superior to many of Komodo's dive sites. Visit the Meteoblue website for more information on the climate of Sumbawa.
Whale sharks can be found in Saleh Bay all year round. Some claim that there are more whale shark sightings during the dry season (especially May to September) but, while that may be true, this is simply because there are more visitors to the area at that time and not because there are more sharks in the bay.
Review our maps below of Komodo, showing the location of Sumbawa, and its host country Indonesia. Here, you will find information on how to get to the various ports of departure in Indonesia, from where you will cruise to Sumbawa.
5 - >40m
10 - 35m
Can be strong
Calm
24 - 28°C
Beginner - intermediate
8
~150 km east of Bali (8 hours) and 30 km west of Komodo (2 hours)
2 - 3 days
Fast e-mail response to our questions and inquiries. We had 2 trips booked to 2 different operators and you planned the best one for the end and not for the beginning and that was clever
Sumbawa liveaboards