News
Sudamala to Open 5-Star Diving Resort Close to Komodo National Park in Indonesia
Sudamala will open its third luxury resort at Pulau Sebayur Besar (Sebayur Island) on the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara, a prime jumping off point to some of the world’s most incredible diving in and around Komodo National Park, home of the famous Komodo Dragons.
The architect chosen for the Sudamala Komodo Villas and Dive Resort is Yori Antar of Han Awal & Partners Architects while Hidajat Endramukti of Endramukti Design will take on the interior design.
The resort is scheduled to open in summer 2017.
Resorts Director, and daughter of the owner, Emily Subrata said the national park and surrounding islands were ‘pure diving nirvana’ and guests would encounter an other-worldly wonderland with architecture in the vernacular Labuan Bajo style, reminiscent of Papuan architecture, lush tropical jungle and pristine waters as their playground, and the group’s renowned touches of art and artisanship will also be a feature.
“We expect around 80% of our guests will be divers,” Ms Subrata said. “We are talking about very pristine and protected dive sites. Sea turtles, manta rays, mum and dad sharks deposit the baby sharks in the local mangrove. We have established our dive centres at Sanur and Lombok and this will be the extension of that as well as the jewel in our crown. We must be as mindful and sustainable as we can. We will be using recycled materials where we can. We will need to generate our own power and desalinate our own water, so it’s a big undertaking.”
Komodo National Park is located in the centre of the Indonesian archipelago, between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, and was set up to protect the only known habitat of the unique and fearsome Komodo dragon (Varanus Komodoensis), huge monitor lizards that can bring down a cow or adult human, and represent a living link to the dinosaurs.
The national park was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 and includes three major islands: Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as numerous smaller islands creating a total surface area (marine and land) of 1,817km. It is also home to the orange-footed scrub fowl and the Timor deer, as well as one of the richest marine environments including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, seamounts, and semi-enclosed bays, harbouring more than 1,000 species of fish, some 260 species of reef-building coral, and 70 species of sponges. Dugong, sharks, manta rays, at least 14 species of whales, dolphins, and sea turtles also make Komodo National Park their home.
“Sebayur Island, 30 minutes on boat from the nearest domestic airport of Labuan Bajo, is still quite remote, with the biggest resort on the same island now about 25 rooms. It’s an exciting part of the world to visit; Flores itself is 450km long and you have triple-coloured crater lakes, smoke belching volcanos, and at the other end they still harpoon sperm whales like in Moby Dick. Komodo is like a real life Jurassic Park, so that will be a big draw of course. But mostly, it’s going to be about the diving,” said Ms Subrata.
Sudamala Resorts also operates Sudamala Suites & Villas, Sanur, Bali and Sudamala Suites & Villas, Senggigi, Lombok.
For more information regarding Sudamala Resorts, visit www.sudamalaresorts.com.
Source: www.asiatraveltips.com
Today we are diving one of the outer reefs from an inflatable. As we reach the bottom, a reef octopus eases its way into the cover of a small crack in the coral while displaying it’s incredible ability to change colour. They are arguably one of the most charismatic of reef dwellers and it is always exciting for me to simply hover and watch. I would have spent longer and waited for it to come and investigate me, but as dive time is limited we wanted to move on and find a turtle.
The waters around Somabay are well protected and hold a rich variety of marine life. The reef edges are thriving colonies of coral and shoaling fish, while nearer the sea bed plenty of wildlife is still to be found.
Then we located the turtles. They are very used to divers and so show little concern when slowly approached. In fact occasionally one will come over to see what you are doing. There is always huge excitement when diving with a turtle. The shear thrill of sharing a moment with another species.
What a fantastic way to finish a wonderful few days diving and I would like to thank SOMABAY, ORCA DIVING and THE BREAKERS for making my stay such a good one.
I had a great time, with diving everyday either on the house reef or on one of the offshore reefs by inflatable or larger day boat. Orca diving provided high quality equipment and facilities while the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. The Breakers was right on the coast with nice rooms, good food and once again friendly staff making the whole trip a real pleasure.
Soma Bay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds.
As well as scuba diving, Somabay caters for many other sports and activities, and so is perfect for families as well as individuals and/or groups. And of course there is always time to lay peacefully on the beach under the Egyptian sun.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
Day three of my trip to Somabay and we were spending the day on the Lady Christina and diving on the wreck of the Salem Express.
Diving wrecks for me is always one of mixed emotions. The excitement of diving a wreck is more than often tempered by the thought of loss of life when she sank. The Salem Express was a passenger ship and a roll-on/roll-off ferry travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt. Most passengers were of poor class travelling home from their holidays while around 150 people were returning home from their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ship struck a reef and sank within 20 minutes. Passengers were trapped below deck and the ship was filled with fear and panic.
The wreck area is strewn with personal belongings from the crew and passengers such as a transistor radio and a flat iron for clothes. A diver at sometime has put them in a prominent place to be seen.
Tragically only one life boat was launched while the others went down with the ship. More than 600 men, women and children lost their lives here.
It’s a stark reminder that the sea can be unforgiving and so when we dive on such wrecks we should do so with humble regard.
Returning to the surface, shoals of fish are gathered under our boat and seem to be welcoming us back into the light.
Back at the Breakers I sat in the dining area with a beer and a very good meal while my thoughts still remained with the day’s dive on the Salem Express.
Check in for part 3 tomorrow for Jeff’s last day of diving with Somabay on the off-shore reefs looking for turtles.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
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