Loh Sera dive site

Loh Sera dive site is a wall dive site in Komodo National Park, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.

Overview

Loh Sera sits along the southwestern coastline of Komodo Island, a stretch of the park that sees significantly less dive traffic than the central and northern zones. The site is associated with the bay of Loh Sera, a remote inlet framed by rugged volcanic cliffs dropping directly into the water. The wall at this site descends steeply from around 5 metres to beyond 30 metres, its face encrusted with sea fans, barrel sponges, and soft coral colonies that thrive in the strong tidal surges funnelled along this exposed coast.

The wall’s upper section hosts a rich garden of hard corals down to about 12 metres, below which soft corals and large gorgonians dominate. The deeper wall face is a visually dramatic environment, with overhangs sheltering resting whitetip reef sharks and crevices populated by moray eels and lobsters. The open water off the wall frequently holds pelagic species — dogtooth tuna, rainbow runners, and trevally are encountered here, and the combination of wall terrain and open-ocean exposure makes Loh Sera a site suited to divers who want a genuine deep-water wall experience.

Currents at Loh Sera can be powerful and unpredictable, particularly on the outgoing tide when cold water masses from the south — drawn through the Sape Strait — accelerate along the exposed headlands. Advanced buoyancy control is essential, and divers must be comfortable aborting a dive if conditions deteriorate. The site’s remoteness means rescue response times are longer than at central park sites, reinforcing the advanced classification.

Key Species

• Whitetip reef sharks resting in wall overhangs
• Large gorgonian sea fans and barrel sponges on the mid-wall
• Dogtooth tuna and rainbow runners in open water
• Moray eels and lionfish in wall crevices
• Occasional Napoleon wrasse patrolling the wall edge

Dive Profile

Divers descend along the wall face, typically following the contour between 10 and 25 metres to balance pelagic sightings with the rich encrusting life of the upper wall. The current is used to drift along the wall, with ascent planned against a natural corner or pinnacle that provides shelter. Maximum depth on most dives is 25–30 m; the wall extends deeper for technical divers.

Conditions

Attribute	Details
Depth range	5–30+ m
Visibility	10–20 m (highly variable with cold upwellings)
Current	Strong, directionally variable — advanced divers only
Water temperature	22–28°C (thermoclines common, cold water possible)
Best season	April–November; check conditions carefully
Entry/Exit	Boat — advanced drift management required

Tips for Divers

Loh Sera is best dived during slack water or on a controlled incoming current that holds divers against the wall face. Cold upwellings from the south can drop water temperatures significantly, so a 5 mm wetsuit is advisable. The site is typically visited on longer southern Komodo liveaboard itineraries — day trips from Labuan Bajo do not reach this area. A dive guide with local knowledge of tidal timing is strongly recommended.

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