Komodo Island Photo Gallery

Images from Komodo, Indonesia
by Burt Jones and Maurine Shimlock - Secret Sea Visions

"Indonesia is the heart and soul of the world's greatest marine biological province. No other place on our planet supports such incredible biodiversity. From its vantage point near the middle of the Indonesian island chain, Komodo National Park, exclusive habitat of earth's largest lizard, the Komodo dragon, is also home to the world's smallest seahorse, Hippocampus bargibanti. Since 1994 we have made twice-yearly trips to Indonesia to photography the fierce dragon, the pygmy seahorse, and a wealth of other terrestrial and undersea wonders. Life thrives within a seemingly endless variety of habitats: isolated offshore islands, fringing reefs, sheltered bays, weather-beaten rocky coast, mangrove swamps, seagrass beds, extensive shallows, and precipitous drop-offs."

Hannibal the Cannibal surveys his domain

Beneath the Dragons Realm

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Please do not use any of these images or text without prior written permission.
Site copyrighted by Kenneth D. Knezick - Island Dreams, Inc. ©
Komodo photos copyrighted by Burt Jones & Maurine Shimlock - Secret Sea Visions ©

"Why do Indonesia in general and Komodo in particular support such an extraordinary variety of marine life? The complex answer is based on a unique combination of past and present biological and physical factors. Indonesia forms an archipelago of nearly 20,000 islands that span more than three thousand miles across forty-six degrees of longitude. Species diverge whenever they are isolated from their ancestral populations. Indonesia's vast distances and sheer number of islands have caused many species to fragment then form new populations with increasing frequency, resulting in astounding diversity.

"As marine naturalists and underwater photographers, the thing we have enjoyed most about diving in Komodo National Park is its unpredictable nature. Think of the Komodo area as a gigantic rotary beater thoroughly blending its larval brew. We never know which variation of the mix we will encounter, large pelagics, planktonic jellyfish, or tiny seahorses. Because of our many years of experience in Komodo, we have found a few secret spots in the park where we are able to do repetitive dives despite tidal changes and swirling currents, but these places are remote and wild. And that's the way we hope Komodo will always stay."

Burt Jones & Maurine Shimlock - Secret Sea Visions