Horseshoes and Dragons

Mark Webster · Issue 46, Jan/Feb 2009 · pp. 50–54

Products mentioned: Nikon F90X, Nikon D100, Nikon D200, Light and Motion Titan housing, Subal ND20, Sea & Sea YS120, Isotecnic 33TTL, Inon Quad flash, Inon wet lens, 10.5mm FE, 105mm micro, 28-200mm zoom, Ektachrome Elite 100

Rinca Island recently featured in the international and diving press as the landfall for a group of divers who had been swept away by strong currents following a dive in the Komodo National Park. Much was made of the wild nature of the island and the danger of the local population of Komodo dragons which the survivors apparently had to fend off. However, Rinca Island has built a reputation amongst underwater photographers in the know for very different reasons – the defining feature of this island is Horseshoe bay which has perhaps the finest selection of dive sites in the Komodo National Park. The Komodo National Park is so unique that UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1989. Non divers will certainly have heard of the fabled Komodo Dragon and the majority of the visitors to the park are intent on seeing them and the other prolific wildlife. But many of them do not realise that…