Budget Komodo liveaboard recommendation?

[hhsuey]

Hi, I'm travelling to Bali in September. Does anyone have a recommendation for a Komodo/Bali liveaboard that takes off from Bali? Ideally it would be shorter than 5/6 days, allow for beginner diver (about 10-20 dives), and is budget friendly.

 

[Mike Veitch]

I think you will be happier with a boat that leaves to and from Labuan Bajo in order to be able to dive in Komodo Natl Park. If you can only do a max of 5 days then departing from Bali will be difficult as it takes 2 days to get to Komodo from Bali. One boat that does 7 night cruises from Bali to Komodo that you might want to check out is the Mermaid, although its a nice boat that I wouldn't classify as budget so may be more expensive than you are willing to pay. There are quite a few "budget" boats based in Komodo itself, have a look at Wicked Diving for one that gets decent reviews

 

[OnTheSpot]

As mentioned above the Mermaid II is not quite low budget but compared to a lot of other liveaboards in the area it is a little cheaper. It does depart from Bali but only has a 7 night option. You will have a lot more options if you get yourself to Labuan Bajo, the Felicia offers trips from as short as 1 night so you may be able to work something out there. Not sure if you experienced the diving around Bali but it's excellent and 5/6 day resort packages at Tulamben maybe more suitable for your budget and experience. Whatever you decide the diving in this region is fantastic and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

 

[Hintermann]

I have booked myself of Mermaid II in June 2014. It is a week's cruise of Komodo NP with 20 dives plus a land visit to the park to see you-know-what. I am also doing (land based) a 3-day dive trip to Nusa Penida to (hopefully) see some early-bird Ocean Sunfish and 14 dives in Tulamben on the same trip.

While it is not a "budget boat", costwise the Mermaid II is reasonable IMO. There are 2 classes of cabins as well.