Kweilin
New
I just posted on a different thread but just found this Asia-specific one.
I seldom post on chat boards, but a recent trip was too wonderful to not pass along the information. My family (four of us) and I had an amazing trip on a sailboat in Flores, Indonesia a couple of months ago. We left from Labuan Bajo, Flores in June and could not have been happier with the scuba diving, the sailboat, and the crew. The sailboat was called Ikan Terbang and was built by a French man (Maurice) and his son (Jerome). They also sail out of Sulawesi, Indonesia for part of the year, so if youd like to go with them (which I **HIGHLY** recommend), you should email them to see where they are during the month of your planned vacation.
The sailboat is beautiful and has a compression tank on board. We did three dives a day (although you can do more or less if you feel like it) and saw incredible fish and corral. Weve dived all over the worldHonduras, Thailand, Bermuda, Hawaii, etc. and this was by far the most amazing spot in terms of both fish and colorful corral. We saw many white-tip and black-tip sharks, spotted rays, eels, lobsters, parrot fish, napoleon fish, clown fish, bat fish, lion fish, giant sweet lips, grouper, marlins, angel fish, trigger fish, surgeon fish, giant travelly, blue travelly, Picasso fish, fusiller fish, unicorn fish, clams, sea anemones, sand guppies, and demoiselle. The best dive was at Castle Rock which we decided to do twice. The visibility was amazingly clear and there were fish and corral everywhere. We also saw many sea turtles and even petted one that was not shy at all. The sharks were numerous and quite close but not dangerous at all. On the last day we also had a group of about 12 dolphins that played around the front and back of the sailboat for quite a while. It was beautiful and the weather was perfect.
We typically slept on deck at night, even though there were very comfortable beds down below, because it was so beautiful under the stars. The French father and son team Maurice and Jerome-- were amazing. They were so attentive and helpful and did everything they could to make sure we had a great vacation. Maurice, the father, is a champion fisherman (he won 7th place in the World Fishing Championships) and he caches fresh fish during the day. There are also plenty of fresh fruits, fresh fruit juice, vegetables, and meat if you prefer, however. Jerome, the son, is a trained French chef as well as a dive master. You couldnt find a better or nicer pair of people to lead your scuba diving trip. They man the boat with the help of a two-person Indonesian team. Depa is the captain and Darna is the machinist who refills the scuba tanks with the air compressor.
Maurice and Jerome usually charge US$100 per day per diver. This includes your three dives a day as well as your accommodations on the sailboat as well as all your food which is cooked by a great French chef (Jerome). It is WELL worth the price and will be an unforgettable vacation. It is definitely the best vacation we have ever taken. Sleeping under the stars and waking up to some of the best scuba diving around is wonderful. The sailboat can sleep up to 4 people very comfortably and could probably fit 6 people if it were a family.
If you are interested in contacting Jerome, their contact information is below. They are sometimes out at sea so they may take a few days to respond:
Jerome Cordier (Ikan Terbang sailboat in Labuan Bajo and Sulawesi, Indonesia)
Mobile Phone: 0813 4260 9186 (Indonesia), or: 0815 2443 5752 (Indonesia)
Email: divetastique@yahoo.fr
Website: www.geocities.com/divetastique
Enjoy the beautiful diving! I know you will not regret your trip. Our vacation was truly amazing.
I seldom post on chat boards, but a recent trip was too wonderful to not pass along the information. My family (four of us) and I had an amazing trip on a sailboat in Flores, Indonesia a couple of months ago. We left from Labuan Bajo, Flores in June and could not have been happier with the scuba diving, the sailboat, and the crew. The sailboat was called Ikan Terbang and was built by a French man (Maurice) and his son (Jerome). They also sail out of Sulawesi, Indonesia for part of the year, so if youd like to go with them (which I **HIGHLY** recommend), you should email them to see where they are during the month of your planned vacation.
The sailboat is beautiful and has a compression tank on board. We did three dives a day (although you can do more or less if you feel like it) and saw incredible fish and corral. Weve dived all over the worldHonduras, Thailand, Bermuda, Hawaii, etc. and this was by far the most amazing spot in terms of both fish and colorful corral. We saw many white-tip and black-tip sharks, spotted rays, eels, lobsters, parrot fish, napoleon fish, clown fish, bat fish, lion fish, giant sweet lips, grouper, marlins, angel fish, trigger fish, surgeon fish, giant travelly, blue travelly, Picasso fish, fusiller fish, unicorn fish, clams, sea anemones, sand guppies, and demoiselle. The best dive was at Castle Rock which we decided to do twice. The visibility was amazingly clear and there were fish and corral everywhere. We also saw many sea turtles and even petted one that was not shy at all. The sharks were numerous and quite close but not dangerous at all. On the last day we also had a group of about 12 dolphins that played around the front and back of the sailboat for quite a while. It was beautiful and the weather was perfect.
We typically slept on deck at night, even though there were very comfortable beds down below, because it was so beautiful under the stars. The French father and son team Maurice and Jerome-- were amazing. They were so attentive and helpful and did everything they could to make sure we had a great vacation. Maurice, the father, is a champion fisherman (he won 7th place in the World Fishing Championships) and he caches fresh fish during the day. There are also plenty of fresh fruits, fresh fruit juice, vegetables, and meat if you prefer, however. Jerome, the son, is a trained French chef as well as a dive master. You couldnt find a better or nicer pair of people to lead your scuba diving trip. They man the boat with the help of a two-person Indonesian team. Depa is the captain and Darna is the machinist who refills the scuba tanks with the air compressor.
Maurice and Jerome usually charge US$100 per day per diver. This includes your three dives a day as well as your accommodations on the sailboat as well as all your food which is cooked by a great French chef (Jerome). It is WELL worth the price and will be an unforgettable vacation. It is definitely the best vacation we have ever taken. Sleeping under the stars and waking up to some of the best scuba diving around is wonderful. The sailboat can sleep up to 4 people very comfortably and could probably fit 6 people if it were a family.
If you are interested in contacting Jerome, their contact information is below. They are sometimes out at sea so they may take a few days to respond:
Jerome Cordier (Ikan Terbang sailboat in Labuan Bajo and Sulawesi, Indonesia)
Mobile Phone: 0813 4260 9186 (Indonesia), or: 0815 2443 5752 (Indonesia)
Email: divetastique@yahoo.fr
Website: www.geocities.com/divetastique
Enjoy the beautiful diving! I know you will not regret your trip. Our vacation was truly amazing.
