komodo LOB trip - how advanced do you need to be?

[shirtz]

hi all, am planning a LOB around komodo late September 2018. I have nearly 100 dives and done nitrox and AOW. looking at a few LOB boats online and many say "minimum 50 dives AOW"

ive also heard there is often strong currents around komodo. how advanced would you consider the diving? my partner is OW with 20 plus dives. is nervous at the start but gets into it

should we be looking elsewhere in late sept?

 

[WetPup]

How comfortable are you in strong currents? I don't think the diving is especially advanced, but you need to be comfortable with doing negative entries and insane currents at some dive sites. Good operators will explain the current situation for each site - if it sounds like something you or your partner are uncomfortable with, sit the dive out.

 

[shirtz]

thanks for the reply pup, to be honest I don't enjoy strong currents, love drift dives but kicking against a current till im exhausted is not my idea of a fun time.

 

[WetPup]

It is drift diving, but it can be in very strong currents. Negative entry and be comfortable shooting up a dsmb for the boat to pick you up at the end. There's a few washing machine currents around, but a good op will notify you which dive sites this happens at, and you can sit them out. Even some experienced divers don't like them and will sit them out

 

[Adelaar Cruises]

Komodo is advanced diving and subjected to strong currents as you are already aware. Some dive sites are in bays but you should expect a lot of drift dives in general, and some split dives as well, where you would have to maintain yourself in a strong current and kick to get to a good spot at the start. Most of the drift dives also require kicking at times due to the topography of the dive site and the currents hitting it. With this in mind, you can make a more informed decision about joining a trip to Komodo. You might want to look into trips with dates away from the full and new moon. Good operators usually do a current check allowing you to decide if you prefer to sit the dive out. You could also look at operators with several tenders who might offer you an alternative dive site in case the current is strong (you would also need a guide). There is also proper techniques to dive in current, which a good guide will teach you.

 

[shirtz]

thanks for all the replies guys. im feeling we might have to look elsewhere, especially for my partner who is a nervous diver anyway.

 

[KenGordon]

thanks for all the replies guys. im feeling we might have to look elsewhere, especially for my partner who is a nervous diver anyway.

I did a Komodo liveaboard, as well as a few days land based, a couple of years ago. On the liveaboard the third person assigned to ‘our’ DM started with 14 dives. There was also a boy of about 12 and someone doing AOW. Land based there was a lady doing her OW course.

There was the odd dive where you needed to fin to stay still, and strong finning was required to hook in one Manta dive. Mostly though the current wasn’t an issue. Divers will always lose vs the tide or current, so no plan that requires a lot of strong finning is a good plan. The boat was very conscious about the state of the water before letting us in, and at the surface it did look pretty dramatic close to underwater pinnacles.

With 100 dives you ought to be ok. The diving is excellent and may spoil you though. I suggest going to places you thing are great at the time but you look back on as rubbish when you get to the really good places. On the other hand, don’t leave it too long as coral reefs are not going to last.

A nervous buddy is a different issue and you may want to have a think about how to improve that. Working up gradually is usually the best way to gain confidence. Going to a place with a reputation for being hard isn’t ideal for that, even if the diving is easy enough really.

 

[shirtz]

thank you all for your help. now looking at sipidan (again!) but adding in a trip to Sangalaki or maybe going to Palawan.

 

[acidrush]

Do a week of diving in Bali with a good shop. Better still get a drift speciality course while there. After a week diving around nusa penida, you will be good to go for komodo.

 

[komodotravel]

It is drift diving, but it can be in very strong currents. Negative entry and be comfortable shooting up a dsmb for the boat to pick you up at the end. There's a few washing machine currents around, but a good op will notify you which dive sites this happens at, and you can sit them out. Even some experienced divers don't like them and will sit them out

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