Recommend Komodo Liveaboards with best DM to guest ratio?

[Dan]

Dived Cocos in Costa Rica and the travelling required more days than actual diving!
The main reason why I never bother with Galapagos.

Not sure how Cocos & Galapagos are coming into this Komodo liveaboard conversation. Since OP is from USA, the traveling to Cocos & Galapagos would be shorter than to Komodo for sure.

Going to Cocos, you would need to fly to San Jose, Costa Rica. For example from Houston would be 3.5 hour flight to San Jose. Then you need to take a 2-hour ground transport to Puntarenas to board the boat and 35-hour crossing to Cocos. For more details, please read Trip Report - Diving in Cocos Dec. 2020 Trip Report

Going to Galapagos would be much shorter than to Cocos. No crossing, since you can fly to Galapagos (Baltra or San Cristobal). For more detail, please read How is diving in Galapagos in December?

 

[Dan]

Mermaid liveaboards do some muck diving in their trip so lembeh should not be needed. About 8 of the dives are in volcanic ash and black sand. I like the variety of the divesites they do. Blue,green and very green water. Black sand, light brown sand and volcanic ash. Komodo Indonesia - reefscenics

True! I remember muck diving in Bubbles & Hot Rocks in Sangeang, also in Unusual Suspects, Bima Harbor, on our way to Komodo from Bali, on Mermaid1, one of the best liveaboard diving I did in Indonesia.

 

[Dan]

just curious, does Mermaid I/II and/or White Manta provides 15 liter air tank in addition to regular 12L tank?

Also Blue Manta.

 

[Centrals]

Not sure how Cocos & Galapagos are coming into this Komodo liveaboard conversation. Since OP is from USA, the traveling to Cocos & Galapagos would be shorter than to Komodo for sure.

#11
Time to spend on travelling than actual diving.
The round trip boat journey to Cocos took 72 hrs(36hrs each way on Undersea Hunter).

 

[Dan]

#11
Time to spend on travelling than actual diving.
The round trip boat journey to Cocos took 72 hrs(36hrs each way on Undersea Hunter).

Feels like New York--Bali--Manado (for Lembeh land based diving)--Bali--Labuan Bajo (for Komodo LoB)--Bali--New York has more non-flight days than I planned.

#11
How long of flight time, including transit, from New York to Manado, Makassar, Denpasar, Labuan Bajo and back to New York do you think would take him?

Plus the jetlag. It took me a week of sleeping at crazy hours (5am to noon) to get rid of my jetlag after diving in Palau for 2 weeks (Dec 11-26, 2021).

 

[Dan]

Feels like New York--Bali--Manado (for Lembeh land based diving)--Bali--Labuan Bajo (for Komodo LoB)--Bali--New York has more non-flight days than I planned.

At least you would travel in Summer, not in the Winter, like going to Raja Ampat.

Seeing 2700 flights delays & cancellations in past week due to Omicron & snow storm in western USA in the past week, I was lucky to not miss my flight connection. Some of my buddies weren’t as lucky.

 

[Dan]

#11
Time to spend on travelling than actual diving.
The round trip boat journey to Cocos took 72 hrs(36hrs each way on Undersea Hunter).

Don’t forget about the required 24-hour no flight time after a week of intense divings, gear drying & packing that you can use / do during the 34-36 hour return crossing.

 

[Centrals]

#11
How long of flight time, including transit, from New York to Manado, Makassar, Denpasar, Labuan Bajo and back to New York do you think would take him?

Plus the jetlag. It took me a week of sleeping at crazy hours (5am to noon) to get rid of my jetlag after diving in Palau for 2 weeks (Dec 11-26, 2021).

How long would it take to fly from HK to San Jose?
Do you know how many days I have to spend on travelling(including overnighting at Fort Worth for the connection) for the trip. It is a lot longer than all the diving days.
You do not know what you do not know!

Drying the gear on the boat!!!!! JOKE. All cover with crystalized salt when dried and I have to wash it again back home.
I have done plenty of LoB and have to wash the gear when returned home.

 

[Dan]

How long would it take to fly from HK to San Jose?
Do you know how many days I have to spend on travelling(including overnighting at Fort Worth for the connection) for the trip. It is a lot longer than all the diving days.
You do not know what you do not know!

Drying the gear on the boat!!!!! JOKE. All cover with crystalized salt when dried and I have to wash it again back home.
I have done plenty of LoB and have to wash the gear when returned home.

He’s from USA, not Hong Kong.

Dry gears are better than wet ones, especially when you’re overweighted for check-in luggages.

 

[Centrals]

He’s from USA, not Hong Kong.

Dry gears are better than wet ones, especially when you’re overweighted for check-in luggages.

I am aware of that.
I was merely comparing travelling to destination!
I have never ever paid excess luggage including tec gear. 20kg is all I need to dive in tropical warm water no matter what kind of diving I am doing. BTW, my hand carried also never exceeded 7kg!
I have never ever seen any divers boarding any flight with dripping wet gear.