The right Komodo liveaboard

[whalesharkgaz]

Hello all.

We are currently in Sumatra heading east and are planning to do a Komodo liveaboard, for 7-10 days hopefully.
Initial research suggests a lot of boats, many from bali but also from Labuanbajo on Flores.
I guess we are looking for the best compromise, most affordable but comfortable, not too many people, and of course the best dive sites. It seems that water temp varies greatly? and big stuff and certain times of the year. We plan to go in about a months time.

Any good experiences / tips would be greatly appreciated. most dive professionals we have chatted to said we Have to go, I guess most people agree. Also, a list of the MUST do Komodo sites would be great

We will make our budget stretch if it means a good crew and staff and the best dive sites.

We have just spent 4 weeks diving with Lumba Lumba on Pulau Weh, an extraodinary place with great boat diving and a splendid house reef. We had great fun in the currents there so will want to sample more of the same in komodo.

Anyway, enough rambling, any advice on komodo would be great. Add if anyone can confirm rumours we have heard about how good Alor is that would also be appreciated.

many thanks

Gary

 

[gravity]

My wife and I spent ten days on the Ari Jaya out of Labuan Bajo in April, and we really enjoyed it. I have written up a trip report and I am working on getting pictures together. I will post the trip report in a few days. The boat takes a minimum of two people and a maximum of four people, so there is a lot of flexibility in what you do. You can choose how many times a day you want to dive, repeat dive sites, or new dive sites, eat on your schedule, etc. There are probably more luxurious (and expensive) boats, but for my wife and I having our own boat, dive master, and crew of four for ten days was the height of luxery.
Aleksandra is the owner and dive master. She is great at briefing and guiding you in a way to keep you away from dangerous currents (can be a problem in the north). She also did a good job of letting us know what to expect in different dives sites and various sections of the park, and let us choose what was important to us and where we wanted to dive. It is a good place to look if her openings fit your schedule. She is also launching a new bigger boat in October, not sure how that will change things, but I think she will continue to run both boats.
I have some pics from our trip here, but I am working on redoing the pics for a trip report, and will have a better set posted on my website soon.

 

[UnderwaterAsia]

Labuanbajo will be the cheapest option, but not as luxurious as the Liveaboard option. The diving is simply superb though, so you'll have a great time however you end up planning the trip.

The north of Komodo national park tends to be warmer, more tropical diving, while the south is colder, more plankton rich waters. Right now through to March is a great time for Mantas there. A friend of mine has just got back and has a stunning photo with numerous Mantas in one shot.

Here's a good guide to the area, plus you can click on the Directory link to get contact details for all the dive centres operating there.

Enjoy and send us some photos when you get back!

 

[gabyne]

min. 2, max. 4 divers on the boat?? that sounds too good to be true....

I'd love to do Komodo again, I did it a couple of years ago when the Komodo Dancer had a special offer, otherwise I wouldn't have paid the price...

So this sounds like a very good alternative since I don't need a boutique LOB - and my normal dive group consists of 4 people which would be perfect I guess...

 

[gravity]

Yeah..it was great. we slept on deck every night, which is one of my favorite things about the boat. I have a trip report on my blog at blog.uwencounters.com.