Komodo Liveaboard - July Or September?

[mantajohn]

I am hoping to book a Komodo Liveaboard for this year & could go in either July or September.

Is anyone able to guide me as to which is likely to be the better month. I would want to do the full route (including the south). My interest is more in pelagics than macro.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Cali_diver]

I don't think you can go wrong with either month. Going south is weather dependent so you never know. In Sept. you may have less liveaboards in Komodo since many start their crossing up to Raja Ampat around that time.

 

[Adelaar Cruises]

There are fewer crowds in September and Mantas usually start returning to Karang Makassar in September, plus Manta Alley in south Komodo usually still has Mantas during September (although some migrate to Karang Makassar). So you have a good opportunity to see Mantas twice on the trip.

September still has warm blue water in the North and Castle, Crystal & Batu Bolong usually are just as good either month.

Also, winds usually die down in September making the seas a little calmer and the south more accessible.

Lastly, It's whale season, good opportunity to see them as your are cruising around.

We'd love to see you aboard, but wherever you end up we hope you have an excellent dive holiday in Komodo!

Cheers!

 

[mantajohn]

Hi adelaar cruises,

I've not looked at your website before. It looks like you have a great boat and offer a good experience.

You rooms seem to have double beds. Does this mean you do not offer twin share for divers travelling on their own?

Also, I understand your point about internal flights being unreliable, but I'm not sure that departing and returning from Bali would convince me. That's two long boat journeys taking up valuable diving time. How many dives do you offer on a typical trip?

Cheers

John

 

[chillyinCanada]

From what I'm seeing cabins 2 & 3 appear to have twin beds. However,I'm unable to find the rates.

 

[mantajohn]

The websites describes the separate bed as a sofa that can be made into a bed for a child.

Am a bit wary of this description!

 

[Cali_diver]

The diving between Komodo and Bali is pretty meh so I think you are right in your thinking, ....but that being said, I did miss a Komodo liveaboard last July due to the volcano eruption and closure of the airport. I have started in Komodo and ended in Bali, but I prefer starting and ending closer to Komodo, ex. Labuan Bajo, Bima etc. I personally think domestic flights are a sacrifice worth taking for the amazing diving in Indonesia, you just have to build in a little breathing room /contingency into your flight schedules.

 

[Adelaar Cruises]

Hi adelaar cruises,
It looks like you have a great boat and offer a good experience.

Thank you mantajohn, Adelaar is a beautiful historical sailing yacht. She was just refitted 2 years ago and has beautiful teak wood throughout. Our captain and some of the crew have been sailing and diving Komodo for 20 years. Our Cruise Director previously worked in Labuan Bajo at a local dive shop, so he is very familiar with the area.

You rooms seem to have double beds. Does this mean you do not offer twin share for divers travelling on their own?

Staterooms 2 & 3 have a double bed (140 x 200cm), couch/single bed (99 x 199cm), desk and ensuite bath. We do offer twin share (the second share to book would be told the share bed available is a single bed), and if the boat is not full will happily give you your own cabin. We also have specials on specific sailings.

That's two long boat journeys taking up valuable diving time. How many dives do you offer on a typical trip?

Our first stop outside the park is Satonda island a sloping reef with plenty to see (cuttlefish, turtles, reef fish, octopus...etc) and our last stop outside the park is 2 pinnacles off Moyo (covered with beautiful hard & soft corals and teaming with reef fish, we also frequently see black tip, white tip and Eagle rays). Doesn't that sound better than a no-fly day? Our 10night/11 day itinerary offers 31 dives + plus trekking to see the Komodo Dragon & the easy trek to the crater lake in Satonda. I am attaching our eBrochure for more information, you will find a daily dive schedule, cabin information and photos on this brochure.

...However,I'm unable to find the rates.

chillyinCanada here's a link to view Adelaar rates and inclusions.

Of course I'm happy to answer any additional questions directly or you can check rates and availability by sending an email to info@adelaar-cruises.com, thanks for your continued interest.

Hope to sea you aboard!

 

[nudisusie]

Hi Mantajohn

I've been to Komodo in both July and September/October and the marine life / weather is much the same. I think from general reports that September has been slightly better than July for pelagic action each season. the south of Komodo around Nusa Kode is predominantly macro but last year groups saw mola mola and schools of mobula rays there. Manta alley is of course a must but liste to the guides as sometimes the mantas just re not there. Last year we had the most success with manta action around Shot Gun (Gili Lawa Laut).

I'd recommend Indo Siren, been on her several times and have always found both the yacht and crew to be excellent. They have twin bed cabins without single supplement. The trip departs from and returns to Bima Bay so you can dive both the north and south without too long travels in between. I've found the domestic flights to be fairly reliable from Bali. Most of the guests are on the same flight so if there is a slight delay then there is not an issue with the boat departure.

I've read in a recent newsletter that Equator Diving UK have spaces available on their 28sept - 08oct trip which they are offering at a discount rate of 2,750 GBP. Normal Siren website price is 3,850 euro. Siren also have a few spaces on trips 06-16 sept and 17-27 sept.

Enjoy! Komodo rocks!

 

[mantajohn]

Firstly, thanks to Adelaar cruises (do you have a name?). Its really good when an operator engages with divers on SB in an informative and interactive manner. So few do.

However, I'm not convinced by their approach to the occupancy of the sofa bed. It sounds less than foolproof and could lead to an unwelcome, difficult conversation with one's room mate.

I'm warming to the idea of the return sea journey to Bali. Its not a bad way to spend the final 'no-dive' day. Set against that, I did the crossing once on Komodo Dancer through a pretty bad storm - all night. Not a very relaxing night.

My personal experience of Indonesian internal flights has been fine, but its not hard to observe the mayhem around. On an Indo Siren trip a couple of years ago, outbound, one pax was off loaded from the direct flight & routed via Lombok. Except the connection at Lombok was cancelled after he got there. Airline put the pax in a pretty grim sounding hotel. We did our first 4 dives in Bima Bay spending a whole day there waiting for him to catch us up. Then on the departure day, another couple had their Bali flight simply cancelled & had to spend a night in Bima - missing their international flight home. I'm not sure the night in Bima would have been a highlight!

I agree with the positive comments re Indo Siren. Its probably who I'll book with. Its good to know that both months are good dates. I guess that I'll see if a special crops up across the July - Sept period as I am flexible on dates.