NickLongfellow
Contributor
Hey everyone
Figured I would try and contribute something to this community instead of being a leech like usual. So here is a trip report for my week with Condo from CN dive in Komodo national park. So a bit of background, on this trip and myself, my girlfriend (both instructors) and our friend Oren who is advanced but with 300+ dive experience. So if you are an open water or need some velvet glove treatment take this trip report with a grain of salt because you'll need different treatment than we were wanting/expecting.
So after reading some vague reference to CN dive online somewhere I decided to contact the owner (Condo) to try and work out a deal for some out of work instructors looking for a good time. His website is basically non-existant, and information was vague at best. He and his wife ended up speaking with us extensively over e-mail, which was not always the easiest experience, but he did give us quite a spectacular deal for a 6 day live aboard. Overall I was a bit apprehensive, we were told we would be sleeping on deck, but there was a tarp if it rained. blah blah blah, basically we were going into this sight unseen as he couldnt provide photos of the boat or anything.
So we arrived in Labuan Bajo and Condo's brother was there to pick us and our equipment up and drive us to our hotel where we spent one night. Condo's wife then came to meet us and explain how things were going to work as condo was on the boat with other guests (again, not much communication taking place) she asked us for a down payment of half the cost, which we paid (nervously). She told us, pickup 7 a.m. the next day and a small boat would transfer us to the liveaboard. So we wake up at 7, and wait, and wait some more, and wait until about 8 when they have received clearance form the harbour master, then we get a ride down to the harbour and are told to wait on the jetty for the boat to pick us up. Our equipment and luggage has gone directly to the boat in another car and again we end up waiting, and waiting and waitning.. and it's about now that I start to worry that we've really been ripped off. They have our down payment, they have our equipment, and we are sitting here hoping they will actually provide us with something. Then after about an hour the boat comes, and we end up waiting on the parked boat for another few hours while they do some last minute shopping, haha. Well by about noon we are finally on the water and on our way out, when 2 hours into our trip the boat breaks down and we float helplessly for another hour in the open ocean as the local guys attempt to fix the problem. At this point we are pretty pissed and actually just dreading what will meet us when we (if we) actually make it to the big boat. well, after a few nail biting hours of drifting around in the ocean they get the engine started and we make it to the boat by about 2:30. there is one group from jakarta already there and we received no briefing for the boat at all. it was a rough start to say the least.
So we tell condo we really want to hit the water soon, he says the group has already done their second dive, but we can go no problem. We get a quick briefing and drop in at manta point. first 20 minutes... nothing. starting to really be pissed at myself for booking this trip. then our first manta cruising the cleaning station, then another, and another, by the end of the dive we are floating about a foot under the surface with literally 50+ mantas in a feeding frenzy around us. diving over us,under us, bumping us, i mean no matter where you look there is a wide open mouth cruising towards you. at one point my girlfriend came and got my attention, we surfaced and she asked me "nick, is my nose bleeding?"
"no, it doesnt look like it, why?"
"oh, a manta punched me in the face"
and that's literally how crazy it was, they were pretty good about avoiding hitting you, but sometimes there were so many they were hitting each other. Well, of course we were just giddy with joy after that. we surfaced and finally decided this might not be so bad. our next dive was at cauldron, nice easy drift to begin with, lots of sleeping white tip sharks, trevally, and finally when you hit the cauldron, awesome sweeping current and beautiful coral. Condo's boat was old and slow, but the food was just amazing. really tasty tempe, chicken currys, tahu (tofu), rice, fresh fruits, veggies, and of course fish. We were loving the food and our room was clean (though a bit damp from all the rain we were having) and we usually preferred to sleep on deck anyway. The group from jakarta left the next day, so we were the only ones on the boat and condo was just awesome at giving us what we wanted. some days we were feeling in the mood for muck and he would show us the spot, then we wanted sharks and he provided. He even got us down south (which is hard in this season) to dive cannibal rock and yellow wall which I have to say were just STUNNING. Crinoids everywhere, soft coral gardens on every wall, tons of fish, a few white tip sharks, a frogfish or two, and a book worth of nudis. Nearly every day we saw dolphins from the surface, and relaxing with a cup of tea as you chugged between dive sites was spectacular. Condo has 30+ years of experience out here, and you could ask him about anything and he could give you a straight answer. It was clear to me he really cares about this place and about his business. At the end of the trip, we were dreading coming back, and Oren actually booked another 4 days with condo.
Overall for experienced divers I wouldn't go any other way, Condo is the best, he can read the currents, the weather, even the fish (you should hear his shark call on castle rock =) He got us diving sites in the south where we were the only divers in sight, and he was full of stories. His crew was awesome too, full of smiles, and always willing to help (though apart from Umbu they barely spoke english). It was honestly one of the best dive trips I have ever been on, which is no small thing with over 1500 dives all over the caribbean and SE asia. Komodo nation park is stunning, though the viz could have been better, and a few of the highly sought after critters alluded us (the rhinopia curse lives on!), it went above and beyond my expectations.
Well hope that helps, stay wet divers!
-Nick
Figured I would try and contribute something to this community instead of being a leech like usual. So here is a trip report for my week with Condo from CN dive in Komodo national park. So a bit of background, on this trip and myself, my girlfriend (both instructors) and our friend Oren who is advanced but with 300+ dive experience. So if you are an open water or need some velvet glove treatment take this trip report with a grain of salt because you'll need different treatment than we were wanting/expecting.
So after reading some vague reference to CN dive online somewhere I decided to contact the owner (Condo) to try and work out a deal for some out of work instructors looking for a good time. His website is basically non-existant, and information was vague at best. He and his wife ended up speaking with us extensively over e-mail, which was not always the easiest experience, but he did give us quite a spectacular deal for a 6 day live aboard. Overall I was a bit apprehensive, we were told we would be sleeping on deck, but there was a tarp if it rained. blah blah blah, basically we were going into this sight unseen as he couldnt provide photos of the boat or anything.
So we arrived in Labuan Bajo and Condo's brother was there to pick us and our equipment up and drive us to our hotel where we spent one night. Condo's wife then came to meet us and explain how things were going to work as condo was on the boat with other guests (again, not much communication taking place) she asked us for a down payment of half the cost, which we paid (nervously). She told us, pickup 7 a.m. the next day and a small boat would transfer us to the liveaboard. So we wake up at 7, and wait, and wait some more, and wait until about 8 when they have received clearance form the harbour master, then we get a ride down to the harbour and are told to wait on the jetty for the boat to pick us up. Our equipment and luggage has gone directly to the boat in another car and again we end up waiting, and waiting and waitning.. and it's about now that I start to worry that we've really been ripped off. They have our down payment, they have our equipment, and we are sitting here hoping they will actually provide us with something. Then after about an hour the boat comes, and we end up waiting on the parked boat for another few hours while they do some last minute shopping, haha. Well by about noon we are finally on the water and on our way out, when 2 hours into our trip the boat breaks down and we float helplessly for another hour in the open ocean as the local guys attempt to fix the problem. At this point we are pretty pissed and actually just dreading what will meet us when we (if we) actually make it to the big boat. well, after a few nail biting hours of drifting around in the ocean they get the engine started and we make it to the boat by about 2:30. there is one group from jakarta already there and we received no briefing for the boat at all. it was a rough start to say the least.
So we tell condo we really want to hit the water soon, he says the group has already done their second dive, but we can go no problem. We get a quick briefing and drop in at manta point. first 20 minutes... nothing. starting to really be pissed at myself for booking this trip. then our first manta cruising the cleaning station, then another, and another, by the end of the dive we are floating about a foot under the surface with literally 50+ mantas in a feeding frenzy around us. diving over us,under us, bumping us, i mean no matter where you look there is a wide open mouth cruising towards you. at one point my girlfriend came and got my attention, we surfaced and she asked me "nick, is my nose bleeding?"
"no, it doesnt look like it, why?"
"oh, a manta punched me in the face"
and that's literally how crazy it was, they were pretty good about avoiding hitting you, but sometimes there were so many they were hitting each other. Well, of course we were just giddy with joy after that. we surfaced and finally decided this might not be so bad. our next dive was at cauldron, nice easy drift to begin with, lots of sleeping white tip sharks, trevally, and finally when you hit the cauldron, awesome sweeping current and beautiful coral. Condo's boat was old and slow, but the food was just amazing. really tasty tempe, chicken currys, tahu (tofu), rice, fresh fruits, veggies, and of course fish. We were loving the food and our room was clean (though a bit damp from all the rain we were having) and we usually preferred to sleep on deck anyway. The group from jakarta left the next day, so we were the only ones on the boat and condo was just awesome at giving us what we wanted. some days we were feeling in the mood for muck and he would show us the spot, then we wanted sharks and he provided. He even got us down south (which is hard in this season) to dive cannibal rock and yellow wall which I have to say were just STUNNING. Crinoids everywhere, soft coral gardens on every wall, tons of fish, a few white tip sharks, a frogfish or two, and a book worth of nudis. Nearly every day we saw dolphins from the surface, and relaxing with a cup of tea as you chugged between dive sites was spectacular. Condo has 30+ years of experience out here, and you could ask him about anything and he could give you a straight answer. It was clear to me he really cares about this place and about his business. At the end of the trip, we were dreading coming back, and Oren actually booked another 4 days with condo.
Overall for experienced divers I wouldn't go any other way, Condo is the best, he can read the currents, the weather, even the fish (you should hear his shark call on castle rock =) He got us diving sites in the south where we were the only divers in sight, and he was full of stories. His crew was awesome too, full of smiles, and always willing to help (though apart from Umbu they barely spoke english). It was honestly one of the best dive trips I have ever been on, which is no small thing with over 1500 dives all over the caribbean and SE asia. Komodo nation park is stunning, though the viz could have been better, and a few of the highly sought after critters alluded us (the rhinopia curse lives on!), it went above and beyond my expectations.
Well hope that helps, stay wet divers!
-Nick
