Komodo - Decent budget liveaboard

[ege]

Hi All,

I will be in Indonesia with a couple of friends in August. After doing a few dives in Bali, we would like to go on a short liveaboard in and around Komodo. Due to time constraints we would like to go for 3 or 4 days. Also, due to budget constraints, we would like to find a relatively inexpensive option.

I've looked around the forums here and some on the internet in general. It seemed to me as some of the decent options are: Mona Lisa, Moana, Felicia, Komodo Explorer (by Dive Komodo).

Any insights or opinions concerning the quality of dive masters/crew and dive sites, safety, and price would be much appreciated. Also if anyone has any contact information for these operators, that would come in very handy. I found some direct contact info on the web, but only 3rd party travel agents for others. For example, I couldn't find a direct contact for the Mona Lisa. I like their flexibility in schedule...

Thanks,
Ege

[Wayan]

DIVE KOMODO - Liveaboard Cruises (http://www.divekomodo.com/liveaboard.html)

Write to greg@divekomodo.com . ....IMHO wone of the better operators for day trips and Budget LOB in Komodo area.

[Ms. Ann Thrope]

We just did a three-day, two-night liveaboard thing with Divine Diving about two weeks ago as a side trip from Bali and managed to squeeze in 10 dives, plus a quick lizard hike and an evening bat viewing. Assuming they can scare up at least three passengers, it can be relatively inexpensive--if you only have two, you pay for three. Mind you, it's really "budget" in that it's more like camping--mattresses on the deck, one bathroom for all. Our Indonesian divemaster and four-man crew were great, and they took good care of us. We were very comfortable, and the cooking was excellent. My only regret is that we didn't spend more time on the island of Flores itself. Feel free to PM me if you want details.

[ege]

Thanks Wayan. I will send Greg an email to get more info.

How do the day trips compare to budget LOBs in Komodo? Are LOBs necessary to get to the more interesting diving sites that day trips don't reach?

[ege]

Thanks Ms. Ann Thorpe. I will definitely look into Divine Diving also. Including the lizard hike and bat viewing to the trip seems like a plus since we are trying to fit a few destinations in a somewhat short trip.

[Wayan]

Thanks Wayan. I will send Greg an email to get more info.

How do the day trips compare to budget LOBs in Komodo? Are LOBs necessary to get to the more interesting diving sites that day trips don't reach?

Honestly it is chalk and cheese, whilst there are good dive sites the mecca (photograhers at least) is down in Horse Shoe Bay (Rinja - Nusa Kode) with dive sites suck as cannibal rock ( worth 4-6 +++ dives) Yellow Wall Texas, Pinnacle, Crinoid Cannon, Torpedo Alley (night Dive) and a few more.

In the right time of year just to the west on the southern side of Komodo Island is Manta Alley which is great plus End of the world (this is not done by all operators as this can be a very challenging dive if not done right).

Day boat do not (or very rarely do) go down south they stay at the northern sites.

Note there is a temperature change of anywhere between 2 - 10 degrees Degrees C (depending on the time of year between the northern sites and those in the south. And as you are planning on August expect temps down Rinja way to be anywhere from 18-21 degrees C and in the north 26+ depending on sites

Plus with the LOB you should be able to easily do 3 dives plus night dives in stead of the 2 with occasional night (depending on conditions and operator).

Hope this helps
Cheers
Wayan

[gravity]

I would recommend the Ari Jaya (http://aridive.com/pr/lang/index_eng.html). My wife and I did ten days on the boat in April. It is a small boat which means you can have it to yourself. It was just the two of us and four crew. Aleksandra is the owner and dive master and does a great job of putting you in the right places to see big fish but stay away from dangerous currents. There is lots of shade on deck to stay out of the sun, and we slept outside on deck every night, which I loved. Photos from our trip are here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucasprice/sets/72157616847927965/show/). Have fun.

[Bredman]

To clutter this thread further, I'd recommend Bajo Dive Club's Safari trip. I did a 4 day trip a year ago and Noon was one of the best Divemasters I've ever gone out with. Price was very good and the crew was fine too.

Its not luxury, but the food is good, and the dives professional.

[bobshreve]

How much do these LOBs cost?

[gravity]

Ari Jaya prices are here (http://aridive.com/pr/lang/oferta_eng.html)

[ege]

Gravity,

Awesome pictures. What kind of photo equipment do you use? Thanks for the suggestion and the link.

Ege

[gravity]

Thanks, glad you like it. I have a Nikon d300 in a Sea&Sea housing. I primarily use a tokina 10-17 fisheye lens and a 105mm macro lens. I also have pics at my website and blog. Links are in my below.

[tboxcar]

Great shots Gravity, I can see your 'fisheye' in action. I was in somewhat the same position several years ago, that is trying to find a liveaboard for 4 or 5 days and not spending a fortune. I ended up diving with a land based organization in LBJ called Reefseekers. No complaints and the price was decent. But as mentioned above to get to the southern dive sites, a liveaboard would be a must, and that was the one drawback with being land based was the long boat ride each day. As an avid diver in SE Asia, I will agree that the water was strikingly cooler on some dives, especially when considering your latitude!