Komodo or Palau Liveaboard over Xmas?

[Karl_H]

I'm aiming to spend the Xmas holidays (effectively between 18th Dec up to 4th Jan next year for me !) on a liveaboard but can't seem to finalize the location!

The likely destination is now between Palau and Komodo, can anyone shed some light on which area is likely to have the best conditions and value for money diving? Palau seems to have everything but Komodo seems very interesting from the Macro photography point of view.

Any suggestions or recommendations for liveaboard operators would be highly appreciated!

Thanks,

Karl

 

[UnderwaterAsia]

I haven't been lucky enough to dive in Palau yet, but I can recommend Komodo. It's interesting for a lote more than macro stuff - the reefs are stunning and it is probably most famous for big fish encounters, especialy Sharks & Mantas. Most people dive it on a Liveaboard from Bali, but it is also possible to do shorter trips from Labuanbajo in Flores.

 

[robint]

Palau would be my choice if you haven't done either one. Words don't even describe how great all the dives there are, all of them. Dec is peak shark mating season, too. You will see huge schools of them during that time.

Although we haven't done Komodo, a good friend did it on a liveaboard a few years ago and gave us pretty mixed reviews. His biggest issue was that dives had current but they didn't do them as drift dives, like the Palau boats do. That means the groups had to swim against current for first 1/2 of tank, then turn around and go back to boat, which was exhausting. He said many people on boat skipped dives due to this currrent issue. He loved the dives and the fishlife, but that current thing was big for him as his wife didn't handle it well, and also it made for some very short dives. He has since gone back to Indonesia, twice to Lembeh, but stayed land-based and loved it since he says you get all the same fantastic fish life.

 

[vladimir]

If you like sharks, go to Palau. I saw hundreds of gray reef sharks on a week-long Aggressor trip and a lot of mantas and other pelagics as well. I saw six sharks, if I recall correctly, on a ten-day Komodo-to-Bali liveaboard. Not a lot of pelagics, either, one manta, and we came up empty looking for mola-mola. But many dives had an abundance of fish rarely seen these days. Palau does have a little of everything, but it does not come close to the diversity of a Komodo itinerary. You can be on bubbling brown sand on the slope of an active volcano on one dive and be on a lush coral reef on the next. The macro opportunities around Komodo will blow away Palau.

His biggest issue was that dives had current but they didn't do them as drift dives, like the Palau boats do. That means the groups had to swim against current for first 1/2 of tank, then turn around and go back to boat, which was exhausting. He said many people on boat skipped dives due to this currrent issue. He loved the dives and the fishlife, but that current thing was big for him as his wife didn't handle it well, and also it made for some very short dives.

I was on the Kararu Safari and we did most of our dives as drift dives, with a few exceptions, so that concern is probably specific to the particular dive operator. Who did your friend dive with?

 

[vladimir]

I just got this from Aggressor today:

Palau Aggressor II Offering 2-week northern Itinerary to Velasco reef area May 2-16, 2010, for $5795 dbl and $5995 deluxe and April 24-May 8, 2011. Capt. Mike Farmer reports "the diving was fantastic, reefs pristine, lots of table and soft corals, sea fans, untouched by anyone. From large schools of Black Snapper, Bumphead Parrotfish, and sharks, it is a spectacular area". This 5-6 hour cruise up the west side of Palau brings spectacular views. The itinerary includes 5 ½ days of diving the northern itinerary and the second week diving the southern dive sites that Palau is famous for. (Price includes cabin tax, dive tax and additional fuel charge)

It won't work for the OP, but if anybody is making Golden Week plans it might be something to consider.

 

[robint]

I was on the Kararu Safari and we did most of our dives as drift dives, with a few exceptions, so that concern is probably specific to the particular dive operator. Who did your friend dive with?

He was on the Komodo Dancer.

 

[chinacat46]

I've done both and to tell you the truth I don't know which to suggest as I loved both of them. I'm not sure what the conditions would be at the time of year you are going so I would let that decide for me but you can't go wrong with either.

 

[Kevster]

I've done both and to tell you the truth I don't know which to suggest as I loved both of them. I'm not sure what the conditions would be at the time of year you are going so I would let that decide for me but you can't go wrong with either.

Exactly.. I have also done both. They are both amazing locations. Either one is excellent.

At xmas time Komodo may be a bit windy. So the conditions may favour Palau.

Both offer amazing variety.
Palau- Wrecks,big fish,walls,caves,big current,amazing topside
Komodo- Amazing reef fish life, big fish in the north(mantas,dolphins,amazing macro in the south. amazing topside with dragons as a nice bonus.

In terms of reef diving i would say Komodo is better.
In terms of having a great dive holiday i would recommend Palau.

 

[Madacub]

I have not been to Palau, but I can highly recommend the Mermaid liveaboard to Komodo from Bali. They have a shorter itinerary and a longer one. But check the schedule, they cruise Bali-Komodo for part of the year and go to Thailand for the rest. It seems like you have about 16 days on hand. Why not go to Bali, plenty of diving in Bali (I dove with Aquamarine Diving there, and I receommend them, too) plus do the Bali-Komodo run. There are currents in the Komodo area but nothing too bad, only 2-3 dives had a really strong current. About half the dives were macro, but we saw plenty of sharks, some dolphins (underwater and on the surface) and mantas. Plus you get a chance to see the dragons. I had a 3 mm suit most of the time, an additional 3 mm vest on a few dives. No problems with the cold, but some dives were cooler than others. I was there in August. Visibility was just okay, nothing special.

As Chinacat46 said, check the conditions for the time of year you are going. This really applies for all destinations, all threads.

 

[scubafanatic]

I just got this from Aggressor today:



It won't work for the OP, but if anybody is making Golden Week plans it might be something to consider.

...'only' $ 6000......and there's still a 'cabin tax' ...and a 'dive tax'....*** ??? !!! ...guess they didn't get the memo about that little global recession/depression thingy ....... they really need to get a grip !