Affordable Liveaboard for Komodo in April or May?

[dirtfarmer]

Maybe slightly off topic sorry but...

I've been looking at doing the Bali-Komodo-Bali trip on one of the Mermaids in June or July next year, any opinions or advise would be much appreciated.

Cheers

You can't go wrong with either. Great operation.

 

[outofofficebrb]

Maybe slightly off topic sorry but...

I've been looking at doing the Bali-Komodo-Bali trip on one of the Mermaids in June or July next year, any opinions or advise would be much appreciated.

Cheers

I was on the Mermaid 1 for 12 days across the Banda Sea earlier this month. It is an amazing boat with a stellar crew. Highly recommended. Mermaid 2 is also a solid choice. However, I know a few people who have done the Bali to Komodo trip and the consensus from most is that you should spend the entire time within Komodo as the diving outside the park to/from was really underwhelming. The recommendation was to do the full 7 or 8 days (or even more!) within the park.

If there’s a specific question I can answer for you about the Mermaid 1, let me know. They also have some of the most generous dive times (duration).

 

[Mike1967]

Thanks @dirtfarmer and @outofofficebrb

I was looking at that trip to save the time and expense of extra flights from Bali. I'll definitely check out exactly what's involved, I'm not even sure where I'd need to fly to.

Cheers

Edit: From what I've found both Mermaids only do the Bali-komodo-Bali trips in June and July, is this right? If so, why is that?

 

[Mike1967]

Thought's on the Raja Ampat Aggressor(11D/10N) in June please?

 

[Dan]

Thought's on the Raja Ampat Aggressor(11D/10N) in June please?

June is not a good time for Raja Ampat. The right season for Raja Ampat is from November to March. Most of the liveaboards would be in Komodo in June.

I have been in Mermaid 1 Bali-Komodo-Bali route and I have been in more than 15 different liveaboards. Mermaid 1 is one of the best one that I have ever been in, right below Blue Manta, Argo, Palau Aggressor 2, Maldives Aggressor 2, Galapagos Master.

On the way to Komodo there are actually some great dive sites around Bima harbor, like the Unusual Suspect for muck diving, Hot Rocks, the Bubbles (volcanic bubbles coming out of black sands) in Sangeang Gunung Api, GPS in North West of Komodo.

 

[Mike1967]

@Dan
Thanks mate, unfortunately I can only get away in either June or July.

I was looking at the Bali-Komodo-Bali trip on Mermaid 2 (shorter/cheaper)but someone said that the diving to and from wasn't that great, so many different opinions make it hard for a nooby to choose lol
It's such a big expense I just want to get it right.

Thanks, Mike

 

[Dan]

@Mike1967
July would be better than June, I think. At least I have been In Komodo in June & August. The latter is better with cooler weather coming from Australia to South Komodo.

Having less flight to travel is also an advantage with Bali-Komodo-Bali on Mermaids. You will need to fly from Denpasar to Labuan Bajo if you want to dive only in Komodo. You will need to fly from Jakarta / Denpasar to Sorong if you want to dive in Raja Ampat.

Yes, you will read different opinions about those diving options. Weather has a lot to do in swaying those opinions. In the end it boils down to how early a liveaboard trip get booked up. The good ones would be fully booked early. Your timing is good.

 

[Dan]

 

[Mike1967]

Having less flight to travel is also an advantage with Bali-Komodo-Bali

Yeah I didn't realise just how far RA was from Bali.

The good ones would be fully booked early.

You're right, some of the trips are down to only a couple of spots left and one is booked out.

That settles it, Bali-Komodo-Bali next year for me

Thanks heaps Dan

 

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

I'm going back to Komodo with Current Junkies at teh End of Nov. I'll post a review when I'm back.

My first inclination for a suggestion would be Wicked Diving. They're a safe boat and welcome all levels of diving.

The difficulty with Komodo, is that for it to perform well you need to get in at the right time and be happy with current - sometimes quite strong currents. Most divers aren't comfortable with current so the boats try to keep them happy, but at teh cost of not always jumping in at the optimum time

Don't worry about numbers on a boat, whats more important is the Guide to diver ratio. With larger numbers its easier (generally) to match up groups with divers of similar capabilities. With smaller boats there is a risk that the stronger groups get held back by weaker divers, which can cause friction.

How was your trip with Current Junkies?