Komodo diving with 13-year-old

[ablifi]

Hello,

This is my first post here, but I have lurked for some time. For background info: we are a family of five, all open-water certified divers. Two of us are beginners (I and my 12-year-old) and three are intermediate-level divers (husband, son and older daughter). We have mostly dived the calm, clear waters of Bonaire but are hoping to incorporate diving into our travels to other places.

We are in the process of planning a two-week (plus?) vacation to Indonesia next June/July for my son's high school graduation. We are going to go to Borneo for a houseboat tour and then for the second half of the trip want to do some diving.

My son -- an aspiring marine scientist/herpetologist -- has always wanted to see Komodo dragons, so it makes sense from that standpoint to go to the Komodo islands for the second half of our trip. The diving is rumored to be spectacular.

However, I keep reading about the challenging and unpredictable diving conditions in the Komodo islands: strong currents, cold waters, etc. and I cannot find information about whether there are beginner/intermediate dives for a group that includes a young, inexperienced diver (12-year-old who has never experienced current before).

So. I am looking for realistic advice from people who have "been there, done that." We really would love to make this Komodo part of the trip fit into our travel plans but not at the expense of having someone scarred for life by a bad diving experience!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[highdesert]

If your son had started at 10 and had three years of diving in varied conditions, that might negate some of the age factor. And a responsible dive company, with a divemaster (not dive guide) assigned only to you and your son, could probably come up with an itinerary of suitable dives ... but they may not be the "spectacular" dives you are referring to. Personally, I wouldn't do it with my child, unless the whole group could be totally satisfied with the suitable dives offered, and the dive company stuck to that. Too many variables for me.

 

[Seekup]

I wouldn't do it. Let him get some age and bottom time under his belt first. We've done two Komodo liveaboards in the last couple of years. It is spectacular diving, but also can be cold and challenging. The problem would be not knowing what you are getting into until you are on the dive site. On both of the liveaboards, the dive guides did their best to predict currents, but missed it several times.

There is a lot of good diving in that part of the world that would be good and not such a challenge.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[highdesert]

Here is a short read in layman's terms about the Indonesian Throughflow ... the "why" of the currents there ...

Diving Indonesia: Bali and the Indonesian Throughflow

 

[Wisnu]

The description of Komodo water as described by other posters are quite right. However, does not mean junior divers can't go there.
We visited Komodo August 2013, my petit daughter was 13 - note, she's experienced diver with more than 150 dives logged under her belt. We had dive check where dive guide (a dm) assessed our dive skill. I discuss our dive plan in detail with him, to ensure we dive at the best site (Crystal rock, castle rock, cauldron, batu bolong)with reasonable current but within our capability. Except for the macro/muck diving site, it is not our intention to avoid the current at all as no current no fish.
And we got what we want - amazing dive; except at Makasar reef where no manta at all; since no current. I remember now, that there's two new divers joined us at this site for their first dive.
Hence, it is possible for new / inexperienced divers to enjoy Komodo, but keep in mind that the best attraction most likely put strong current in equation.
You can use a small liveaboard such as Arijaya or Pratiwi - both good for a small group of 4-5 divers, so you have full control on the dive site selections.
We use SMY Mangguana, cap. 8 divers, and we had our own dive guide for four of us. This boat permanently located at the marine park, so you choose how long you will stay there; and with 5 divers, you have more power to negotiate the dive site selection though you may dissapoint other divers.
Here our Komodo trip report http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/indonesia/467690-komodo-smy-mangguana.html
and this is what she say about Komodo scuba diving, Melati D. Komodo Islands - 2013

 

[TheWartHog]

You most certainly can do it!

But I would choose a land resort rather than a liveaboard for your family.
Have a look at Golo Hilltop Hotel and the associated divinediving in Labuan Bajo.
They run all dive courses from DSD upwards and do diving day trips would I feel would suit your diving requirements more (ie. avoiding currents for beginners). They will certainly look after you and you can discuss your exact diving requirements with them.
They also run trips to see the Komodo Dragons which your son would love.

 

[ablifi]

Thank you all for the replies.

We are currently looking at staying at one of the dive-centered land resorts for this trip...not a liveaboard...as this place (Angel Island Resort) offers the diving and the excursions to see the dragons. It seems like sentiment about my daughter's diving is mixed and we will need to make our own informed decision!

The person whom I have been speaking to at the resort says there will be suitable dives for my daughter but agrees that this may mean missing some of the more interesting animals that show up with the currents. But at least my husband and older son can participate in these dives.

 

[dgrauman]

We dove Palau last year with our 14 year old daughter. There was some site limitation based on our abilities and experience, but it was still wonderful, and included drift dives and use of a reef hook in moderate current. We never felt we were messing it up for other divers or missing out on great diving. A reputable dive master has no interest in getting anyone frightened. Limiting site selection to 75% of what is available beats 99% of what is available elsewhere.

 

[Justfollowme]

If you haven't already booked, I run a small midrange liveaboard perfect for families. Often I have charters with younger children or inexperienced divers. As a padi and ssi instructor with years of experience in Komodo I could easily specialise a trip for both beginners and intermediate divers. As a family you could decide to all dive together on some of the easier sites, or to compromise and do half-half, letting the others snorkel the more difficult dives. I also have a degree in zoology with an (obvious) affinity for marine biology. For more info you can contact me on Facebook ... Batu Bolong -divekomodoflores