Trip Report: Liveaboard - Komodo National Park, Indonesia
Dates: June 5th thru 14th, 2005
Boat: Ikan Terbang. Not a dive boat but a sailboat you can dive from. Its smaller than what you might be used to on a liveaboard but we were the only two guests. For pictures of the boat, see this link:
http://www.feelfreeanddive.com/boat/
We would not recommend any more than 3 guests or possibly 2 couples and even then, you better really like your neighbors. Most of the diving was done from the dinghy but some dives were straight off the side of the sailboat.
We booked through David W of Blue Planet Tours. David is a SB member and we were 100% satisfied with his service. Check out his link here for more info:
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=81354
Note: we have no connection with Blue Planet Tours other than happy customers. We found out about David here on SB.
Getting There: Get yourself to Bali International Airport (Denpasar), go to co-located Domestic airport, and book a flight to LaBuan Bajo. For us it required an overnight stay in Bali (Kuta Beach). We flew with GT air but there are many domestic airlines that can get you to LaBuan Bajo. David arranged our domestic flight, met us at the airport and even had change waiting for us when the flight was slightly less than advertised. David also arranged our overnight in Kuta Beach at the Oasis Hotel (The Oasis is highly recommended if you have to stay in Kuta, Kuta itself is a noisy beach town).
The itinerary: Jerome, the owner of the boat and our DM for the trip, met us at the airport at LaBuan Bajo and took us to his boat. We saw very little of the town of LBB (LaBuan Bajo) but it seems there are three or four diveshops on the strip. The crew consisted of an Indonesian captain and Indonesian deck hand. Also on board was Maurice, Jeromes father, for a total of six people onboard. The captain and crew spoke only Indonesian. Jerome and Maurice spoke Indonesian and French and a little English. We dont speak French or Indonesian so small talk was at a minimum. At no time did lack of verbal communication detract from our holiday. Creature comforts on the boat are non-existent. No A/C but you can sleep on deck. One marine head pump action all the way! One fresh water shower pump action. We absolutely loved our time on the Ikan Terbang but there is a certain lack of privacy and small spaces as on all 50-foot sailboats. Jerome was a chef in a former life so food was generally good and plenty of great groupers were pulled out of the sea in time for dinner.
We left LBB harbor and for 10 days sailed and motored around the islands that make up Komodo National Park and the surrounding areas. For a map and some of our dive site descriptions, click here:
http://www.komodonationalpark.org/
The seas were calm, the lagoons protected and, other than a couple of sites, not another dive boat was to be seen. Paradise!
The diving: In a word FANTASTIC!
We did 28 dives total. Hard and soft corals were healthy and plentiful. Fish were abundant. Octopus, Cuttlefish, Squid, Lobsters, etc. Macro critters everywhere. The occasional pelagic. Visibility was excellent. Water temperature ranged from 73 78F (23-26C). On some dives the current was high velocity in many directions (including down), on other dives there was minimal current.
Some of our favorites:
Tatawa Becil: Max Depth 87ft, Bottom time 61 minutes. Viz 80+ feet. White Tip Shark, Barracudas, Napoleons, Tuna, Lionfish, Turtle, Abundant reef fish, Great wall and corals
Logo Island: Max Depth 67ft, Bottom time 61 minutes. Viz 80+ feet. Drift dive with down current. 2 Octopi, moray eels, groupers, sleeping shark, huge tunas, sweetlips, great coral
Crystal Rock: Along with castle rock, our absolute favorite. We did this one twice. Max depth 85ft/90ft. Bottom Time 54minutes/64minutes. Viz 80+ feet. Manta Ray, Wahoo, Giant Trevally, Tuna (on the hunt!), Lionfish, White Tip Shark, very friendly turtle, great coral.
Castle Rock: Located next to crystal rock, fantastic dive, we did this one twice also. Max depth 96ft/88ft. Bottom time 58minutes/58 minutes. Viz 80+ feet. White tip sharks, Big tunas, Giant trevallys, Wahoo, so many schooling reef fish you cant see your buddy 15 feet away from you. The hunters would occasionally pop out of the schools of fish making for an awesome experience.
We spent a few hours on Komodo Island, checking out the dragons, which was fun. The scenery on Komodo Island and surrounding areas is beyond postcard perfect.
We had a couple of days to kill in Bali on the return and decided to Mountain Bike one day. We scheduled it with a tour (name escapes us) and it was quite fun. They put you in a van and take you up in the mountains and you get to ride down, thru rice paddies and small villages. Great fun, crappy bikes.
Overall, we couldnt be happier with our holiday.
Dates: June 5th thru 14th, 2005
Boat: Ikan Terbang. Not a dive boat but a sailboat you can dive from. Its smaller than what you might be used to on a liveaboard but we were the only two guests. For pictures of the boat, see this link:
http://www.feelfreeanddive.com/boat/
We would not recommend any more than 3 guests or possibly 2 couples and even then, you better really like your neighbors. Most of the diving was done from the dinghy but some dives were straight off the side of the sailboat.
We booked through David W of Blue Planet Tours. David is a SB member and we were 100% satisfied with his service. Check out his link here for more info:
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=81354
Note: we have no connection with Blue Planet Tours other than happy customers. We found out about David here on SB.
Getting There: Get yourself to Bali International Airport (Denpasar), go to co-located Domestic airport, and book a flight to LaBuan Bajo. For us it required an overnight stay in Bali (Kuta Beach). We flew with GT air but there are many domestic airlines that can get you to LaBuan Bajo. David arranged our domestic flight, met us at the airport and even had change waiting for us when the flight was slightly less than advertised. David also arranged our overnight in Kuta Beach at the Oasis Hotel (The Oasis is highly recommended if you have to stay in Kuta, Kuta itself is a noisy beach town).
The itinerary: Jerome, the owner of the boat and our DM for the trip, met us at the airport at LaBuan Bajo and took us to his boat. We saw very little of the town of LBB (LaBuan Bajo) but it seems there are three or four diveshops on the strip. The crew consisted of an Indonesian captain and Indonesian deck hand. Also on board was Maurice, Jeromes father, for a total of six people onboard. The captain and crew spoke only Indonesian. Jerome and Maurice spoke Indonesian and French and a little English. We dont speak French or Indonesian so small talk was at a minimum. At no time did lack of verbal communication detract from our holiday. Creature comforts on the boat are non-existent. No A/C but you can sleep on deck. One marine head pump action all the way! One fresh water shower pump action. We absolutely loved our time on the Ikan Terbang but there is a certain lack of privacy and small spaces as on all 50-foot sailboats. Jerome was a chef in a former life so food was generally good and plenty of great groupers were pulled out of the sea in time for dinner.
We left LBB harbor and for 10 days sailed and motored around the islands that make up Komodo National Park and the surrounding areas. For a map and some of our dive site descriptions, click here:
http://www.komodonationalpark.org/
The seas were calm, the lagoons protected and, other than a couple of sites, not another dive boat was to be seen. Paradise!
The diving: In a word FANTASTIC!
We did 28 dives total. Hard and soft corals were healthy and plentiful. Fish were abundant. Octopus, Cuttlefish, Squid, Lobsters, etc. Macro critters everywhere. The occasional pelagic. Visibility was excellent. Water temperature ranged from 73 78F (23-26C). On some dives the current was high velocity in many directions (including down), on other dives there was minimal current.
Some of our favorites:
Tatawa Becil: Max Depth 87ft, Bottom time 61 minutes. Viz 80+ feet. White Tip Shark, Barracudas, Napoleons, Tuna, Lionfish, Turtle, Abundant reef fish, Great wall and corals
Logo Island: Max Depth 67ft, Bottom time 61 minutes. Viz 80+ feet. Drift dive with down current. 2 Octopi, moray eels, groupers, sleeping shark, huge tunas, sweetlips, great coral
Crystal Rock: Along with castle rock, our absolute favorite. We did this one twice. Max depth 85ft/90ft. Bottom Time 54minutes/64minutes. Viz 80+ feet. Manta Ray, Wahoo, Giant Trevally, Tuna (on the hunt!), Lionfish, White Tip Shark, very friendly turtle, great coral.
Castle Rock: Located next to crystal rock, fantastic dive, we did this one twice also. Max depth 96ft/88ft. Bottom time 58minutes/58 minutes. Viz 80+ feet. White tip sharks, Big tunas, Giant trevallys, Wahoo, so many schooling reef fish you cant see your buddy 15 feet away from you. The hunters would occasionally pop out of the schools of fish making for an awesome experience.
We spent a few hours on Komodo Island, checking out the dragons, which was fun. The scenery on Komodo Island and surrounding areas is beyond postcard perfect.
We had a couple of days to kill in Bali on the return and decided to Mountain Bike one day. We scheduled it with a tour (name escapes us) and it was quite fun. They put you in a van and take you up in the mountains and you get to ride down, thru rice paddies and small villages. Great fun, crappy bikes.
Overall, we couldnt be happier with our holiday.
