For divers, having a week long dive holiday on a diving liveaboard come as no stranger. It’s just another mode to explore the great ocean—to visit remote dive sites where speedboats cannot reach and to get closer to the ocean wildlife. In Komodo, diving liveaboard is just as popular as non-diving liveaboard as means to get around.
Diving liveaboard is essentially a boat that accommodate scuba divers during their travel out at the sea. Think of staying in a floating hotel that provides all basic accommodation—beds, onboard meals, creature comforts,entertainment—while doubling as a dive centre with everything you need to enjoy recreational divings on demand. Diving liveaboard usually go on three days to a week long trips with varied destinations. On Komodo, sometimes the diving liveaboard would just go around the national park on a three-days trip. Other times, it might be scheduled for one to two weeks for diving exploration around Komodo and the Spice Islands, or even to Raja Ampat.
For you who have never embark on diving liveaboard, here’s how it’s like, what you should expect, and how’s your first experience out of the sea would look like.
Komodo Diving Liveaboard: What It Looked Like
Diving liveaboard in Komodo usually take forms of Indonesian historical Phinisi boat, a sailing schooner which designs is a hereditary tradition. Teak woods are the main materials for many diving liveaboard boats—evoking a traditional sailing sense yet fully equipped in modern facilities. One diving liveaboard can accommodate 12 to 16 guests. There are three kinds of diving liveaboard out there; budget, mid class, and luxury dive yachts. Mid class and luxury dive boats allow guests to choose their own cabins—the difference is on the level of comfort and and opulence of the cabin room. Meanwhile, budget liveaboard usually have no cabins at all. That is to say, guests on budget diving liveaboard usually have to sleep on mattresses lied on the semi-open decks.
Requirements to Join the Trip
Not everyone can dive with diving liveaboard. Especially in Komodo, where the currents are rather strong and the depths are rather deep. Many liveaboard set certain diving requirements covering minimum dive logs and certifications. Having an Advanced Open Water Certification is usually the standard to join Komodo diving liveaboard trip. That proves that you are capable of diving up to 30 meters and handle some currents.
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What’s Included on Diving Liveaboard
Diving liveaboard in Labuan Bajo usually covers all basic accommodation and diving facilities. That includes, but not limited to, air tanks, BCD, regulators, dive masks, weight belt, and dive suits. Some other gears are provided on additional fees, such as dive computers, fins, booties, nitrox, and probably dive camera if available. Other inclusions covers meals three time a day, snacks in between the meals, and sometimes even yoga class.