Dive Review of
Adventure Komodo in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat, Irian Jaya

 Tortola, BVI; Pulau Seribu, Java; Bali (Tulamben, Amed, Nusa Penida), and
North Sulawesi (Bunaken Marine Park, Lembeh Strait) in Indonesia.    

Dive Conditions

Depth limits, computer non-decompression parameters, long safety stops
(5-10 minutes) with at least 750 psi left in tank, safety sausages as
mandatory equipment when diving in sites with possible strong current,
respect for marine life.  

[Had a designated camera table on the dive deck – good for two
photographers and a videographer but if any more, would have gotten really
cramped.  There was a laptop provided on board to review digital photos,
but our photographers brought their own Vaio notebooks so it was not
needed.  Didn’t see any evidence of facilities to process print film   

Overall Rating

The boat is a 75 foot catamaran that is probably the best live-aboard
cruising the waters of Indonesia.  It is sleek, clean, and outfitted very
well for its passengers.  We took great advantage of the six bean bags for
naps and hanging out on the front deck.   There was a CD player for ambient
music, although the crew played a more hip selection out on the rear deck –
will have to bring our own CDs next time.  There was also a DVD player and
we had a few movie nights, but the DVDs rarely played smoothly (probably
need to get a new one) and would have been happier bringing our own
selection.  Being a catamaran, it does rock when the water is less than
flat, so be prepared!  We were fortunate to have calm seas most nights and
the captain selected great overnight anchorage spots. 
 The crew was a big part of why the trip was a success for me.  The
captain was an Indonesian named Capt. Wesley, who was enthusiastic about
finding great dive sites, helpful, and more than happy to show us the
gadgets on the bridge.  The head chef was Elizabeth, a lovely Australian
woman who was trained at the Cordon Bleu in London, who helped me stay on
the South Beach Diet, and kept our bellies full with great Asian and
Western food.  There was also an Indonesian chef named Bobby who was full
of smiles even early in the morning and made really spicy things, and Made
was our steward who basically did everything with a smile on his face from
keeping our rooms clean to serving wine at dinner (beer and wine from the
Eaglevale vineyard in Margeret River, Australia are complimentary!).   We
also had two great boatboys, Buyung & Sofyan, who helped us with our
equipment and made sure we safely got to our dive sites and returned to the
mother ship. 
The diving was fantastic.  The cruise director and dive leader was the
great Larry Smith, a Texan who is essentially Indonesian after spending so
many years in Indonesia. We also had another divemaster, Paulus, who I had
dove with before, and he took care of the novice divers in the group.  Our
safety was made the top priority and Larry certainly did everything he
could to keep the divers happy by carefully choosing dive sites according
to our tastes.  In fact, you can design your itinerary with the help of his
handy electronic chart!!  We did do a bunch of exploration dives – some
which were good, and some which were kind of boring but exploration means
no guarantees.  He is careful to save the best for last, though.  We
started out in Kofi’Au and then headed to the Boo Islands for white sand
and great coral reef systems.  We then went to the Misool Islands which are
limestone craggy islands and started seeing schools of bumphead parrotfish,
wahoos, mobula rays, and amazing walls.  We also visited a WWII airplane
wreck and discovered a manta ray cleaning station resulting in a wonderful
close encounter with the mantas.  We ended the trip in glorious style at
Sardine Reef which was teeming with fish and fun currents to ride.  I have
to say that I can’t wait to do another trip on the Adventure Komodo!
 

Questions?
Send an email to the author of this report

What others have to say about Undercurrent
And get immediate access to ALL 481 dive reviews of Indonesia
and all other dive destinations immediately!