Dive Review of
Peter Hughes/Komodo Dancer in
Indonesia/Komodo

Hawaii, Australia, Galapagos, Palau

Dive Conditions

1 hour bottom time; no deco diving  

[None]  

Overall Rating

The diving:  the best I've seen so far for colors, diversity and abundance.
 Came home and immediately started planning our next TRIPS to Indonesia! 
Don't miss Cannibal Rock and Yellow Wall - sites that are sometimes too
rough to get to in the summer - the beauty of these sites left most of the
group either speechless, weeping or babbling!  Other highlights were the
day of muck diving, the mantas at the Alley, GPS Point, K2 and diving Hot
Rocks on an active volcano where gas bubbles escaped through the warm sand
throughout the dive site!  Due to the abundant and fragile invertebrates
covering almost everything on the bottom, PERFECT buoyancy control in
Indonesia is a must.  The staff:  Wayan was a brilliant and gentle critter
finder, Gillian & Michael were good, too, though Michael was sometimes
more interested in taking his OWN photos. Gary, cruise director, comedian
and jack of all trades, was an expert in every area and when the nitrox
compressor exploded on board, damaging the other compressor as well, he
saved the trip by finding one to rent on a nearby island!  Sebastian, chief
steward, was truly wonderful, gave first class service and treated every
passenger like a welcomed, honored guest.  When Sebastian had to leave the
charter due to a family emergency, Pancha took over with a great smile,
doing a good job of filling some tough shoes!  With the exception of the
panga drivers, who were in need of some training, the entire staff was
outstanding and a major contribution to a fantastic dive trip.  However,
there was real room for improvement in the handling a diver who's complete
lack of buoyancy control created not only personal danger, but caused much
reef damage and angst for anyone nearby.  This person's lack of skill was
identified on the mantadory check out dive on the first diving day, yet
nothing was done about it until halfway into the trip when daily customer
complaints became demands and the dive staff finally assigned this person a
private guide, who's job was to hold the diver off the reef via a bcd strap
- much like a pupeteer!  Some buoyancy lessons early on would have been a
much more appropriate choice!  The vessel:  had some maintenance problems
with the compressors;  toilets kept breaking; and the upper deck leaked
onto our bed for 3 days before it was fixed.  Because it's a wooden
monohull, there were many sleepless nights due to intense rocking and
creaking during the rough nighttime crossings - not to mention the leaking
porthole!  While the salon was clean and nice, the cabins and showers were
in need of attention - hard to believe the boat is only 6 years old!! 
Exploding compressor could have been a major disaster, but fortunately
happened when the tanks were still near empty...  Much more attention needs
to be paid to maintenance - the vessel quality did not match the quality of
the service.  
Puri Santrian before and after the trip was OK, but be warned about the
restrauants outside the hotel - food poisoning from a beach front
restaurant just next door made me almost miss my plane home! 

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