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Sinking in a Sea of Luxury?

Notes From the Back of Beyond For the past year we’ve been based in Indonesia working as consultants for Conservation International’s Indonesia Marine Programs, specifically in diving’s newest hotspot, Raja Ampat. We’re out here to produce a dive guide for R4 (Raja means “king” and Ampat means “four” in Bahasa Indonesia). Imagine someone saying to you, “How about spending months diving the best reefs in the world with unlimited photographic opportunities and we’ll pay you while you’re at it?” No way were we going to refuse first prize in the career lottery! Actually we’re well suited for the job, having discovered some of Indonesia’s best dive sites and shepherded many liveaboards into becoming world-class operations. Our experience stems from the late 1980s when we were the first managers of the Bilikiki in the Solomons. Back when Bilikiki began cruising it was one of the first boats to have ensuite rooms. It was a big deal and an almost unheard of luxury. After leaving the Solomons, we went on our first Indonesian liveaboard. The diving was spectacular, but the outdoor shower and bucket-flushed toilet were a bit of a come down. Today Indonesia has one of the largest liveaboard fleets in the world. We’re not up on exact numbers in other countries, but probably only the Red Sea and perhaps Australia match or exceed the number of boats cruising this vast archipelago. Obviously more boats mean stiffer competition for revenue. Lately we’ve noted a thought-provoking trend: Liveaboard owners are upping the ante on amenities in order to compete in a crowded market. We’re interested in the long-term survival of not only the Indonesian liveaboard industry, but also the worldwide market, so we’d like some reader feedback on the issue of liveaboard facilities. Do amenities equal service? How much is enough? And, what’s the limit... More »