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Dive Review of Komodo Dancer in
Indonesia/Bali

Komodo Dancer, Jun, 2004,

by Mario Mizrahi, Mex, Mexico . Report 1118.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 4 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments This was my first Peter Hughes liveaboard experience. We arrived in Bali which of itself is a wonderful and fascinating place filled with warm and peaceful people, most of them hindus, as opposed to muslims for the rest of Indonesia. Tourism has suffered since the terrorist attack that left over 200 dead 2 years ago, but security is very good nowadays with authorities watchful of one of their main sources of income. Prices for everything range from very cheap to reasonable. Upon arrival after almost 36 hours of travel time from Mexico via LAX and Singapore, we spent 3 whole days touring the many religious and natural sites before boarding the ship. The Komodo Dancer is a sailboat for 14 divers and as many as 16 crew members (due to Indonesian regulations). We had 4 divemasters: Gerry from England, Susan from Germany, Yan from Indonesia and Gillian from Scotland), all of them very knowledgeable in finding the best stuff, especially Yan.
You first sail 22 hours to get to the first divesite, the second day we arrived in the island of Komodo, went ashore and had the good fortune of seeing the famous Komodo Dragons in the wild as well as Deer, Wild Boar, lovely Orchids, etc.
The diving in the Flores Sea was magnificent with a mix of small stuff and some pelagics. The most interesting were an albino Manta Ray, Anemones with many different species of Clownfishes, Blue Spotted Fantail Ray, Batfish, Lionfish, Titan Triggerfish, Clown Triggerfish, Frogfish, Whitetip Sharks, Barracuda, Spiny Lobster, Stonefish, Leaf Scorpionfish, Hawksbill Turtles, Humphead Parrotfish, Colorful Nudibranchs, Giant Trevally, Crocodilefish and at 4 dives we saw amazing Cuttlefishes who changed shape and colors in a matter of seconds.
At one memorable night dive we saw Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Flathead Stargazer, Snake Eel, Mantis Shrimp, Octopus, Mandarin Fish and a baby Cuttlefish.
This place reminds me a little of Milne Bay in PNG plus the abundant turtles and large pelagics.
Service on board was amazing; they even had a crew member who specialized in massages; food was good and varied especially the Indonesian fare which was good for our Mexican taste (spicy). I was impressed by the maintenance, cleanliness, etc. of the ship.
Definitely a world class divesite and operation not to be missed by advanced divers.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving Cocos, Galapagos, Tahiti, Socorro, Guadalupe Island( Great White Sharks), Papua New Guinea, Cozumel, Cuba, Palau, Baja, Italy, France, Cancun, Ixtapa, Acapulco, Veracruz, Puerto Vallarta, etc.
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm
Water Temp 76-85°F / 24-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 30-100 Ft/ 9-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Almost none other than 1 hour maximum dive time for most dives.
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas Squadrons
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 3 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Ample space outside for storage of cameras. Inside charging facilities. Crew was confortable with handling of cameras and photographic equipment.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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