Adventure Komodo Live-Aboard Cruises
Guest Information and Frequently Asked Questions
Adventure Komodo Live-Aboard Cruises
Guest Information and Frequently Asked Questions
Embarking & Disembarking -- All Adventure Komodo guests are encouraged to arrive at the port of voyage origin at least one day prior to departure. This allows you the opportunity to re-adjust from your flight and provides a bit of a safety net in the event of delayed luggage. Adventure H2O provides transfers to and from airports and hotels in the port of voyage origin. For example, if the port of voyage origin is Bali, we provide the transfers in the immediate area of the airport (Kuta, Sanur, Nusa Dua). An additional fee will be charged for transfers to hotels in other regions of Bali.
Flight Schedules -- Departing flights from port of disembarkation after the voyage should be scheduled in the afternoon rather than morning. Please provide our office with your departure flight details and our staff will re-confirm for you.
Diving With Adventure H2O -- More and more divers are learning about the incredible richness of marine life and wide variety of dive sites in Indonesia. Our dive sites include current swept walls, coral gardens, peaceful lagoons, spectacular swim-throughs and black volcanic sand habitats (popularly known as muck dives). Divers can expect clouds of colorful reef fishes, aggregations of manta rays, and colonies of mandarin fish. We also offer occasional exploration dives where who knows what well see!
Tender diving from our 2 aluminum Zodiac type-boats insures the safest, most reliable, convenient and efficient way to enjoy and appreciate the dive sites we visit. Each dive begins with a detailed briefing outlining what to expect as far as marine life, currents, depths, bottom contour, and gives the general dive plan. Two experienced dive guides with trained eyes accompany each dive to assist you with finding special invisible and unusual marine life and insure that you get the most out of each dive site.
We offer 2 morning dives, an afternoon dive, and a twilight or night dive (depending the desires of the divers, itinerary, weather and sea conditions). De-briefings are done after dinner followed by plans for the following day.
Each diver is required to dive conservatively with their own dive computer; no sharing is permitted. Top- of- the-line dive gear is available for rent, including Scubapro regulators with pressure and depth gauges, dive computers, and wetsuits. The one Diving Rule that we strictly enforce is: Dont do anything Stupid ! Going too deep, staying too long, coming up too fast, and running out of air before an adequate safety stop is completed are a few things that fall in the category of Stupid.
Safety sausages and Dive Alerts are available on board, but divers are encouraged to bring their own and be familiar with the proper use of these important surface safety devices. A strong reef hook and knowledge of how to use it is a good thing to have on some of our dives, as well. Both Nitrox and EANx fills are available for divers certified in those systems. EANx certifications are available on the voyage, but please reserve in advance. There is an extra charge of $250 for the EANx fills for a 14 night voyage.
Emergency Evacuation Insurance Required -- All of the remote regions of Indonesia where we will be diving DO NOT have adequate medical facilities, much less recompression facilities. In the event of a diving emergency, the victim must be evacuated back to Bali for treatment, over 2000 miles away. Evacuation insurance, such as DAN or PADI, is required for all Adventure H2O divers. Furthermore, you should contact your evacuation insurance carrier well ahead of departure to confirm that they can effectively service the remote regions of Indonesia where we will be diving. We carry DAN Oxygen kits on board along with a limited amount of emergency medical supplies and drugs. We advise that each diver bring along a small medical kit for specific personal requirements. All guest are required to read and sign the customary liability waiver and have it on file with us before arriving on the ship. We also recommend that you carry trip cancellation insurance.
Cabin Amenities -- Each guest cabin and the ships common areas are supplied with 220v and 110 v power. A convenient and well-lit camera table is available on the dive deck. Adventure Komodo carefully maintains 2 new 5000ltr. per day reverse osmosis watermakers and we enjoy the luxury of freshwater toilets throughout the ship. This feature eliminates any foul odors associated with salt water heads. Our satellite phone on the bridge is available for guest use at normal sat-phone fees. We also provide a new Dell laptop computer that is available for limited guest e-mail use as well as downloading digital images and burning CDs.
What to Bring -- Anything special I should bring along?
Smoking -- Smoking is strongly discouraged. We would like very much to make our Adventure Komodo voyages smoke-free and appreciate your cooperation. If youve been wanting to quit, coming on one of our voyages is a step in the right direction!
Crew Tipping -- How is the crew gratuity handled at the completion of the voyage? -- Our philosophy onboard Adventure Komodo is that no crew member is more important than another. Its an all for one / one for all effort and teamwork is essential to a safe and successful dive voyage to the remote regions we cruise. Each crew member shares an EQUAL portion of the crew gratuity. We encourage guest to not contribute any extra money to any crew member, no matter how well that crew member served you. A standard crew gratuity ranges from $10 per guest per day to 10% of the published price of the voyage. If a guest wants to show special recognition to a deserving crew member, a t-shirt or other personal belonging will serve the purpose just fine and be well appreciated.
How cold is the water / what kind of wet suit do I need? -- Water temperatures are variable and unpredictable throughout the regions we will be diving. To tell you specifics would be unfair, especially because different divers have different tolerance levels to water temperatures. Normally, a 3mm or a 3/2mm suite is just fine for most conditions. If you are more cold- natured, a shorty that can layer over the full suit, or a vest that can layer under, and a tropical hood are recommended.
Do we ever set foot on land? -- Yes. And we encourage our guest to broaden their imaginations and perspectives to appreciate the entire scope of their Indonesian experience to the fullest. There are so very many more unique attractions to this wonderful destination besides the incredible diving ! When in the Komodo region we provide the opportunity to go ashore for a 2 hour trek on land to see the huge Komodo Dragons in their natural habitat. When opportunity allows, we encourage our guest to go ashore on some white, infinite and un-trodden beach, if for no other reason than because few, if any, other people have ever done so on that particular beach ! Other activities we offer are big game fishing, hill climbing, and fort and spice plantation tours on Bandaneria. (And learning to re-engage in the lost art of conversation over fine Eagle Vale Wines in the evening!)
What if someone needs to contact me while I'm on the voyage? -- Adventure Komodo is equipped with the latest satellite communication technology available. But phone calls to or from the ship are not cheap: USD $5 per minute. E-mails are available at USD $2 per short message (in-coming and out-going).
How safe is it to travel to Indonesia? -- This is probably the most frequently asked question of all. It is a question that, ultimately, you must answer for yourself. But here is something that might help you decide from one of our friends:
"Indonesia does have 2 pockets of political/religious discord: Ambon in Maluku and Ache in Sumatra. The factions there are NOT against foreigners, however, it is always advisable to stay clear of those locations. There are some 30,000+ islands in Indonesia and about 300 million people genuinely NICE people!
"Yes, the U.S. State Dept has issued a travel warning for ALL of Indonesia. I personally believe that is just flat wrong. No one stopped visits to New York after 9/11 and travel here should be as unrestricted. The trouble spots are, as mentioned, Ambon & Ache. We simply don't go there!"
Arrival In Indonesia -- A new Indonesia immigration policy allows foreign visitors to obtain a visa on arrival if their stay is 30 days or less. The charge for this visa is USD $25.00 which can be paid in US cash or Indonesian rupiah. It is VERY IMPORTANT that your passport is valid for at least 6 months from date of entry into Indonesia. Other local government regulations may be put into effect before your arrival, therefore we advise that you check with our Adventure H2O office or your travel agent 48 hours before departure from your home country.
About the Boat -- Adventure Komodo is a 75 foot long aluminum catamaran. The state-of-the-art technology built into Adventure Komodo is apparent the first time you see her in person ! She was constructed in late 2002 with the finest marine and aircraft-grade aluminum available and complies with the most stringent standards for Australian survey and safety. We are equipped with the latest advances in navigational and safety components including redundant gps, echo sounder, and radar. Our spacious dining / lounge area features a flat screen 29 TV with VCR / DVD/CD players all tied into the surround-sound audio system. A limited supply of books, CDs and DVDs are available. Guests are encouraged to bring along their own that they can contribute to our library. We also have an impressive accumulation of marine life ID books on board to help you appreciate your diving experience even more through learning. Our twin 430 hp Cummings engines deliver more than adequate power for cruising speeds of over 15 knots. However, since most of our cruising / positioning of the ship is at night, we base our itineraries on 8 to 10 knots for safety reasons.
Dining for Divers -- This fine ship features a gourmet galley and many of our guests comment that Adventure Komodo is a 5- star gourmet restaurant that we can dive from. Our London-trained Cordon Bleu chef takes pride in providing culinary delights to match the high quality diving experience. Vegetarians and dessert lovers will especially appreciate the culinary experience of Adventure Komodo voyages. We also feature an outside Bar-B-Que grill for carnivores!
No Credit Cards -- Adventure Komodo is not yet equipped to accept credit cards. Even travelers checks are extremely difficult to exchange here. We ask that you bring enough US dollars and / or Indonesian Rupiah for port fees, crew gratuity, and on-board expenses not included in the cost of the voyage (telephone & e-mail, dive courses, gear rental, EANx, souvenirs, etc...)
"I have been traveling to Indonesia from the U.S.A. for about 20 years on and off. (I am a Professional Movie Maker and photographer. Readers can check my Web Site for verification @ www.happycatproductions.com) At NO time during my extensive travels through a wide sector of Indonesia have I EVER encountered a problem that would make me question my personal safety. NONE.
Where can I find out more about Adventure H2o Voyages? -- We invite you to check-out the vessel's web-site: www.adventureh2o.com. There is also a very informative and entertaining report from a recent guests, Mr. Yung Yip. Read it at: http://www.cpinternet.com/rhedlund/Banda2004/Pearls.htm
Looking for YOUR next great adventure? If this sounds like your kind of diving experience, contact Ken at Island Dreams now to learn how you can join in the fun. ken@islandream.com
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