Recommendations for Bali/Komodo Liveaboard Dive Operations??

I'm planning a trip to Bali/Komodo for July of this year and am interested in any recommendaitons for liveaboard dive operations in the area. My plan is to spend a 7day trip on a liveaboard in the Komodo Islands and then explore Bali and dive for some Mola Mola and the Liberty wreck while staying on the island. Is it better to navigate from Bali to Komodo and back, or, fly from Bali to Luan Bajo and catch a liveaboard there? Suggestions also apprecated for Dive Shops to help me photography Mola Mola and unique dives around Bali after Komodo excursion. Thanks in advance for your suggestions and information.

Hi - I would highly recommend Mermaid liveaboards. Mermaid 1 does 9 night trips and Mermaid 2 does 7 night trips. Both liveaboards depart from bali so flying inside of indonesia. I have done seven trips on Mermaid liveaboards and there will be more. Excellent liveaboards and crew. The trips do the same itinerary with the Mermaid 1 having the extra 2 days to redo some sites and have more time in the komodo park.

Thank you Saga7! I have actually inquired with them and had them on a short list for meeting my needs & price range. Good to hear you've had such a positive experience with them! Since you've been 7 times, would you have an opinion of the "best" time to go?? I intend to use a drone as well for aerials and the Komod Islands look really cool in green during April, May, June.. however, it seems that Mantas aren't seen as easily during those months. What was your favorite time and why to dive Komodo? Also, any experience diving Bali? I would like to do a Mola Mola excursion and dive the Liberty Wreck during my stay there. Any advice or recommendations for Dive Shops catering to those excursions would be great! Thank you again!!

If you want to see the Mola Molas. Then check carefully for the Timing. From my understanding. It is around September. Atleast, we had them then.

I believe that May is a window in Komodo with calm seas and less Boats. I hve been there in that timeframe and it was nice, but not so many Mantas.

We enjoyed Arenui in Komodo.

/Erik

I did Komodo in August on the Arenui. Beautiful boat and we had mantas. The islands were very brown and I got the feeling that it was normal for the area rather than seasonal. I found the domestic flights to be easy and stress-free.

My shots from the trip are here: http://lizrogersphotography.com/tag/komodo/

The last article on that page has a video which is my underwater shots and cruise co-ordinator Eduardo's aerial drone shots.

I also saw a mola mola in Tulamben in Bali last Christmas. Unfortunately it was at 100m so this may not be useful information...but they are in the area all year round.

Thank you E.Viking.. I will continue to research the Mola Mola diving in Bali for best times to see them. Thank you Liz for your recommendations and a link to your images. Love the shots and your advice regarding technique, lighting, etc. I intend to read them all, however, I have already read the blog about backlighting the tiny critters & ribbon eel. I am going to be using my OMD EM-1 for the first time here. I will be shooting with my 12-40mm PRO in a 7" dome and my 60mm Macro with the Nauticam CMC diopter. Haha,, its my first professional quality rig and I hope to take some good images & video. I will be using the drone just as your friend did and looking to get some cool video both in the air and under the waves to remember my adventure!! Great website you have, its really generous of you to share your photography and your knowledge of underwater photography skills. Thank you both!

Hi- i have done komodo in early october-to late november on my trips. The later in november you probably won't see mantas at manta ally. The water is warmer the later in the fall. Cannibal rock has a water temperature in the low 70 degree sometimes in the summer. Mid 70 degree water late fall. The most important thing to check for komodo is you don't do a trip in a full moon. Currents at batu balong dive site can make the site undiveable. The reason i like the bali-komodo trip is variety. Blue or greenish water. White sand, black, brown and muck dives. Walls, pinnacles, sloping reefs. The ability to find new species. We have been seeing an octopus for the last 5 years which was not in the book. It has now been identified as the Starry Night Octopus a new species. We also have another octopus which is in the book but not sure if it is a new species. Where else does dive masters look in the book to try to figure out what they have seen or we have one dive master with a go pro and if he photographs something it is to try to identify it. http://reefscenics.smugmug.com

Thank you Saga7! I'm thinking I'm gonna shoot for end of July/August as to be in the Mola Mola season for Bali as well as maybe have a greener Komodo than later when it will be completely brown. Also, I think that gets me into a better "current" friendly time. I recently dove Galapagos, so, currents are fun as long as the Panga driver knows where to look for you! Haha!! we all wore GPS & emergency radio beacons for this contingency.. So, thank you for mentioning the Moon as I actually was planning my trip around being at Komodo during full moon. I have a Vision of a Landscape photo of the Full Moon over a bay with the boat anchored... Haha,, maybe I should reconsider a full moon over a Bali Temple instead?? You make a good point for me to consider.

I looked at your album on Komodo! Your macro images are sublime. So many very good ones!! Your equipment appears to have been rigged for great macro images. Super crisp colors and tack sharp images in those Clowny Shots... all of your macros. Its obviously what you enjoy shooting and they are amazing! What gear are you using? I'm going to be taking my OMD E-M1 with two lens, the 12-40mm Pro in a 7" dome and my 60mm Macro with a Nauticam CMC on flip diopter.. Would you say the diving is pretty evenly split on wide angle dives vs. macro dives? After much consideration, I think I'm going to go with the Mermaid II Liveaboard and do the Bali-Komodo-Bali excursion. I have found the company's response to my emails and the reviews posted to be very positive and helpful. I agree with you after watching the YouTube videos, diving from Bali-Komodo-Bali offer's great variety. Like diving in Galapagos, very different diving along the islands proper, then navigating out to Wolf & Darwin Islands & diving there, but, I very much enjoyed the whole experience & exposure to difference in areas. I believe that is what you are pointing out to me. Thank you!

I use the nikon d60 camera with the nikon 16-85mm lens. I like the zoom lens as you never know what you will find. From macro to wide angle in one lens. For pygmy seahorse i add a +4 diopter for that dive so when i do that it is macro only. I have an aquatica housing with the 6 inch dome port. I use nikonos sb 105 strobes. Most of the dive sites you can do macro and wide angle. With your system you should get very similar pics as your 60mm in a flat port and my 85mm inside a dome is about the same. For wide angle your 12mm and 7inch dome you will get more wide than my 16mm and 6inch dome. The variety of dive site i like as i never get bored of komodo after 5 trips and there will be more. Also i can see each dive site difference in the pics. There were a few places i dove each site was exactly the same. Boring.

I'm looking forward to it as a great opportunity to photograph otherworldly creatures and primal beauty that really brings out the joy in life & living. I've been to Isla Guadalupe with the Great Whites,, Galapagos with the schooling Hammer Heads,, and now Komodo Islands and the Dragon are my next adventure into the Mystic! Something special about the very remote and primal islands that really captivates & inspires me.

Haha!! I've decided to arrange full moon for Bali and climbing Mount Agong. I was also told by Lanny at Mermaid that Full Moon attracts the Mola Mola at Nusa Penida.. I'm really getting excited about the adventure and researching the dive sites, landmarks, wildlife & history of the area. Thank you for your suggestions and information.

Thank you Kadekdiver! Actually, I inquired with Wicked Diving first because of the good reviews I read online about your liveaboard experience. However, I was told by your staff that the boat was not particularly well set up for a photographer with the equipment I'll be using. I was told I would probably find a larger boat more specialized for my larger camera system better experience. Thank you again for the information, I have planned a August/September visit to catch Mola Mola season and hopefully avoid the larger tourist crowd of June/July. Thanks again!

For your time in Bali I highly recommend The Underwater Tribe. Dove with them a couple years ago and found them awesome.

Thank you! I watched a video on how to "shoot the Mola Mola" credited to Underwater Tribe. Is it the same dive shop?

Thank you! I watched a video on how to "shoot the Mola Mola" credited to Underwater Tribe. Is it the same dive shop?

Yes, it is

They also lead trips to Komodo. One of their dive masters spent a lot of time in Komodo, I think his name was Gday, not how he spells it I'm sure. We dove with him in Bali and he was awesome.

Cool video Mike and so true!! Best to sit still and watch the Big Fish and hope they come to you!! (at least it was in Galapagos..) Diver's chasing Eagle Rays and Sharks never got close. Sitting still outside the current I was within arms reach of those same species many times. I have looked at some of your other videos and they look great, exactly what I'm hoping for. Great Guides who can show me the critters as well as help me be a better photographer.

Thank you Aquapaul for the recommendation. Its great to hear others first hand opinions.

I have been to Komodo twice, once on the Mermaid 1 and once on the Indo Siren. Both were excellent, the Mermaid 1 is more basic then the Indo Siren. Both trips were in the fall, October and November. I would do either again.

Elmer

Elmer, how did you like navigating from Bali on Mermaid as opposed to flying from Bali to Luan Bajo and boarding the Indo Siren? Was it worth the extra money to you for the better appointed Siren?? I will be traveling alone, so, I don't really require a swanky atmosphere like I might on a couples cruise. However, I do want a good clean cabin and boat with modern electrical systems for charging all my electronics & computers. Everything I've read about the Mermaid boats seem to indicate they are very nicely appointed and a good value for photographers seeking a boat focused on underwater photographers & their equipment. Your thoughts on the differences of each would be appreciated and your experiences with the dive staff, sites you visited, unique or special moments unique to each boat. Haha, a cool photo of your dives there is always appreciated!

BengalBoy,

Both boats basically visit the same dive sites in Komodo, the highlights of the trip are Batu Bolong for sharks, Horseshoe Bay with Cannibal Rock, Yellow Wall of Texas, Torpedo Alley and Manta Alley.

It takes two days to sail from Bali to Komodo on the Mermaid 1, but you dive along the way. One of the dives is on an active underwater volcano. Both do a Komodo Park land excursion where you get up close to the dragons.

The dive deck on the Mermaid is small and you dive from Panga's (zodiac's) where on the Siren you have your own cubical with drawers and dive from boats. Both divide divers in 3 groups that rotate which group dives first. On the Siren the guides are Indonesian, the cruise director is European. On the Mermaid 1 the divemasters are Brits and one doubles as the cruise director and there is one not to large camera table on the dive deck. The accommodations are better on the Siren, bigger rooms, camera stations inside the galley and the food is a bit better too. i had great trips on both boats.

Elmer

Thanks for your reply Elmer! The active underwater volcano sounds very cool!! I will keep your suggestions in mind as I continue to make my plans.