Explore Komodo from the All Star Aurora

      Labuan Bajo Komodo

      BP
      Blue Planet Scuba
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      142 reviews
      Jul 18 - 25, 2022
      Group size: 16 - 16
      Explore Komodo from the All Star Aurora
      Labuan Bajo Komodo

      Blue Planet Scuba
      • Email address verified
      • Facebook verified
      • Twitter verified
      142 reviews

      Jul 18 - 25, 2022
      Group size: 16 - 16

      About this trip

      One female share spot left!


      7 nights onboard the All Star Aurora Liveaboard

      Join Blue Planet as we explore some of the best diving in the world in the mega-diverse Komodo region of Indonesia. The trip will visit reefs, walls, pinnacles and sea mounts from the beautiful Pinisi liveaboard. Don't wait -- this trip will fill up fast!


      Discover one of the most species-diverse locations in Indonesia, reputed for the Komodo dragon, the largest lizard species on earth. The island also forms part of the Komodo National Park and is only one of seven locations in the world with pink sand beaches (white sand mixed with red foraminifera). 


      Dive Komodo’s world famous site Manta Alley where you can spot up to a dozen oceanic manta rays swirling through a feeding station. The Cauldron, also known as Shotgun, is a swift drift that will send you on a ride to remember. The night dives in Komodo are one of the highlights with colorful nudibranchs, crustaceans, eels, frogfish and octopus.


      Highlights include diving with Manta rays, ocean sunfish, pygmy seahorses, ornate ghost pipefish, eagles rays and dolphins. The area is home to 260 reef-building corals, 70 sponges and 1,000 fish species. 


      Aurora

      This beautiful Pinisi-styled teak motor/sail dive liveaboard combines tradition with comfort and modern conveniences. She is 131 feet (40 meters) long with a 30-foot (9 meter) beam. She has two levels for living space and over 3,000-square feet of sail! The upper deck houses the dive deck, photo and video room and salon. 

       

      Guest quarters are located on the main deck and accommodate 18 divers. Cabins have either king beds or two single beds or a combination of the two (king and single). Each cabin immerses guests in traditional Indonesian decor with rich woods and warm colors. All cabins have private bathrooms and air conditioning. 


      Travel

      We will join the Aurora on July 18th in Labuan Bajo, where the trip will end on July 25th. Labuan Bajo (LBJ), on the Indonesian island of Flores, is well served with Indonesia’s domestic airlines. We are able to help arrange domestic flights to and from Labuan Bajo, plus any add-on trips you may be interested in.


      The Diving

      The best time to dive Komodo is from May to October. Currents originating from deeper, cooler water bring large amounts of nutrients and planktonic organisms towards the surface, fueling the abundant life on the reef. These currents also mean that you will need a minimum of 50 dives and the Advanced Open Water Diver certification under your belt to safely drift on the currents.


      All diving will be done from pangas in small groups with designated dive guides.  We will have the opportunity to log up to 3 dives per day plus night dives during the cruise. No diving is offered on the first and last day.

      Cancellation Policy

      Upon cancellation of a reservation for any reason, the refund of the deposit and payments made or due will be contingent upon Blue Planet reselling the participant's reservation. Any refund may also be subject to a cancellation fee of $250 and payment of any non-refundable fees imposed by the tour company, dive operator or any other contractor associated with the trip. 


      Dive accident insurance is required for all divers on this trip. We strongly recommend travel insurance to protect your vacation investment. Contact us if you need more information. 

      What’s included

      • 7 nights accommodation
        Double occupancy in a cabin with a double or twin beds
      • Meals & most beverages
        All meals onboard the Aurora; excludes beer, wine, spirits and espresso coffee
      • Airport Transfers
        Roundtrip transfers between the LBJ airport and marina on embarkation/disembarkation days
      • Land excursions
        See itinerary for details
      • 20-22 dives
        Up to four dives most days including night dives!

      What’s not included

      • Flights
        International or domestic flights
      • Nitrox
        $12 USD/day
      • National Park Fees
        $20 USD/day
      • Scuba equipment
        Tanks and weights are included. Other items are available to rent.
      • Alcohol & espresso
        Beer, wine, spirits and espresso coffee are available on board for a fee
      • Tips for the crew
      • Any hotel stays

      Available Packages

      Trip Price
      $2,660
      Deposit: $700

      Available options

      Itinerary

      Monday
      Board the Aurora

      Please note that this itinerary is a diving program and can be changed depending on many factors! The Aurora team will pick you up at 10:00am if you are staying on island prior to boarding. If you are flying in directly on the day of boarding, we will pick you up at the airport and transfer you directly to the boat. We want all guests on board by 1:00pm at the latest. Once everyone is on board, Aurora will lift the anchor and will head towards the island of Moyo.

      Your Organizer


      BP
      Blue Planet Scuba
      142 reviews
      Blue Planet is a different kind of scuba diving organization — aimed at providing the best education and experiences to divers in the Washington, DC area and beyond, while harnessing the excitement and adventure of scuba diving to help protect our fragile oceans.

      Reviews

      Heather & Jonas were excellent trip leaders making sure everyone was well taken care of. The Galapagos Aggressor had a super crew and the diving was challenging and stunning! We saw hammerheads, penguins, seals, sea lions & dolphins! I really appreciated the personal touches like our matching jackets and a cake for my birthday. I would highly recommend this trip.
      By Catherine W for Explore the Galapagos on Mar 02, 2024
      This review is belated, I know... ...But that only means I took **serious*** consideration into reviewing my experience with Blue Planet DC, and ranking them very highly. Its been almost a year since I was OW Certified with Blue Planet in Cozumel - my training during that trip was thorough enough to provide me with a solid foundation to continue scuba diving afterwards many, many times. The trip itinerary, accommodations, and overall pacing of the scuba lessons were incredibly well organized. The instructors were patient and attentive - at various times I was provided specific one-on-one, actionable feedback regarding things like my trim or my breathing rhythm impacting my buoyancy and what I could do to improve my technique. They made sure we knew our stuff before letting us loose into the ocean, and during our checkout dives they stayed closeby and kept a watchful eye on us, so I felt more at ease and safe. (Even with the drift moving us around!) My main priority for this trip was to learn how to scuba, but that said, there were opportunities at Cozumel to (after the day's lessons are done) be a tourist and explore the area. The resort itself is a very beautiful spot with relaxing, open air dining, lounge, and balcony areas as well as a fantastic view of the ocean horizon. I also really appreciated that lodging AND meals were included in this travel package - it saved me the trouble of having to figure that out on my own, which made a big difference by freeing up more time after each full day of lessons to just relax and chill. I know each trip is always different of course in terms of other group trip attendees you may end up with, so of course this can just be sheer dumb luck, but everyone else on this trip was chill. Even the more seasoned divers who were already certified and doing this for years were friendly and happy to drop useful advice or recount from their personal experiences how it was like them becoming certified the first time. The time I did this it was "drift diving" and of course that scared me a ton. But the PADI material that is mandatory to study goes over what drift diving is. When doing my checkout dive the drift didn't like, wash me away from the group dive route. You'll be under instructor supervision so people are keeping an eye on you, and the drift itself is mild - I didn't have to struggle against the current (if you've ever surfed, you'll see that this isn't at all like a riptide or undertow). If anything, managing your buoyancy will end up your primary concern or worry during the checkout dive. Hope this review helps anyone considering who to go with for getting certified on their first ever scuba trip! I'm very glad I went with Blue Planet.
      By M T for March Certification Weekend in Cozumel on Feb 19, 2024
      EM
      This was my first liveaboard! 🛥️ Anthony was a fantastic trip leader and teacher, as always! The Aquacat crew was fun, the food was delicious and the diving and excursions were great! I would definitely recommend this trip with Blue Planet, especially as a first liveaboard experience! I had a good time learning about sharks, too! 🦈
      By Elsbeth M for Ring in 2024 on a Liveaboard in the Bahamas! on Jan 15, 2024
      Thanks for joining on another amazing trip! Hopefully we will be on another fun trip in sharky waters soon.
      By Anthony White on Jan 17, 2024
      AW
      This was my first trip with Blue Planet and my first liveaboard - both were a great experience! The communication and prep from Blue Planet was excellent (pre-trip meeting was really helpful, paperwork was clear and organized). My husband and I are new divers and Anthony (trip lead from Blue Planet) was an invaluable resource - we learned a lot during the dives and felt safe with him looking out for us. The liveaboard itself was amazing. The bed was comfortable, the food was amazing, the staff were wonderful. This was one of the best trips of my life - it's going to be hard to top with the bar now set so high!
      By Rachel L for Ring in 2024 on a Liveaboard in the Bahamas! on Jan 08, 2024
      Thank you so much, Rachel! I am glad you and Ben had such a good time on the trip. You were both great divers, and I can't wait to see you on more of our trips. I look forward to diving with you some more!
      By Anthony White on Jan 13, 2024
      AW
      JR
      Had a great time diving, wonderful people and nice accommodations; hotel was super convenient to dive boats.
      By Jennifer R for December Certification Weekend in Cozumel on Dec 11, 2023
      Thank you so much, Jennifer! We’re so happy to hear how much you enjoyed the dive experience with Blue Planet in Cozumel. We look forward to you joining with us on a future trip!
      By Blue Planet Scuba on Dec 12, 2023
      BP
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