Komodo, Indonesia is one of the worlds most famous dive destinations. But affordable and Komodo liveaboards you may think don’t belong in the same sentence. But I’ve included 7 of the best affordable Komodo liveaboards in this article.
The name Komodo conjures up thoughts of dragons and lizards, which is because of the Komodo Dragons.
But Komodo diving is probably best known for its scuba diving with manta rays. The best way to dive the best dive spots in Komodo is on a liveaboard boat. But you really need to book for a minimum of 3 days diving. But 7 days of diving is better. Which leads on to the following budget liveaboards to scuba dive Komodo?
The 7 best budget Komodo liveaboards:
The Yoshi Liveaboard for 14 divers;
The Empress II Liveaboard for 10 divers;
Indonesian Jaya Liveaboard for 14 divers;
Akomo Isseki Liveaboard for 8 divers;
Ratu Pelangi Liveaboard for 14 divers;
Royal Fortuna Indonesian Liveaboard for 11 divers;
Komodo Shalom liveaboard for 16 divers.
The best way to dive Komodo, Indonesia is by a scuba diving liveaboard. You can check the latest and best deals on Indonesia liveaboards using the following window:
The best budget liveaboards Komodo – a selection of affordable liveaboards in more detail
If you’re going to get the best out of scuba diving the Komodo Islands, you are better off to dive Komodo from a liveaboard. By scuba diving from a liveaboard you’re able to reach the more distant dive sites that aren’t accessible from the main land.
This is your chance to dive off the beaten track and explore untouched beauty. But on a budget that shouldn’t break the bank.
1. The Yoshi Liveaboard – 9.1, Fabulous, 4.5 stars out of 5
Dragon Dive Komodo – The best budget liveaboards Komodo – image courtesy of Liveaboard.com
Dragon Dive Komodo Liveaboard Summary:
Max 14 guests.
4 cabins, 2 dorms for 4 guests, 1 deluxe for 2 and a suite for 4.
Cabins are air conditioned.
4 bathrooms.
Length – 24 metre (79 feet) Indonesian Phinisi sail boat.
DIN Adapters – Yes.
Nitrox – No.
Yoshi liveaboard detail
Yoshi liveaboard (Formerly Dragon Dive Komodo Liveaboard) caters to 14 guests. The Yoshi liveaboard offers dive trips to Komodo National Park. If you’re on a budget there are shorter dive trips, which makes it cheaper to scuba dive Komodo.
The cabins on the Yoshi includes two dorms each with 4 single beds.
But if you have a slightly higher budget, there is one deluxe cabin for 2 guests.
Plus there’s a suite for up to 4 guests, which is suitable for families.
Yoshi Liveaboard is a 24 metre (79 feet) traditional Wooden Phinisi.
She was built in 2017 and has all modern facilities, as all the cabins are fully air-conditioned with private en-suite bathrooms.
There is also a sun deck with loungers and hammocks to relax in-between dives.
The covered outdoor lounge is an ideal place to unwind with a cold drink at the end of the day.
Tasty meals of freshly prepared Indonesian and international cuisine is served at the open-air dining area.
Yoshi liveaboard 3 days 2 nights
Depending on your budget there should be a dive itinerary to suite. If you can only afford a 2 night 3 day liveaboard trip, this is catered for, along with 3 nights and 4 day trips too.
On board the are DIN adapters, rebreather support, sidemount diving and free WIFI. Plus there’s scuba gear rental too available.
The Yoshi Liveaboard explores the north, central some of the remote and pristine areas of South Komodo. But all tours include trekking in Rinca, which is where you’ll see the Komodo Dragons. There is an onboard naturalist to give advise and guidance on the areas you dive and on the island trek too.
Yoshi liveaboard – the best cheap Komodo liveaboard – image courtesy of Liveaboard.com
A lifetime memory. “We saw many Mantas, sharks , turtles, even Dugong!! Me and the cozy bean bags became very close friends since the first day. Usually i get sea sickness easily but this time I didn’t take any medicine. The wave wasn’t too high and wind wasn’t strong either.” Recommended for Very friendly crew, excellent diving sites, cozy bean bags. Wen L China – 9.6 out of 10 Exceptional, 5 stars out of 5.
Absolutely exceeded all expectations! “Dive sites were incredible! Komodo national park definitely lives up to its name. My guide, Phil, was professional and knowledgeable and always enthusiastic about the upcoming dive. The food was absolutely delicious and plentiful and the boat was clean and so comfortable. The staff were so friendly and smiling. Super happy I went, thank you:)” Recommended for The dive sites, my guide, Delicious food.Yardena K Belgium – 10 out of 10, Exceptional, 5 stars our of 5.
2. The Empress II Liveaboard – 9.2 out of 10, Superb, 4.5 stars out of 5
Empress II Liveaboard – The best budget liveaboards Komodo Indonesia – image courtesy of Liveaboard.com
Empress II Liveaboard Summary:
Max 10 guests.
4 cabins, 3 twins, 1 single.
Cabins are air conditioned.
3 bathrooms.
Length – 81 metre (267 feet) steel hulled boat
DIN Adapters – Yes.
Nitrox – Yes.
Empress II liveaboard detail
The Empress II Liveaboard is an 81 metre (267 feet) steel hulled liveaboard boat.
You can explore and dive both Komodo and Raja Ampat on the Empress II liveaboard.
Designed to accommodate up to 10 guests across 4 cabins.
These are arranged as 3 twin cabins and 1 single cabin.
All cabins have air conditioning and portholes.
You will have to share the bathrooms and showers.
For your comfort in-between dives there are two sun decks where there are beanbags and comfortable mattresses.
Nitrox is available on board, but this must be ordered in advance of your trip.
There is also rebreather support and DIN adapters, plus scuba equipment rental.
For those who like to have it easy getting in and out of the water, there’s also an electric lift too.
Empress II Liveaboard – The best budget liveaboards Komodo – image courtesy of Liveaboard.com
Cheap and good diving experience. “Learning more diving techniques from the experienced dive guides. The chill and welcoming environment throughout the trip. Fantastic food.” Recommended for The people, food, diving. Pui Hay Y, Singapore – 10 out of 10, Exceptional and 5 stars out of 5.
Brilliant experience, everything was perfect. “Scenery, crew on board, food was awesome, diving guidance and Professionalism of the whole operation. Great value.” Recommended for Great diving, excellent locations, well run boat. Mark T, Australia – 10 out of 10, Exceptional, 5 stars out of 5.
3. The Indonesian Jaya Liveaboard – 9.0 out of 10, Fabulous and 4.5 stars out of 5
Jaya liveaboard reviews – budget liveaboard Komodo Indonesia – image courtesy of Liveaboard.com
Great Trip. “Great dive guides showed us in small groups the different reefs. Everything very professional prepared and super friendly staff.” Recommended for Dive Guides, Organisation, Food. Eva S Germany, 9.2 out of 10, Superb and 4.5 stars out of 5.
Amazing adventure of a lifetime. “The whole trip was amazing … from the gorgeous boat Jaya, the amazing professionalism and friendliness of the crew and of course the incredible locations we traveled to. The diving was some of the best I’ve experienced with such a variety of marine life, the live corals, multitude of species we saw … just mindblowing … the boat itself was a joy to travel on … the Indonesian Phinsies are reminiscent of the olde world sailing ships … just awesome … we are planning to head back to meet the boat to dive Raja Ampat in future.” Recommended for The diving, the crew and the food. AJ R New Zealand, 10 out of 10, Exceptional, 5 stars out of 5.
4. The Akomo Isseki Liveaboard – 9.3, Superb and 4.5 stars out of 5
The Akomo Isseki Liveaboard – the best budget diving liveaboards Komodo Indonesia – image courtesy of Liveaboard.com
Akomo Isseki Liveaboard Summary:
Max 8 guests.
4 cabins with twin beds.
Cabins are naturally vented (i.e. no A/C).
4 bathrooms.
Length – 27 metre (88.5 feet) Indonesian Phinisi sail boat.
DIN Adapters – Yes.
Nitrox – No.
Akomo Isseki liveaboard in detail
The Akomo Isseki liveaboard is another traditional wooden Phinisi boat.
Review of the Ratu Pelangi liveaboard – best budget diving liveaboard Komodo – image courtesy of Liveaboard.com
The best part of my month in Indonesia. “Batu Balong – Manta rays – Dragons – Flying Foxes – Volcanos – Beautiful sunsets” Recommended for The dive sites are absolutely unbelievable, the food was always delicious and plenty of it, the value for money. Jacob B New Zealand, 9.6 out of 10, Exceptional, 5 stars out of 5.
6. Royal Fortuna Indonesian Liveaboard
Royal Fortuna Indonesian Liveaboard – affordable Komodo diving liveaboard – image courtesy of Liveaboard.com
The Royal Fortuna Liveaboard Summary:
Max 11 guests.
5 cabins.
Cabins are not air conditioned – fans only.
2 bathrooms.
Length – 29 metre (95 feet) Indonesian Phinisi sail boat.
DIN Adapters – No.
Nitrox – No.
Ratu Pelangi liveaboard in detail
The Royal Fortuna Liveaboard is a 29 metre (95 feet) dive boat.
She is also an Indonesian Phinisi sail boat.
She has been designed to access places that larger boats cannot visit.
The Royal Fortuna caters to 11 guests, so in one of the smaller Komodo liveaboard for diving.
These guests are housed across 5 cabins, which are split across two decks.
The cabins are quite large, but they share two bathrooms.
They are cooled by fans and not air conditioning.
The Royal Fortuna Liveaboard has a sundeck which has loungers for relaxing in-between dives.
There is the chance to dine either inside or al fresco on the panoramic dining area.
On each liveaboard trip there’s the opportunity to dive and to trek to see Komodo Dragons at Rinca.
Liveaboard trips are either 3, 4 or 5 days in length.
These trips explore both Flores and the Komodo National Park.
The Royal Fortuna liveaboard is ideal for families and small groups who are on a budget.
Awesome trip. “I’ve been on 4 lives boards now, and this has been the best one. It’s advertised as a budget trip, but the boat is quite comfortable and the food is good. The dive masters and other crew were fantastic. The dive sites are some of the best in the world.” Recommended for Dive sites, crew, mantas. Lindsey D, United States, 9.6 out of 10, Exceptional, 5 stars out of 5.
Sea life around the Indonesian waters
If you’re keen to dive with mantas, Karang Makassar dive site is where you’ll get up close with schools of Manta Rays. Here’s a selection of underwater sea creatures you see when you scuba dive Komodo.
Scuba Diving the Komodo marine reserve can be done year round. But as with all dive spots, there are better times to visit. The best diving conditions are between March to October each year.
But the best season to see plenty of the magnificent manta rays is during the rainy season. The rainy season in Indonesia and Komodo runs from December to February.
If you’re looking for the best underwater visibility, it is best to dive from November through to January. But be aware that between January to March the seas can be a bit choppy at times.
Indonesia dive liveaboards table
This list of all Indonesia liveaboards is in descending customer rating order, followed by Scuba Diving Luxury Rating (SDE Lux Rating, see below), so the liveaboards with the highest customer rating and the best SDE lux rating will be at the top of the list. If you want to change the list order, use the “Sort by” dropdown below.
The Scuba Diving Earth Luxury Rating (SDE Lux Rating) is explained on each liveaboard review when you click the “Discover Liveaboard” link, and is my own Liveaboard Luxury Rating I’ve assigned to all liveaboards. Choosing between liveaboards is helped by customer scores, and if you get stuck choosing between two or three liveaboards, where each one has a high customer score out of 10, you can use the SDE Luxury Rating to help narrow down your choice.
Think about it like using Booking.com when searching for the best hotel. Booking.com also use a customer score where each customer rates hotels out of 10. This is similar to the liveaboard customer rating, which is also rated out of 10. But let’s say you only like to stay in hotels rated 8 and above on Booking.com, but you also want the hotel to have WIFI or parking, or to have a swimming pool etc. The features each hotel has is usually secondary to the score out of 10.
I hope you enjoyed this article about the best budget liveaboards Komodo
I’d love to hear from you. Tell us about your adventures of diving and snorkeling, in the comments below. Please also share your photos. Either from your underwater cameras or videos from your waterproof Gopro’s!
If this article hasn’t answered all of your questions. If you have more questions either about snorkeling or scuba diving (or specifically about the best budget liveaboards Komodo), please comment below with your questions.
There will also be many more articles about scuba diving (and snorkeling) for you to read and learn about these fabulous sports.
Have fun and be safe!
The 7 Best Budget Liveaboards Komodo (Affordable Komodo Diving)
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Article written by Russell Bowyer who has been a scuba diver since diving on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia in 1989. After his first dive he trained as a BSAC diver in the UK. He attained his Diver Leader certification with BSAC. He then went on to become a scuba diving instructor, teaching others how to dive and was voted as Diving Officer and Treasurer for the Saffron Walden BSAC club too. Russell has dived all over the world, including the UK, on liveaboards in the Red Sea, the Caribbean, South Africa and the USA. Russell is experienced in all dive types, including drift diving, deep dives that involved decompression stops and recreational dives too.
