Dive Review of Arenui in
Indonesia/Adonara, Kawula, Sangeang, Ko

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Arenui: "Arenui: Maurmere-Labuan Bajo (Adonara, Kawula, Sangeang, Komodo)", May, 2015, by Richard Ebright, NJ, US ( Reviewer 3 reports with 2 Helpful votes). Report 8332 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This was my second trip to the Komodo ares. (The first was in July 2011 on Komodo Dancer.) The cruise was organized and accompanied by Secret Sea Visions (Burt Jones) and Got Muck (Kerry Bingham). All dives east and north of Flores, all dives in Gili Banta and Sangeang, and all night dives and some day dives in Komodo National Park were muck dives and focussed on critters. Some day dives in Komodo were reef dives (Batu Balong, Tatawa Besar, Tatawa Kecil, Siaba Kecil, Crystal Rock, Passage, and Teluk Lehok Sera), and some were macrofauna dives (sharks at Castle Rock and mantas at Manta Alley). Minuses: Both the ratio of time outside Komodo to time inside Komodo and the ratio of muck dives to reef dives were higher than I had been told in advance and higher than I would have preferred. The heavy emphasis on outside-Komodo sites and muck dives appear to have been changes to accommodate interests of the approximately half of guests who had booked through Got Muck. We missed southern Rinca (with world-class Nusa-Kode/Horseshoe-Bay dive sites Cannibal Rock and Yellow Wall) and Padar (with magnificant Pink Beach) due to moderately heavy--but not especially heavy--seas that prevented crossing the Slot. The Arenui cruise director told me that this happens on at least two-thirds of spring and summer cruises in Komodo. Apparently, the relatively small size and relatively high center of gravity of the Arenui make the Arenui less able to handle heavy seas than other Indonesia liveaboards. We also missed most land excursions. The sole organized land excursion was a short Komodo dragon walk on northern Rinca on the afternoon of the last day. My cabin was OK, but, contrary to the Arenui Website, was not "luxurious." The desk was narrow and the stool was uncomfortable. The bathroom was cramped and poorly ventilated. Food was OK but, contrary to the Arenui Website, was not "gourmet." There were no showers on deck (just a shower in a common bathroom). There was no camera room. (Dewi Nusantara and Damai beat Arenui on cabins, food, deck showers, and camera rooms.) Pluses: The macro sealife was outstanding: Bobbitt worms, Persian carpet worms, dozens of nudibranch species (including a foot-long solar-powered nudibranch eating a leather coral), dozens of crab species (including boxer crabs and numerous mating crabs), pygmy cuttlefish (including mating pygmy cuttlefish--very energetic), flamboyant cuttlefish, reef cuttlefish, hairy octopus, long-armed octopus, reef octopus, ornate ghost pipefish (including a mated pair), halimeda ghost pipefish, robust ghost pipefish, banded pipefish, ring pipefish, Lembeh sea dragon, Bargibanti pygmy seahorses (including a pregnant male), Denise pygmy seahorses, ribbon eels, snake eels, waspfish, devil scorpionfish, leaf scorpionfish, paddleflap Rhinopias, weedy Rhinopias, giant frogfish ("walking" and "hopping"), clown frogfish, devilfish, robin gunard, Pegasus sea moths, and a star gazer. The squadrons of mantas in the alley and the cleaning station at Manta Alley also were outstanding. The Arenui staff were outstanding. In particular the Arenui dive guide Ronald was *absolutely superb*. Possibly the best dive guide on the planet. Definitely the best dive guide I ever have had. Amazing ability to spot critters. Excellent ability to manage photographers and videographers. The diver:guide ratio was an astonishing 1:1 to 1:4. (The Arenui uses only groups of just 4 divers and, astonishingly, does not combine dive groups when one or more divers opts to skip a dive.) On one night dive, I was the sole diver in Ronald's group. On the other night dives and some day dives, I was one of just two divers in Ronald's group. (Arenui beats other Indonesian liveaboards on dive guides and diver:guide ratios.)
Websites	Arenui
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Galapagos, Cocos, Cozumel, Akumal, Bora Bora, Phuket, Palau, Lembeh, Bali, Komodo, Raja Ampat, Cenderawasih Bay
Closest Airport		Getting There	Denpasar (Bali) to Maumere; Labuan Bajo to Denpasar (Bali)
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, choppy, surge, currents
Water Temp	75-82°F / 24-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	0
Water Visibility	10-60 Ft/ 3-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	60 minutes; stay with guide
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	There was no camera room. I had an unshared cabin (paid 100% single supplement), so I was able to use the second bed in my cabin as a camera table. I would have been hard-pressed for space had I been in a shared cabin.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Arenui in Indonesia/Adonara, Kawula, Sangeang, Ko

Arenui: "Arenui: Maurmere-Labuan Bajo (Adonara, Kawula, Sangeang, Komodo)", May, 2015,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Arenui in
Indonesia/Adonara, Kawula, Sangeang, Ko