Dive Review of Dive Damai in
Indonesia/Komodo

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Dive Damai: "Another great trip to Komodo", Jan, 2024, by David E Reubush, VA, US ( Top Contributor 71 reports with 36 Helpful votes). Report 13079 has 1 Helpful vote.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
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 third trip to Komodo on the Damai I starting with the 4th voyage as a new boat in 2009. The most recent prior trip was in July, 2018. There were at least 2 of the crew who have been there since the beginning, which says a lot. The cruise directors, Joshua and Amanda, were on the Nai’a in Fiji when I dove there a number of years ago. It was good to have familiar faces and a familiar boat. The crew was as attentive as they have been in the past. They help you get your wetsuits on and off, they carry your camera, BC, etc. to and from the tender, they rinse your camera in your own rinse tank at your station, and then they blow it dry and take it to your spot in the camera room. There is a warm water shower on the dive deck, which felt good after all of the dives, particularly the dives in 74 – 75 degree water in the north. The diving in Komodo continues to amaze with everything from nudibranchs to mantas. This trip was in January, which is not the usual time to go to Komodo. The water temperatures were reversed from the normal, warm in the north, cold in the south. This time the water was 74 – 75 in the north and 79 – 82 in the south. This meant that the mantas were at sites just south of Labuan Bajo and not at manta alley in the south. We dove as we sailed south. One of the sites on the way south was Wainilu, which is one of my favorite sites anywhere because of the wide variety of life that can be found there. This trip we saw blue rings, wunderpus, flamboyant cuttlefish, both spearing and smashing mantis, lots of nudibranchs, etc. We spent the majority of the trip in Horseshoe Bay and dove all the famous sites such as Cannibal Rock, Yellow Wall, Rodeo Rock, Crinoid Canyon, and Torpedo Alley. There was lots of life on every dive and there appeared to be less trash in the water than in 2018, which was encouraging. The highlights for me were the return of sea apples, which were plentiful in 2009 and rare in 2018. While not as plentiful as 2009 there were definitely more this time. The other highlight was the number and variety of ladybugs. I saw more varieties this trip than either of the previous trips. I will also mention that we found a rhinopias. I had seen one there in 2009, but not 2018. The only negative sighting was one evening when we took one of the tenders to the beach where we had been able to see Komodo Dragons in the past. In 2018 we had at least 6 dragons show up, but this year only a single dragon came out to greet us. Still, it made taking the time to go worthwhile. I’ll be back to Komodo and the Damai I in the future.
Websites	Dive Damai
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Australia, Belize, Bimini, Bonaire, Caymans, Curacao, Fiji, Galapagos, Indonesia (Wakatobi, Raja Ampat, Komodo, Lembeh, Bali, Banda Sea, Ambon), Philippines, Red Sea, Solomon Islands, Southern Bahamas, St. Thomas, Turks & Caicos
Closest Airport	Labuan Bajo	Getting There	It's much easier to get to LBJ than in the past. Get an international flight to Bali and then catch a domestic flight to LBJ. (We flew Batik Air.)
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm, currents
Water Temp	74-82°F / 23-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	30-80 Ft/ 9-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Don't do anything stupid
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	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		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Crew took care of getting cameras to and from the tenders, as well as rinsing in your private rinse tank, drying, and returning to your spot in the camera room. Camera room was a bit on the cozy side, but things generally worked well.

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Dive Review of Dive Damai in Indonesia/Komodo

Dive Damai: "Another great trip to Komodo", Jan, 2024,

Photos Submitted with this Report

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 Dive Damai in
Indonesia/Komodo