Dive Review of Karuru in
Indonesia/Lomboc, Komodo, Flores

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Karuru, Sep, 2004, by Daniel O. Benson, OR, USA . Report 1988.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The Sea Safari III is an older, wooden boat 115' long and 30' wide. It is very stable and cruises at a leisurely 7 knots. This makes traveling to and from dive sites slow. It handles a maximum of 18 passengers. Rooms are adequate and clean. Late nights are quiet but during other hours, slamming doors and loud voices are not easily overlooked. Food is served family style and a variety of cuisine is served. Meals are usually on a windy deck. If your hair can't be tied back or isn't really short, make sure you bring a hat or scarf to keep the blowing hair out of your eyes. It will make or break your dining experience! The staff is fun, friendly, helpful and competent. This particular trip went from Bali to Flores, although other itineraries are offered. They attempt to show you the best Indonesia has to offer. Dive sites are on both the North and South side of the Indonesian Archipelago. Water temperature on the south side of the Indonesian Archipelago is 70-73. This surprised me since it's so close to the equator. Currents bring deep, nutrient rich, cold water to the surface. There is more plankton, which limits visibility. Of course, these same currents nourish the astounding array of marine life that there is to see. The north side of the Archipelago is much warmer with water temperatures around 83 degrees. I dove in a 3-4-5 mm suit the entire trip but a heavier suit would have been nice (my wife used a 7 mm in the colder water and was happy as an Indonesian clam)! A hood is very helpful here for warmth and to prevent ear infections from plankton. As far as currents are concerned, anything goes here. Currents are unpredictable, and may rip at times. Hooks are optional. Solo blue water diving is always a potential outcome, regardless of the best-laid dive plans and divers experience. It is a good idea to know how to use your safety sausage although tender boat captains keep close tabs on divers. Consider doing some river diving to get prepared for the strong currents! Diving is done off the small tenders. You do a back roll entry, trying not to hit your head on the diver next to you! Then climb a ladder on the side of the tender to get back. Komodo National Park has a prehistoric feel. Yes, these animals are wild and DO charge people. DO NOT separate from the group. From experience, I will tell you that running incites their prey instinct!! BE VERY WARY about shopping in Bali. Prices for the sucker tourists are greatly inflated. We had a taxi driver take us to the "best quality" places. After about the second shop we caught on that these were the shops with the best commission for him!
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Papua New Guinea, Sulawesi, Lembei Straights, Fijii, Hawaii, Bonaire, Curacao, Bahamas,
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm, surge
Water Temp	73-83°F / 23-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	None
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 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	Outstanding with ample room for camera set up. Limited 110 v access to recharge strobe batteries, computers, etc.

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Dive Review of Karuru in Indonesia/Lomboc, Komodo, Flores

Karuru, Sep, 2004,

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 Karuru in
Indonesia/Lomboc, Komodo, Flores