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Dive Review of Peter Hughes/Komodo Dancer in
Indonesia/Komodo

Peter Hughes/Komodo Dancer, Jul, 2007,

by Rene Umberger, HI, United States (Reviewer Reviewer 5 reports). Report 3439.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 3 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 1 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments The diving: the best I've seen so far for colors, diversity and abundance. Came home and immediately started planning our next TRIPS to Indonesia! Don't miss Cannibal Rock and Yellow Wall - sites that are sometimes too rough to get to in the summer - the beauty of these sites left most of the group either speechless, weeping or babbling! Other highlights were the day of muck diving, the mantas at the Alley, GPS Point, K2 and diving Hot Rocks on an active volcano where gas bubbles escaped through the warm sand throughout the dive site! Due to the abundant and fragile invertebrates covering almost everything on the bottom, PERFECT buoyancy control in Indonesia is a must. The staff: Wayan was a brilliant and gentle critter finder, Gillian & Michael were good, too, though Michael was sometimes more interested in taking his OWN photos. Gary, cruise director, comedian and jack of all trades, was an expert in every area and when the nitrox compressor exploded on board, damaging the other compressor as well, he saved the trip by finding one to rent on a nearby island! Sebastian, chief steward, was truly wonderful, gave first class service and treated every passenger like a welcomed, honored guest. When Sebastian had to leave the charter due to a family emergency, Pancha took over with a great smile, doing a good job of filling some tough shoes! With the exception of the panga drivers, who were in need of some training, the entire staff was outstanding and a major contribution to a fantastic dive trip. However, there was real room for improvement in the handling a diver who's complete lack of buoyancy control created not only personal danger, but caused much reef damage and angst for anyone nearby. This person's lack of skill was identified on the mantadory check out dive on the first diving day, yet nothing was done about it until halfway into the trip when daily customer complaints became demands and the dive staff finally assigned this person a private guide, who's job was to hold the diver off the reef via a bcd strap - much like a pupeteer! Some buoyancy lessons early on would have been a much more appropriate choice! The vessel: had some maintenance problems with the compressors; toilets kept breaking; and the upper deck leaked onto our bed for 3 days before it was fixed. Because it's a wooden monohull, there were many sleepless nights due to intense rocking and creaking during the rough nighttime crossings - not to mention the leaking porthole! While the salon was clean and nice, the cabins and showers were in need of attention - hard to believe the boat is only 6 years old!! Exploding compressor could have been a major disaster, but fortunately happened when the tanks were still near empty... Much more attention needs to be paid to maintenance - the vessel quality did not match the quality of the service.
Puri Santrian before and after the trip was OK, but be warned about the restrauants outside the hotel - food poisoning from a beach front restaurant just next door made me almost miss my plane home!

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Hawaii, Australia, Galapagos, Palau
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm, currents
Water Temp 68-82°F / 20-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 7
Water Visibility 30-100 Ft/ 9-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions 1 hour bottom time; no deco diving
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas Squadrons
Dolphins 1 or 2 Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 4 stars

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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