Akomo Isseki

Akomo Isseki is a hand-built wooden phinisi for eight divers, running eight-day Komodo trips in the dry season and eleven-day Raja Ampat trips the rest of the year.

She was launched in 2018 by the Konjo boatbuilders of Tanah Beru in South Sulawesi, shaped on the beach the traditional way, and her first guests came aboard that December. Liquid Adventures Indonesia, the small owner-operator behind her, has run the same two routes since: Komodo out of Labuan Bajo from June to September, Raja Ampat out of Waisai from October to April, with the boat relocating through Bira between seasons.

The boat

Four twin cabins, eight guests, two shared bathrooms with warm showers. That is the whole of the accommodation, and it is the point: this is a small boat with a full dive crew, not a floating hotel. Cabins are naturally ventilated with fans and portholes rather than sealed air-conditioned boxes. The saloon is a 360-degree panoramic room with a communal dining table, and the sun deck is where everyone ends up between dives. She is 28 metres long with a 6-metre beam, two teak masts and a ketch cutter rig, a 360-horsepower Mitsubishi engine for the crossings, 6 to 8 knots under power, and solar panels feeding the electrics. Six Indonesian crew and two Western cruise staff.

The dive deck is aft and covered, with a camera rinse tub and a 6.2-metre tender for the dives. One Coltri compressor fills 20 eleven-litre tanks with air; there is no nitrox on board. Kayaks, snorkelling gear and fishing gear are on board for the surface intervals, and the crew run beach barbecues when the anchorage allows.

Itineraries

Komodo, June to September: 8 days, 7 nights, 17 to 18 dives

Boarding is at Labuan Bajo harbour, with a check dive at Sebayur Kecil the same afternoon. Departures run roughly every ten days.

• Days 2 and 3: the Tatawa islands, a night dive at Siaba, then the manta cleaning stations at Karang Makassar.
• Day 4: the dragon walk on Komodo island and the Padar viewpoint.
• Days 5 and 6: Batu Bolong and The Passage at Gili Lawa Darat, then the walls and seamounts of Batu Moncong on the park boundary.
• Day 7: three dives around Gili Lawa Laut, The Cauldron, Crystal Rock and Castle Rock.
• Day 8: one last dive and a slow cruise back to Labuan Bajo.

Raja Ampat, October to April: 11 days, 10 nights, 25 or more dives

Boarding is at Waisai harbour, two hours by fast ferry from Sorong. Departures run every two weeks, with three dives a day and the order set by the current.

• First days: the Dampier Strait, with Mioskon, Blue Magic, Chicken Reef, the Yenbuba and Arborek jetties and the wobbegongs and walking sharks of Lalosi.
• Middle of the trip: an overnight sail to Misool for three full days on No Contest, Boo Rocks, Fiabacet, Wayilbatan and the Four Kings, with a night at anchor in the hidden lagoon.
• The way back: north through Penemu, Melissa’s Garden, Citrus Ridge, Mayhem and Mike’s Point.
• Last day: Blue Magic and Cape Kri, then Waisai.

What is included, and what is not

• Included: all guided dives on the itinerary, tanks, weights and belts, full board with three cooked meals and snacks, drinking water, tea and coffee, shore excursions, kayaks and snorkelling gear and a cruise director.
• Paid in advance, separately: park fees and harbour clearances, IDR 3,000,000 per person for Komodo (about USD 170 or EUR 145) and IDR 4,900,000 for Raja Ampat (about USD 280 or EUR 240).
• Paid on board in rupiah: rental dive gear at IDR 350,000 a day (about USD 20 or EUR 15), canned drinks and beer, and the crew tip, for which the operator suggests IDR 150,000 to 350,000 per guest per day (about USD 10 to 20 or EUR 5 to 15).
• Not included: flights, transfers to the harbour, travel and dive insurance. Dive insurance is mandatory on this boat, and the operator recommends DAN.

Who she suits

Divers who want the diving and the boat rather than the hotel. Eight guests means one guide for four divers, sites chosen on the day rather than by a schedule for thirty, and a crew you will know by name on day two. It also means no air conditioning, shared bathrooms and a fixed departure time at the harbour. Non-diving companions pay the same rate and get the snorkelling, the kayaks and the islands. Prices are per person in a shared twin; ask us about a private charter, which runs from four nights in Komodo and eight in Raja Ampat.