When you think about Komodo Liveaboard trip, the first thing to conjure up in your head might be the Komodo dragon trip, A visit to the dragons’ lair, followed by hike to the surrounding hilly islands, and amazing dive sessions in Komodo’s brilliant water. In fact, almost all liveaboard operator in the Komodo National Park offer two to five dive session per day on the sailing trip. Some liveaboard even dedicate themselves for full-sail dive trip in Komodo, with only occasional hike featuring the itinerary. For someone who has full interest on venturing the world under the water, this would be a heavenly holiday. Especially since the Komodo is known for its incredibly rich marine life and vibrant ecosystem—appearing almost like a world-sized aquarium.
But not everyone is keen on diving. Some people are not that gifted in the water, and some other prefer to stay on the land (or the boat, on this case) rather than spending hours with complicated diving apparatus 50+ meters below the surface. What should you do when you are the one with strong interest on diving while your travel buddies—family, spouse, or friend—doesn’t? Could you still have a peaceful Komodo holiday and satisfy everyone?
Choosing Balanced Itinerary
It’s not fair if you drag your companion to a pure diving liveaboard while they have nearly zero interest on diving. Be seriously picky with liveaboard to book and always enquire detailed itinerary for the trip. Keep the peace by striking on happy medium. Choose a Komodo liveaboard that combine dive sessions and land-based excursion in perfect balance. If this is their first liveaboard trip, you might want to take a trip with slightly more island excursion than the dive sessions—you want to introduce them to the joy of a sailing trip and not get them bored to death.
Finding Out What Your Companion Could Do on Komodo Liveaboard
Do not leave your travel companion as a “bubble watcher” on board. Make sure that they have some interesting things to do when you jump into the water. It’s a good idea to bring independent entertainment that would keep your companion happy in the mean time. Think of good books to read, tablets with offline movies and music, and game card. A fully functioning, no-internet needed photo editing software that could be operated through phone/ tablet/ laptop is good if your companion has interest in photography. They could immerse in editing superb photos that could readily be published on their social media once the travel has ended!
Give Them Introductory Background about Diving
Know that conversions in the lounge and dinner tables onboard Komodo liveaboard usually revolve around diving and the marine life. Divers would excitedly share what they see underwater, fishes they just encounter, or the latest dive gears they are eyeing. Prepare your companion and give them some dive backgrounds so that they won’t be left alone in the darkness on such conversation.
Pick Komodo Liveaboard with Water Sport Equipment
A great way to keep the non-divers happy during the dive session is by taking a Komodo liveaboard that’s equipped with inclusive water sport facilities. Let them have an exciting kayak session—or learning the stand-up paddle board with other crews—when you glide across the coral garden.
Book Them A Relaxing Spa
When your spouse is getting grumpy for “wasting the time watching bubbles”, it’s the right time to splurge a little and book them a relaxing spa onboard. Make sure that your Komodo liveaboard offer this service before the embarkation. As you go exploring the waters, your spouse could relax on deep-tissue massage and soak up on Komodo’s wonderful landscape. This would be a satisfying Komodo holiday that meets the needs of both diver and non-diver passengers.
