trip policies • 2010 • maldives • thailand

Kararu / Indonesia
(Selayar & Komodo)

Operator: KARARU
Live Aboard (Cheng Ho a traditional wooden, Pinisi Schooner)
Trip Leader: Lisa J. Malachowsky
10174 Potters Hatch Common
Cupertino, CA 95014
(925) 759-4360 (home & cell); (925) 583-3310 (work)

kararu@rainbowdivers.org -or- treasurer@rainbowdivers.org

• Cost of Trip
• Dates of Trip
• Location
• Diving in Indonesia
• Diving Conditions
• The Liveaboard
• What the trip cost does not cover
• Itinerary
• Payment Schedule
• Travel Requirements
• More About the Islands
• Other Costs for participants on the trip
• To Sign Up

Cost of trip:
$3400 members — BELOW DECK TWIN or DOUBLE
$3570 BELOW/MAIN DECK SINGLE
$3900 UPPER DECK STATEROOM

* For each cabin class add $340 for inter-island airfare between Bali (DPS) and embarkation and disembarkation airports (this amount is variable and will depend upon actual airfares at the trip time).

$150 added for non-NCRD members for any of the above cabin types.

Dates of Trip: March 10-22, 2010

Location: The Indonesian islands of Selayar and Komodo and the surrounding region to include exploration in Taka Bonerate National Park.

Number of divers: Limited to 20

Introduction to diving in Indonesia:

Indonesia is home to some of the world's best diving. The Komodo area is known for its variety of colorful invertebrate life and healthy reefs. Selayar is a mostly unexplored island south of Sulawesi that very few American divers visit. The trip leader, Lisa Malachowsky, has been diving in this area extensively and will lead us back to places where wondrous, unspoiled reefs and walls abound. We expect that we will be diving in places where there will be extensive diversity of both large and small critters. Previous dives in these areas have exposed divers to some of the rarest and some of the most common invertebrate life. There will also be large schools of fish; healthy reef systems and the chance for large animal encounters. Taka Bonerate National Park was rated by Jacques Cousteau as one of the most desirable reef systems to visit in the world. It has been nominated as a World Heritage Site. Some of everything for everyone!

We will also visit the Komodo dragons at Komodo National Park.

For more details on the Komodo area, see Kararu's Web site: http://www.kararu.com. For what we will see in Selayar you'll have to use your imagination as this will be (somewhat) exploratory diving at its best!!! There is one resort on Selayar that caters mostly to German/European divers and you can get a taste of what the island has to offer by visiting their website:
http://www.selayar-dive-resort.info/.

Diving Conditions:

In general, this trip is geared toward experienced divers because of the remote conditions. All diving will be done from small boats or dinghies launched from the liveaboard. Water temperatures and currents vary. We will decide exact locations for diving based upon conditions experienced at the time of the trip. 3-5mm wetsuits are the preferred option for divers. Water temperature might be as warm as 83 degrees or as cold as 75 degrees depending on upwelling and currents. Visibility will generally be good but there will be some sites that we may choose based upon the critter life and not the visibility. In other words, if the opportunity for muck diving is presented, we will dive in limited visibility in order to see rare animals!

Dive sites will be short dinghy rides from the main ship. We will do 4-5 dives a day depending on the itinerary. Night diving will be available when appropriate.

NCRD strongly recommends that participating divers have at least 100 dives including experience with limited visibility and in currents. We also recommend that participants have at least an advanced diver certification and have logged a few boat dives in the year prior to the trip. The trip coordinator reserves the right to refuse to accept a diver on the trip on the basis of insufficient experience and/or dive skills. Current conditions may require that you be able to descend fairly quickly, in order to keep the dive group together.

The Liveaboard:

The Cheng Ho was built to the Kararu team's specifications and was designed as dedicated diving ship. It has 4 decks: (1) the upper deck for sunning and with a spa; (2) the bridge deck with 3 double staterooms and the ship's bridge; (3) the main deck which houses all dive equipment, the dining area, the lounge area, the gift shop, the kitchen, camera and computer stations and 4 cabins; and (4) the lower deck where the crew quarters, the engine room, the cinema room and 4 cabins are configured.

Price and What the Trip Cost Covers:

The trip will take place from March 10 through March 22, 2010 aboard the Cheng Ho. The trip includes diving from March 10^th through March 21^st throughout the islands as well as a land visit to Komodo National Park. The cost includes all diving, meals (including all non-alcoholic beverages), and stateroom on the Cheng Ho, transfers to and from the entry and exit airports. It also covers transfers to and from the vessel between hotels on Bali on the cruise departure and return dates, round-trip airfare from Denpasar to Ambon, where the boat docks and current estimated Bali port clearances and fuel surcharges.

What the trip cost does not cover:

• It does not include airfare to and from Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia from the US.
• It does not include nitrox (available for about $200 per person for the trip), purchases from the boat boatique/store or crew tips.
• It does not include any other departure taxes or any meals or lodging off the boat.
• It does not include any excess baggage fees that may be imposed by any airline, including fees incurred for flights otherwise included in the price of the trip.
• It does not include any travel or medical insurance. Due to the remote location and the potential for travel delays, divers are strongly encouraged to get their own travel insurance and diving-related injury treatment insurance. For sources see: http://www.rainbowdivers.org/?name=trips_insurance

Itinerary:

March 10: morning flight from Denpasar, Bali to Bima, Sumbawa: board Cheng Ho & 2 dives

March 11: Sangeang/Banta: 4-5 dives

March 12: North Komodo: 4-5 dives

March 13: Komodo National Park visit and diving: 4 dives

March 14: Komodo/Padar: 4-5 dives

March 15-18: Selayar: 4-5 dives per day

March 19-20: Taka Bonerate National Park: 4-5 dives per day

March 21: Pulah Raja, Flores: 3 dives

March 22: Maumere: disembarkation and fly back to Denpasar

Payment Schedule:

Participants should speak with the trip coordinator, Lisa Malachowsky (email at: kararu@rainbowdivers.org) before registering for the trip, to review their dive experience and skills. The registration is not complete and a spot on the trip is not reserved until a deposit of $1000 has been made. The following schedule of payments is then due:

Travel Requirements

Participants should arrange to arrive in Bali no later than March 09 as the local flight from Denpasar to Bima is scheduled on March 10 in the morning. Travelers may choose to arrive one or more days earlier in order to ensure that they and their luggage are in Denpasar in time to start this trip. Participants should plan their international departure from Denpasar on March 23 or later. Lisa Malachowsky and Kararu Dive Voyages can arrange transportation from your chosen hotel to the airport before the trip start on March 10. If you choose to stay in a hotel after the cruise is finished, Lisa or Kararu can arrange for transportation from the Denpasar airport to that hotel. Kararu staff will assist with check-in procedures as well as luggage handling for both flights. The meeting point at the airport prior to departure to Bima is the domestic departure gate at 2 hours prior to flight departure (TBA). Arriving timely is solely the responsibility of the traveler. If you are delayed, you will miss the boat departure, and the entire trip, and no refund will be made.

More about the Indonesian Islands we'll visit

Indonesia provides some of the best diving to be found in the world. We will probably see some very healthy reefs but may also see some that are not so healthy. It is expected that we will try to find the best diving possible for the weather and dive conditions at the time of the charter.

The best source of information on diving these islands is from people who have been there. Lisa Malachowsky, our trip leader has been diving all of the areas we will visit and is eager to introduce other Rainbow divers to the astonishing diversity of sea life found in the region. Of special interest are the number and diversity of nudibranchs and clown fish. Other likely sightings include sharks (mostly black and white tip reef sharks), mola molas and mantas. This is “world class” diving. We may also do some current diving so be prepared for a ride on those dives. Muck dives and night dives will be made available if conditions allow.

Komodo is a National Park and, of course, home to the Komodo Dragons; we will make a shore visit to see these rare giant lizards 'up close and personal'.

Selayar is a less visited island and this part of the trip is exploratory. It is home to the Bugis people. Very little has been done to develop this island for tourism and very little is written about the diving there. Lisa has been diving in this area and knows that we can expect to have some wonderfully pristine and untouched dive sites. This will be real adventure diving!

Bonerate is the third largest atoll in the world. We may have some once-in-a-lifetime experiences there as it has only been explored by the most adventurous divers.

For more information on any of the places we intend to visit, see www.kararu.com or read a book on diving in Indonesia. The Periplus action guide “Diving Indonesia” has a great overview of what to expect.

Other costs for participants on the trip

Airfare will be the most substantial additional cost. It can range for as inexpensive as $1200 to over $3000 depending on the individual traveler's desires for comfort. Lisa has traveled on China Airlines each time and finds it the best, most direct route to Bali. Lisa can advise and book this for anyone who would like. Most of those flights have options for business level seats which are more than comfortable for the 15 hour crossing of the Pacific. The route goes from SFO to Taipei with a 4 hour stop-over and then on to Denpasar, Bali.

VISA and passport requirements will be forthcoming. You should have 6 months valid remaining on your passport to enter Indonesia at the start of the trip. We will obtain this detail as soon as feasible.

To sign up:
Speak with Lisa Malachowsky at kararu@rainbowdivers.org or (925) 759-4360.