Our new liveaboard search is live. For the first time you can see every scheduled trip on the boats we work with, with the places left and the price of each cabin. We keep the data as fresh as we can from the operators’ own schedules. It covers dive trips, snorkeling and leisure cruises, and private charters.
Until now, picking a boat meant a chain of emails: is this boat free in March, is the cabin still there, what does it cost with the fees? Now you can check all of that yourself in a few clicks, or ask Nyala, our AI assistant, to do it for you.
Below you’ll find what the search can do, how Nyala fits in, and a step-by-step guide with three real boats as examples: Cachalo for divers, Papiton Duwa for a Komodo cruise and Samara II for a private charter.
Which search fits your trip
| You want | Use | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Diving, with several dives a day | Dive trip finder | Every trip shows the level it needs |
| Snorkeling, island walks and sunsets, no diving | Leisure and snorkeling finder | Most trips are 3 days, 2 nights in Komodo |
| The whole boat for your group | The charter calendar on the boat’s page | Gives a price for the whole boat |
| To describe your trip in your own words | Nyala, in our website chat or on WhatsApp | Uses the same live data |
What the new liveaboard search can do
The dive trip finder lists more than 3,000 departures on 79 boats across 17 regions. The leisure and snorkeling finder lists about 3,600 departures on 64 boats in 9 regions, from US$150 a person. In both you can filter by region, month, trip length, price and number of guests, and sort by date, price, places or trip length.
- Live places. Almost every trip shows how many places are left. A minority of boats don’t share their individual bookings with us, so their trips show “Available” and we confirm the places with the boat.
- A price for every cabin. Open a trip to see each cabin with its own price, the day-by-day plan and what’s included.
- Your level on every dive trip. Each one shows the certification and logged dives it needs.
- Sales. Discounted trips show the old and new price side by side, and the deals view lists only those.
- Private charter calendars. About 25 boats show which nights are open, on hold or booked, with a price for the whole boat.
Prices are per person. Park and port fees, plus a fuel surcharge on some boats, appear separately on each trip.
Nyala searches it all for you
Nyala is our AI assistant. You’ll find her in the chat bubble on our website and on WhatsApp at +62 819 136 11 770. She works from the same live data as the liveaboard search, so you can skip the filters and just tell her what you want: a dive trip, a snorkeling cruise, a shared departure or a private charter.
Ask her the way you’d ask a friend:
“Dive trips in Raja Ampat in March, two of us, both Advanced”
“A snorkeling trip in Komodo next weekend for four”
“Which boats are free for a private charter 10 to 13 March, eight guests?”
She gives you the price per person or for the whole boat. When you’re ready to book, or your question needs a person, she passes you to one of our team.
How to find a dive trip, step by step
Step 1: Open the dive trip finder
It opens on every scheduled dive departure, soonest first, from Komodo and Raja Ampat to the Banda Sea, Alor and Triton Bay.
Step 2: Narrow it down
Type a boat, route, port or island in the search bar, or use the filters. Start with Where and When, because the season decides the region:
- Raja Ampat is at its best from October to April.
- Komodo can be dived all year and is calmest from April to October.
- The Banda Sea opens in two short windows, September to November and March to April.
- Alor runs from April to November.
Then set Your level and Guests to narrow the list. A trip with no stated requirement stays on the list, and we confirm it with the operator. Each region also has its own page, such as Komodo dive trips.
Step 3: Read the trip card
Each card shows:
- the dates and the number of nights
- the boat, the route and the port, such as “Raja Ampat, 7 nights, Sorong return”
- the level the trip needs, such as “Advanced · 25+ dives”
- the places left, or “Available” if the boat doesn’t share a number
- the price per person in US dollars and rupiah, with the old price crossed out if it’s on sale
Step 4: Open the trip details
Click “Trip details & cabins”. The details open right under the card, so you stay on the list. Take Cachalo’s 16 to 23 January 2027 trip in Raja Ampat. Prices run from US$3,750 per person in a Standard Room on the lower deck to US$5,480 in the VVIP Room, with the Deluxe cabins in between.
Further down you’ll find the day-by-day plan, what’s included and the fees. For the boat itself, click “View full boat page”. Cachalo is a 51-metre wooden phinisi for 18 guests, and her dive trips ask for Advanced Open Water and at least 25 logged dives.
Step 5: Send your request
Click “Book for X guests” on the cabin you want. A panel opens with your trip, the fees and the total. Fees charged by the day, such as fuel on some boats, show their daily rate and are paid on top. Add your name, email, WhatsApp number and number of guests, then send the request. There is nothing to pay yet, and we reply within 24 hours.
Not sure yet? The booking request form at the bottom of every boat page takes a free message.
How to find a snorkeling or leisure cruise
The leisure and snorkeling finder works the same way, just without the level filter. Most trips leave Labuan Bajo for Komodo National Park and last two nights. That’s enough for the climb to the Padar viewpoint, a walk with a ranger among the Komodo dragons, a swim at Pink Beach and snorkeling where mantas are often seen. Some boats sail over from Lombok, and between October and April a few cruise Raja Ampat. See all Komodo boat trips.
Take Papiton Duwa. She is a small wooden phinisi for 10 to 12 guests. Every cabin sits on the main or upper deck, with sea views, its own bathroom and air conditioning, so nobody sleeps below deck. Her 3-day trip takes in Manta Point, Taka Makassar, sunset on Padar, Komodo village, Pink Beach and Kelor Island, and gets back to Labuan Bajo around noon on day 3.
Snorkel gear, transfers in Labuan Bajo, a local guide and a photographer are included. Park entrance fees come on top.
Each cabin has its own name and price. You book the same way as a dive trip.
Some boats run both kinds of trip. The search sorts by trip type, and the few mixed trips, open to divers and snorkelers alike, appear in both finders.
How to book a private charter, step by step
Groups of friends, families and dive clubs often want the boat to themselves.
Step 1: Find a boat with a charter calendar
These include private-charter boats such as Samara II, Mischief, Splendour, Augustine Phinisi, Pinta and Otium, and Komodo boats that run both shared trips and charters.
Step 2: Read the calendar
Each night is marked open, on hold or booked. A day stands for its night: “3 to 5 December” means you board on the 3rd and leave on the morning of the 5th, which is two nights. “On hold” means another group has pencilled in those dates. Holds can lapse, so ask us anyway if those are the nights you want.
Step 3: Pick your dates
Tap your first night, then the morning you leave, then set the number of guests. A box opens under the calendar with an estimate for the whole boat and the cost per guest.
Take Samara II: a 23-metre phinisi that runs private charters only. She sails Komodo all year for up to 10 guests in 4 cabins, with 6 crew, from US$4,500 a night for the whole boat. We confirm the estimate with the operator. Park fees and entrance tickets come on top.
Step 4: Send your charter request
Click “Request this charter”. The booking form below fills in your dates, guests and estimate for you. Add your name and email, then click “Send Enquiry”. We’ll come back with the confirmed price.
Some dive boats can be chartered too: Tiaré has a “Charter the whole boat” section on her page. A boat without a charter calendar can often still be chartered, so just ask us or Nyala.
What happens after you send a request
One of our team checks your cabin with the boat and replies within 24 hours with the booking terms. You pay nothing online at this stage. We keep the data as fresh as we can, but a cabin can still get booked between two updates, so we always confirm with the boat before you pay.
Tips before you book
- Match the region to the season first, then the boat.
- Check the dive requirement against your certification and your logged dives.
- Add the park and port fees to the price per person when you compare boats.
- Book flights once your cabin is confirmed, and leave 24 hours after your last dive before you fly.
Start your liveaboard search
Pick the search that fits your trip: dive trips or boat trips and snorkeling cruises. Or message Nyala and let her search for you. We’re based in Bali and we’ve dived these sites, so if you can’t choose between two boats, ask us. Planning something bigger, with hotels and land tours around the boat? Tell us about it on our create your own trip page and we’ll put the whole trip together.
Frequently asked questions
We keep them as fresh as we can from each operator’s schedule. A cabin can still get booked between two updates, so we always confirm with the boat before you pay.
No. Prices are per person, before park and port fees, plus a fuel surcharge on some boats. Each trip lists its fees separately.
Yes. The leisure and snorkeling finder shows trips open to non-divers and snorkelers.
Each dive trip shows its minimum certification and, where the boat asks for it, the number of logged dives. You can also filter by your level.
Yes. Boats with a charter calendar show free dates and a price for the whole boat on their page. For any other boat, ask us or Nyala and we’ll check with the operator.
She finds trips and checks dates and prices. One of our team confirms the booking with the boat.
