Dive Review of Grand Komodo Tours/MV Tarata in
Indonesia/Komodo, Alor Islands

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Grand Komodo Tours/MV Tarata, Aug, 2006, by Terry Anderson, TX, USA ( Sr. Contributor 28 reports with 15 Helpful votes). Report 2676.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This was our third time with Grand Komodo Tours, and our second trip to Komodo National Park. Smartly, the Indonesian government designated the area a National Park in the 1990s and the result is that the reefs and marine life are healthy and improving, unlike most of the world. We went on this trip in 2000 and this time there were more whitetip and gray sharks and at least as many manta rays, over a dozen. On one dive 4 mantas circled us for 15 minutes in the warm water of north Komodo (84 degrees), and on a cold water dive (71 degrees) on the tip of South Komodo we saw 6 on two dives, feeding in the rich currents. We also saw an Eagle ray and nice schools of jacks, some tuna and eels, and loads of lion fish and turtles. The designation of the Park means that the locals can only use small fishing boats in the area, (no large foreign ones) and can use only single lines, not nets and no dynamite. That means that you can get fresh 10 or 15 pound tuna off the local boats for dinner, $4 for a tuna, and still see them in the water. After a week we left the Park and went to Alor, which took two days on the boat and we dove colorful walls with great fans along the way. Out of the Park--no sharks, mantas, or schools of jacks or tuna, but in Alor we saw leaf fish, banded sea snakes, and lots of mandarian fish. Grand Komodo also took us to villages where we had lots of fun with the local people, and enjoyed their Independance Day celebrations on August 17. We will make a fourth trip to this fascinating country. You just get to Bali with your dive equipment and Grand Komodo will set up your hotels, flights incountry, and everything else, including pre- and post-dive side trips. The MV Tarata can take 12 divers, but as usual, we only had 6, so the gal with only 20 dives always had one of the two fine DMs along her side. Oh, of course, dive your own profile on the 3 or 4 dives a day; excellent survice, you're the boss, just tell the DMs what you want to see. Great trip for divers who like to visit another culture, above and below water.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	All over the world: Maldives, Galapagos, Carribean, Pacific
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	currents
Water Temp	71-84°F / 22-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Just bring your own dive equipment and computer.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Grand Komodo Tours/MV Tarata in Indonesia/Komodo, Alor Islands

Grand Komodo Tours/MV Tarata, Aug, 2006,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Grand Komodo Tours/MV Tarata in
Indonesia/Komodo, Alor Islands