Dewi Nusantara Liveaboard
The Dewi Nusantara is a beautiful 3 mast schooner that has 8 deluxe staterooms and one amazing master suite. We were lucky enough to book the master suite for our 20th wedding anniversary on an amazing dive trip to Komodo. After a quick flight from Bali to Labuan Bajo, the crew met us at the airport, collected our bags, and took us to the boat. When we boarded we were given a refreshing drink and greeted by the owner who told us all about the history of how the Dewi Nusantara was built. He was very proud of his boat and got us very excited about our trip.
After the customary safety briefing, we were given a tour of the boat. Meals were eaten in a covered outside dinning area unless the weather prevented it. The lounge was a huge room that had two sections. One was an area with couches and a TV, and the other was an inside dinning room. The deluxe staterooms were down a nice wide set of stairs and they were very large and beautifully appointed. The master suite is a gorgeous room at the stern of the boat on the main deck with huge panoramic windows. There were two sun decks with lounges and hammocks.
The dive deck was also the same area where meals were eaten but there was plenty of room so it never felt crowded. The crew handles all your gear, including your camera if you want them to, so it was very easy to get to the two tenders. The huge camera room had stations with electrical plugs, lights, and fans for everyone. The crew really knows how to care for your camera gear. One night we got into some heavy seas and we ran to the camera room to check on our rigs and the crew had already placed them on the ground with cushions. I was very happy and impressed by this.
The dive crew was amazing. The guides know their stuff and are very attentive to what you want to see. The ratio was 4 to 1 so it was never crowded under the water. The cruise director was an English gal named Wendy who made things extremely easy and fun. The diving was from tenders, with two groups in each tender. The diving was incredible and so diverse. One dive would be a muck dive and the next would be a beautiful pinnacle. Komodo is known for current and the guides were so good at knowing when the current was right and when it was wrong so we always had great dives and felt very safe. On one dive we saw Mantas, Eagle Rays, Mobula Rays, sharks, and turtles. Each site was unique and interesting. We saw so many different species of Nudibranchs that I lost count! The night dives brought out all the strange critters like the Wonderpus, walking sharks, bizarre decorator crabs, Cuttlefish and Stargazers.
The meals were fantastic. Breakfast was cooked to order. Lunch was usually an Indonesian buffet with lots of choices. Dinner was always plated and delicious. On our Anniversary, the entire crew sang to us after dinner which made the day very special. They also had a couple land excursions included with the fair. We got to go see the Komodo Dragons one afternoon and had so much fun with the crew. Overall the Dewi Nusantara is a fantastic boat and crew with even better diving!
