Last updated: September 2026 · Prices & availability verified for the 2026/2027 season
Diving on a Komodo open trip is not possible: scuba cannot be added to a shared sailing. An open trip is a leisure voyage. Snorkelling equipment is included, the stops are snorkelling stops, and there are no tanks and no dive team on board. Our reservations desk at Komodo Luxury (Labuan Bajo, since 2015) answers that question most days, then sets out the two routes that do work for certified divers: a private diving day from Labuan Bajo before or after your sailing, or a private charter with a diving programme built around it. Everything below is written the way we answer it on the desk.
Quick answer (25 September 2026): scuba diving cannot be added to a Komodo open trip. Shared 3D2N sailings are leisure trips with snorkelling equipment included. Certified divers book a private diving day from Labuan Bajo, or a private charter with a diving programme; charters start at USD 6,000 per package for the whole boat, 3D2N.
- Source: Komodo Luxury private-charter rate cards 2026 and 2027 (Final Edition, 11 September 2026) and open trip rate card (21 September 2026), checked 25 September 2026.
- Basis: guest enquiries to our concierge desk (2025 to 2026), 198 messages mentioning diving across 119 conversations, counted 25 September 2026.
Can you scuba dive on a Komodo open trip?
No, and it cannot be added for an extra fee. A Komodo open trip is a scheduled shared sailing of three days and two nights, sold per cabin, on a fixed Friday-to-Sunday or Monday-to-Wednesday rhythm. The route is built around island walks, viewpoints and snorkelling stops. A shared sailing carries no tanks, no compressor and no dive team, and the timetable belongs to everyone on board, so a dive plan cannot be inserted into it. We say that once, then move to what does work.
The same holds for every shared cabin on the four boats on our own rate cards: Malca, Ayvara, Catnazse and Naturalia. Those cabins run from USD 300 to USD 800 per person for the 3D2N voyage on the 2026 published rate card. Current cabins sit on the Komodo open trip page. Park charges are quoted separately.
From our reservations desk. Of 11,254 guest messages to our concierge desk (2025 to 2026), 198 mentioned diving across 119 conversations, and 159 of those messages arrived in September 2026. A further 291 messages across 189 conversations mentioned snorkelling or manta rays. Two questions sit behind them: can scuba be added to a shared cabin (46 messages, 38 conversations), and what should a certified diver book instead (35 / 31). This post answers them in that order.
What happens in the water on a shared 3D2N sailing?
You snorkel, several times a day, from the boat or its tender, with mask, snorkel and fins included in the cabin rate. The standard 3D2N route includes a manta snorkelling site, a reef stop near Pink Beach and a shallow reef on the way back. The Harbour Master regulates all sailing, so any itinerary is tentative and may change with sea conditions.
Manta sightings are not guaranteed. The crew chooses the stop on the day from current, tide and how the group swims, and a strong current can close a site for that morning. For the months in which mantas are most often reported, see our guide to manta ray season in Komodo; for the stops themselves, snorkelling in Komodo National Park.
I am a certified diver. What can I book instead?
Diving in Komodo runs in private formats, so the choice is between a diving day and a private charter.
A private diving day from Labuan Bajo. One day, a private boat, a dive team, and two or three dives. This is the route most divers on a shared trip take: sail the 3D2N voyage, then dive on the day before or the day after. The day adjusts around briefings and surface intervals, so some sightseeing stops give way to the dives.
A private charter with a diving programme. The whole boat is yours for your dates, the dive team joins with tanks and equipment, and non-divers snorkel the same reefs or stay with the boat. A private charter is the whole boat for your group alone, priced per package by guest band, on dates you choose. Start at the whole-boat private charter page, or read how the sailing and the dives fit together on a private charter with a dive master on board.
A dive-dedicated liveaboard. For a group whose whole trip is diving, a boat built around a dive deck makes more sense than a charter with diving added. Lasha is the vessel our desk quotes for that, in writing. Raja Ampat is the other answer: a charter from Sorong, seven nights minimum, main season October to April, reached by flight rather than by sailing on from Labuan Bajo.
| Option | Scuba diving | Snorkelling | How the price is built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared 3D2N open trip cabin | Not on board | Included, several stops | Per person for the voyage, from USD 300 |
| Private diving day from Labuan Bajo | Yes, with a dive team | Possible for non-divers | Boat for the day, plus a programme quoted per dive |
| Private charter with a diving programme | Yes, around the sailing | Included for everyone | One package for the whole boat, plus the programme |
| Dive-dedicated liveaboard | Yes, built for it | Possible | Quoted in writing by the desk |
How is the price built when the boat and the diving are separate?
In two lines. The boat is the figure we publish; the diving programme is quoted per dive by the dive team, equipment included, and confirmed in writing before you pay. We publish no per-dive figure, because it is set against your dive count, your level and the date. Ask for it in writing before you book onward flights.
The boat side is fixed and public. A private charter is priced per package for the whole boat, not per person, and we do not convert it into a figure for each night aboard. Guest count sets the band. Full rate cards sit on the Komodo yacht charter rate hub.
| Boat | Lowest guest band | 3D2N 2026 | 3D2N 2027 | 4D3N 2026 | 4D3N 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malca | 1 to 12 guests | 6,000 | 6,000 | 9,000 | 9,000 |
| Ayvara | 1 to 8 guests | 6,200 | 6,200 | 9,300 | 9,300 |
| Catnazse | 1 to 12 guests | 7,100 | 7,800 | 10,600 | 11,700 |
| Naturalia | 1 to 8 guests | 8,200 | 8,500 | 12,400 | 12,800 |
Rates are presented for review and are not a booking offer; itinerary, services, taxes, payment and cancellation terms are confirmed in your quotation.
How many nights do we need if some of us dive and some snorkel?
Four days and three nights is where a mixed group lands. Two nights leaves one workable diving window once boarding, the island walks and the last morning back to harbour are counted. Three nights gives two diving windows and keeps the Padar and Komodo walks intact for everyone else.
Here is what that means for your dates. On the table above, a 4D3N charter runs from USD 9,000 for the whole boat with 1 to 12 guests on Malca in 2026 and 2027, against USD 6,000 for the same boat and band over 3D2N. The longer itinerary sits on the 4D3N Komodo sailing page.
What are the safety rules on a private diving day or charter?
The dive team sets them before the boat leaves. You send a photograph of your certification card, and a medical questionnaire may be requested. Divers without a certificate are placed on a programme with an instructor rather than turned away. Two or three dives a day is the usual pattern, adjusted by the dive team.
Two rules do not move. No diving on the day you fly, which is why the diving day sits before the sailing or after the boat docks. And sites and depths are decided on the day by the dive team from current, tide and the level of the people in the water, so we do not promise a named site. We will not promise anyone absolute safety; no honest operator can.
How do we book diving around a Komodo sailing?
Five steps, in this order. The first two cost nothing and can be done today.
- Count the divers. Tell the desk how many of you dive, the level of each, and whether anyone is not certified yet. That number decides between a diving day and a charter.
- Say how many days you want in the water. Add who is joining as a snorkeller. One diving day beside a shared sailing, or diving woven through a charter, follows from that.
- Send your dates and guest count. We check availability for your exact dates and confirm it in writing, and the dive team calendar is checked in the same pass.
- Take the hold. A cabin or a vessel can be held for 2 x 24 hours (48 hours). Bookings typically reach our desk about two months ahead.
- Confirm and register. The deposit secures the booking and the balance falls due on the balance date printed on your invoice. Our desk then registers the Komodo National Park tickets for your sailing dates.
Since 22 September 2026 the park authority requires every visitor to enter on the date printed on the e-ticket, and quota is confirmed at registration rather than promised. More sits in our note on the September 2026 park quota update.
Frequently asked questions
Can you scuba dive on a Komodo open trip?
No. A Komodo open trip is a scheduled shared sailing of three days and two nights, sold per cabin, and it runs as a leisure trip. Scuba diving cannot be added on board for any fee, because a shared sailing carries no tanks and no dive team. Snorkelling equipment is included in the cabin rate.
Is snorkelling equipment included on a Komodo open trip?
Yes. Mask, snorkel and fins are included in the cabin rate on the shared 3D2N sailings on Malca, Ayvara, Catnazse and Naturalia, and the route includes several snorkelling stops. Manta sightings are not guaranteed; the crew chooses the stop on the day from current, tide and sea conditions.
Can I add a private diving day before or after a Komodo open trip?
Yes, and this is the route most certified divers take. You sail the shared 3D2N voyage, then spend one separate day diving privately from Labuan Bajo with a dive team, two or three dives. The diving day is a separate booking from the cabin and is quoted by our desk in writing.
How is diving in Komodo priced if the boat is quoted separately?
The boat and the diving are two lines on one quotation. Boat figures come from our published rate cards, for example a 3D2N private charter on Malca at USD 6,000 for the whole boat with 1 to 12 guests. The diving programme is quoted per dive by the dive team, equipment included, and confirmed in writing before you pay.
Do I need a diving certificate to dive in Komodo National Park?
To dive independently, yes, and our desk asks for a photograph of your card before the day is confirmed. Divers without a certificate are placed on a programme with an instructor instead. A medical questionnaire may be requested, and the dive team sets the number of dives and the sites on the day.
Can non-divers join a private charter that has a diving programme?
Yes, and this is the usual shape of a mixed group. The divers go down with the dive team while everyone else snorkels the same reef or stays with the boat, and the two groups meet again for the island walks. Guest count sets the charter band, not the number of divers.
Is the Komodo National Park ticket included when I dive?
No. The park ticket is set under Government Regulation 36/2024 as displayed by the Balai, at IDR 250,000 per international visitor per day, and sits outside every trip price. Diving inside the park carries its own activity charge per person per day. Our desk registers the tickets and shows each line on your invoice.
How far ahead should we book a Komodo sailing with a diving day?
Bookings typically reach our desk about two months ahead. A diving day needs the dive team calendar as well as the boat, so send your dates as early as you have them. The desk holds a cabin or a vessel for 2 x 24 hours while you decide.
Sources and last reviewed
- Komodo Luxury private-charter rate cards 2026 and 2027, Final Edition, 11 September 2026; open trip USD rate card 2027, verified 21 September 2026; both checked 25 September 2026.
- Komodo Luxury desk product rules for diving, edition of 10 September 2026: shared sailings are leisure trips, diving runs in private formats, the programme is quoted per dive.
- Balai Taman Nasional Komodo, tariff and carrying-capacity page (Government Regulation 36/2024), read 25 September 2026; announcement PG.46/T.17/TU/KSA.04.01/B/09/2026, published on its official channels, 22 September 2026.
- Guest enquiries to our concierge desk (2025 to 2026): 11,254 messages, 1,189 conversations; diving 198 messages / 119 conversations, diving with a shared cabin 46 / 38, snorkelling or manta rays 291 / 189; counted 25 September 2026.
Last reviewed 25 September 2026 by the Komodo Luxury Editorial Desk.
If you have your dates, send them with your guest count and the number of divers to the reservations desk on WhatsApp at +62 811 3823 875 or [email protected]. We check availability for your exact dates, confirm it in writing, and send the boat figure with the diving programme quoted beside it.
By the Komodo Luxury Editorial Desk, Labuan Bajo. Komodo Luxury is a specialist maritime brand under Juara Holding Group; charters are operated by PT Komodo Bahari Nusantara. Rate-card figures checked 25 September 2026.
