Sailing Reopened the Same Day: How Labuan Bajo Handled the 2026 Earthquake

Last updated: August 2026 · Prices & availability verified for the 2026/2027 season

As of August 16, 2026, sailing from Labuan Bajo is officially open and boats — including our own fleet — are back on the water. The Harbormaster (KSOP Labuan Bajo) reopened the port on the afternoon of August 15, the same day the M7.7 Flores earthquake struck, through Maklumat Pelayaran No. 05/MP-VIII/2026, issued after BMKG declared the tsunami potential over.

Last updated: August 16, 2026 · Written from Labuan Bajo by the Komodo Luxury team — our crews were at sea with guests when the earthquake struck, and our boats returned to the water the same afternoon.

TL;DR: On August 15, 2026, a M7.7 earthquake struck the sea north of Flores, about 200 km northeast of Labuan Bajo. BMKG’s tsunami warning was lifted roughly three hours later with no destructive tsunami, and the Harbormaster officially reopened sailing that same day. So far, trips from Labuan Bajo are running normally, and this article explains exactly how that happened — from a team that was on the water when it did.

• Earthquake: M7.7 (BMKG’s initial estimate of M7.0 was later revised), Saturday, August 15, 2026, at 05:58 WITA, in the sea north of Flores near Mbay/Nagekeo — roughly 200 km northeast of Labuan Bajo, at a shallow depth of about 15 km.
• Tsunami: no destructive tsunami formed; only small waves were recorded (about 0.36 m at the Labuan Bajo tide gauge). BMKG lifted its warning around three hours after the quake.
• Sailing: officially reopened the same day by the Harbormaster — Maklumat Pelayaran No. 05/MP-VIII/2026.
• Airport: Komodo Airport’s runway and apron were declared safe by the airport authority; it remains operational.
• Park & trips: Komodo National Park was never closed, and trips are running normally as of August 16.

What happened in Labuan Bajo on the morning of August 15?

At 05:58 WITA, the quake hit the sea north of Flores near Mbay. In Labuan Bajo — about 200 km from the epicenter — the shaking was strong enough to wake the town, and BMKG issued a tsunami early warning covering NTT, NTB, South Sulawesi, and Southeast Sulawesi.

Some of our crews were already at sea with guests on early departures. Safety protocols ran exactly as trained: guests put on life jackets, boats held position in deeper water away from the shoreline, and guests on land were moved to higher ground. Every guest and every crew member was accounted for. We are not describing a plan on paper — this is what our teams actually did, that morning, with guests aboard.

The town itself came through with limited, moderate damage and kept functioning. The heaviest impact of this earthquake was felt far to the east — more on that below, because it deserves its own words.

How did sailing reopen the same day?

Two official steps, in sequence — and this is the part most headlines missed.

First, BMKG monitored the sea and, roughly three hours after the quake, declared the tsunami potential over. Only small waves had been recorded — about 0.36 m at the Labuan Bajo tide gauge and about 0.94 m at Maurole in Ende. No destructive tsunami formed.

Second, acting on BMKG’s declaration, the Head of KSOP Kelas III Labuan Bajo (the Harbormaster) issued Maklumat Pelayaran No. 05/MP-VIII/2026, dated August 15, 2026: sailing from Labuan Bajo was officially reopened, with masters required to keep monitoring weather and sea conditions and to report anything notable. By that afternoon, boats — including ours — were sailing again.

Why does a same-day reopening matter?

Because it tells you how the system here actually works. Departures from this harbor are not decided by tour operators’ optimism — they are governed by BMKG’s monitoring and the Harbormaster’s clearance. When the authorities said stop, everything stopped and protocols ran. When BMKG declared the danger over, the port reopened with a numbered, verifiable decree — not a rumor. That is the fastest responsible reopening an authority can make: not before the all-clear, and not a day later than the facts justified.

For travelers comparing operators, that chain of authority is the real safety signal. Any Komodo boat tour leaving this harbor, ours included, sails only under that clearance.

Is Labuan Bajo operating normally now?

So far, yes. Komodo Airport’s runway and apron were declared safe by the airport authority and the airport remains operational — a section of taxiway was closed for inspection and some flights were adjusted on the day, with operations back to normal by the evening of August 15 (full details in our Komodo Airport status report). The town is functioning, the harbor is open, and Labuan Bajo tours are running.

Komodo National Park was never closed. Our open trip and private trip departures resumed with the reopening, and our luxury phinisi fleet is sailing its normal itineraries as of August 16. For a broader picture of conditions in town, see our first-hand report on how Labuan Bajo is doing after the earthquake.

What does this mean if you have a trip booked?

If your departure is coming up, the working rule is simple: trips run when BMKG and the Harbormaster say the sea is open — and right now, it is. Our team confirms every departure with guests directly, so you will never be left guessing the night before.

If you would rather move your dates, we will not talk you out of it. Every booking is protected by our Sail Again Guarantee — a flexible rebooking guarantee that holds 100% of what you have paid as travel credit, so nothing you have paid is lost if you choose to sail later. Guests whose trips were interrupted on August 15 itself receive priority rebooking to the nearest available date. If you are weighing that decision, read should I cancel my Komodo trip? — we wrote it to help you decide calmly, not to pressure you either way. The same applies whether you booked a shared cabin or a full private yacht charter.

Our thoughts are with Flores

Labuan Bajo was fortunate; central and eastern Flores was not. Dozens of lives were lost in Nagekeo, Sikka, Manggarai, and Manggarai Timur, where the damage from this earthquake is concentrated. Many of our crew, guides, and staff are from these communities. Our thoughts are with every family in NTT grieving today, and our gratitude goes to the crews, guides, harbor officers, and local authorities who worked through August 15 with such discipline. We sail again because they did their jobs — and we do not forget who paid the highest price.

What would change this answer?

We would revise this article — and contact every booked guest directly — if any of the following happened:

• BMKG issues a new tsunami warning or a significant seismic advisory for the region;
• the Harbormaster (KSOP Labuan Bajo) suspends departures again;
• Komodo Airport’s operational status changes;
• the park authority closes Komodo National Park.

None of these is the case as of August 16, 2026. We are updating our earthquake coverage as conditions develop during these first 72 hours.

What are guests asking us right now?

Are there still aftershocks — should we come or cancel? We are very worried.

This has been the most common question in our inbox, and the worry is completely understandable. We do not speculate about seismic activity — that is BMKG’s job, and we follow their official monitoring. What we can tell you first-hand: sailing has been officially reopened, our boats have been on the water since the afternoon of August 15, and every departure runs under Harbormaster clearance with full safety protocols. If you would rather wait, the Sail Again Guarantee protects your booking as travel credit — no pressure either way.

Is the boat trip cancelled? Is everything still confirmed despite the earthquake?

As of August 16, trips are running normally. Sailing was officially reopened on August 15 under Maklumat Pelayaran No. 05/MP-VIII/2026, and our team confirms each departure directly with guests before pick-up — so if anything about your specific trip changes, you will hear it from us first.

We have a liveaboard booked later this month — is everything okay with the boats and the harbor?

So far, yes. The harbor is open, our fleet came through the event without incident and returned to the water the same afternoon, and departures are operating on schedule. If anything relevant to your dates changes, we will contact you directly rather than wait for you to ask.

Our hotel cancelled all water activities — does that apply to your trips too?

Not necessarily. Hotels make their own operational decisions on their own timelines. Sea departures from Labuan Bajo are governed by the Harbormaster, who officially reopened sailing on the afternoon of August 15 — and our trips operate under that clearance, with our own safety protocols on top.

Our trip on August 15 was interrupted by the safety protocols — can we still sail this week?

Yes. Guests whose trips were affected on the day of the earthquake receive priority rebooking at no cost to the nearest available date — our team will confirm availability with you directly. If your travel schedule does not allow it, the Sail Again Guarantee holds the full value of your booking as travel credit for a future trip.

Ready to sail — or just want a straight answer?

Our boats went back to the water the same afternoon the authorities reopened the sea, and they are sailing now. If you are ready, browse our private trips and open trip departures. If you just want an honest, current answer about your dates, message us on WhatsApp at +62 811-3823-875 or via our contact page — we are answering from Labuan Bajo, and we will tell you exactly what the authorities are telling us.