Discover the underwater wonders of Komodo National Park from a vessel that feels like your own private retreat. The EcoPro Duyung Baru liveaboard is a traditional Indonesian phinisi, reimagined for the modern diver who values space, personal service, and genuine expertise. With accommodation for just 8 guests across 4 well-appointed en-suite cabins, this is liveaboard diving as it should be: unhurried, intimate, and deeply immersive. For those seeking a private charter, the EcoPro Duyung Baru offers an exclusive base from which to explore one of the world's most biodiverse marine environments.
What truly sets the EcoPro Duyung Baru liveaboard apart is its year-round presence in Komodo. Unlike many vessels that follow the sun, this boat and its crew have an intimate, living knowledge of these waters gained through continuous operation. They don't just visit the famous sites; they understand the nuances of each season, can guide you to hidden gems, and know precisely when and where to find the best conditions for your dive experience. This is the insight that only comes from genuine local specialists, making every dive feel less like a tourist excursion and more like an exploration led by old friends.
The ethos of the dive operator runs deep. This isn't a company that simply talks about sustainability; they have integrated it into their core operations. You will notice the difference in the details, from the high-capacity reverse osmosis water maker that reduces single-use plastic to the eco-conscious amenities used throughout the vessel. When you choose the EcoPro Duyung Baru liveaboard, you are supporting a team that is actively pioneering innovative ways to protect the very reefs you have come to admire. It is responsible travel that doesn't compromise on comfort.
Life onboard is designed for relaxation and camaraderie. The boat's layout encourages a convivial atmosphere, whether you are swapping stories in the lounge and bar area, soaking up the sun on deck, or enjoying meals prepared with care by the onboard chef. The Duyung Baru crew's attention to detail is consistently highlighted by guests, from the spotless cabins cleaned multiple times a day to the thoughtful service that anticipates your needs. The dive operation itself is seamless and efficient, with a dedicated RIB (rigid inflatable boat) for quick and comfortable transfers to dive sites. A clear dive plan is shared with you each day, and your input is always welcomed. Safety is paramount, with the vessel equipped with AIS, GPS, satellite phone, and full life-saving apparatus.
The diving in Komodo is, of course, the main event, and the EcoPro Duyung Baru delivers you to its heart. Expect nutrient-rich waters that attract a staggering array of life. Manta rays glide gracefully over cleaning stations, reef sharks patrol the drop-offs, and the sheer density and variety of tropical fish and vibrant coral are breathtaking. Above the surface, the adventure continues with treks to see the famous Komodo dragons and to viewpoints offering panoramic vistas of the rugged islands. With up to 3 dives per day, there is ample time to explore both the famous sites and the quieter, less-visited locations that the crew knows so well.
To secure your place on this exceptional vessel and experience Komodo with the true specialists, contact our team today. Whether you are a small group looking for a private charter or an individual diver seeking a high-quality, personal liveaboard experience, we will help you find the perfect trip. Dive with confidence, dive with the experts, and let the Duyung Baru liveaboard redefine your expectations of an Indonesian dive adventure. It is an experience that stays with you long after you have left the water.
EcoPro Duyung Baru has 4 air-conditioned cabins with private en-suite facilities. 1 sea view cabin with a twin or double bed on the main deck, and 3 cabins with portholes on the lower deck, 2 with a double bed (twin use possible with separator) and 1 with a twin bed.
All the cabins have:
- Individual controlled air-conditioning
- Portholes on lower deck, sea view window on main deck
- Private bathroom with hot water shower
- Hand basin, toiletries, towels
- Daily housekeeping
- Wardrobe, mirror and shelves
- Bedding and luggage space
- Reading lamp
- F type mains outlet 220 volts - 24 hr (guests must bring adaptor)
- Fire alarm, life jackets and fire extinguishers
No. of bathrooms / showers - 4 / 4 - hot water
Komodo National Park
Trip highlights: shark action, dolphins, manta rays, dugongs/manatees, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity, schooling fish & big pelagics, non diving activities
Diving environment: advanced divers, drift diving, healthy reefs, very popular, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: from Komodo: Batu Bolong, Manta Point, Tatawa Besar, Siaba Besar, Makassar
Day 1
Your adventure begins the moment you step aboard the EcoPro Duyung Baru in Labuan Bajo. The afternoon is spent settling into your cabin and meeting the crew, with a gentle shake-down cruise as the sun sets over the Flores Sea. A welcome dinner and comprehensive safety briefing set the tone for the days ahead.
Core Days
The EcoPro Duyung Baru liveaboard takes you into the heart of Komodo National Park, where nutrient-rich currents from the Indian Ocean and Flores Sea collide. This is the engine room of some of Indonesia's most exhilarating diving. The central region, with its mix of current-swept pinnacles and sheltered coral gardens, offers remarkable variety across a manageable route.
Batu Bolong is a classic. This rocky pinnacle rises from deep water, its walls covered in dense layers of hard and soft corals. As the current flows past, it brings schools of fusiliers, trevallies, and barracuda. Reef sharks patrol the outer edges, while the shallows are busy with anthias, damselfish, and the occasional turtle. It is a dive that rewards attention: look closely and you will find nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses, and leaf scorpionfish tucked into the corals.
Manta Point is exactly what it sounds like. A cleaning station on a shallow reef shelf, it attracts mantas throughout the year. The key is patience. Find a spot on the sandy bottom or settle behind a bommie, and watch as these large rays glide in for a clean. They often pass within a few metres, circling back repeatedly. On a good day, several mantas work the station at once.
Tatawa Besar offers a different mood. A long reef wall dropping into the channel, it is a drift diver's delight. You enter in the current and let it carry you along the steep slope, past gorgonian sea fans and sponges. Schools of yellow-lined snapper and big-eye trevally hang in the flow. Towards the southern end of the reef, the current often picks up, attracting larger pelagics.
Other sites round out the experience. Siaba Besar is known for its turtles and gentle slopes, a good spot for less experienced divers or a relaxing second dive. Makassar Reef, closer to the main channel, can have stronger current and is reliable for manta sightings too. The variety means the EcoPro Duyung Baru can match the day's diving to conditions and guest experience levels.
Above water, there is more to the trip than diving. A land excursion to Rinca or Komodo Island brings you face to face with the famous dragons. A trek to a viewpoint on Padar gives you the classic panorama of bays and hills. There are stops at Pink Beach for swimming and snorkelling, and quiet anchorages where the only sound is the water against the hull.
Final Day
Your last day arrives all too soon. A morning dive or two, followed by a hearty breakfast as the Duyung Baru glides back towards Labuan Bajo. It is a time for swapping stories, exchanging contact details with new friends, and soaking in the last views of the Komodo islands. Disembarkation after lunch.
Komodo National Park North
Trip highlights: shark action, dolphins, manta rays, dugongs/manatees, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity, schooling fish & big pelagics, non diving activities
Diving environment: advanced divers, drift diving, healthy reefs, very popular, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: from Komodo: Crystal Rock & Castle Rock, The Cauldron (Shotgun), Batu Bolong, Tatawa Kecil & Besar, Siaba & Sebayur
Day 1
Your adventure starts as soon as you come aboard the EcoPro Duyung Baru liveaboard, docked in Labuan Bajo. The first afternoon is yours to get comfortable in your cabin and get acquainted with the crew, all while enjoying a smooth introductory cruise beneath the Flores Sea’s fading sunset. An evening welcome meal, paired with a thorough safety orientation, gently eases you into the rhythm of the voyage to come.
Core Days
The central and northern region of Komodo National Park ranks among Indonesia's most diverse dive destinations - and this expedition is carefully scheduled to align with the dry season's peak performance. Between May - October, nutrient-laden swells push northward from the southern seas, water clarity sharpens, and current-fueled habitats come alive with remarkable intensity. A typical day features 3 dives, with the expert crew timing each entry to harness the shifting tides and currents for optimal site selection. With only 8 guests on board, the Duyung Baru maintains an intimate atmosphere - briefings feel personal, dive groups remain compact - and you can immerse yourself fully in the marine drama without distraction.
The dive-site lineup reads like a bucket list in itself. Batu Bolong is a coral-encrusted seamount that juts up from the deep, its flanks layered with hard and soft corals, patrolled by hawksbill turtles and reef sharks. Crystal Rock and Castle Rock are iconic pinnacles where the current brings the food, and the food brings the fish. Expect schools of jacks and barracuda wheeling overhead, whitetip sharks resting on sandy patches below, and the ever-present chance of an eagle ray gliding past. For those who crave a fast ride, The Cauldron delivers a high-velocity drift through a narrow channel where mantas often gather. Tatawa Kecil and Tatawa Besar offer milder currents and some of the region's most exquisite coral gardens, with prolific macro life waiting for anyone who takes a closer look.
Beyond the diving, the EcoPro Duyung Baru liveaboard weaves in the essential Komodo experiences as well. A trek on Rinca or Komodo Island brings you face-to-face with the legendary dragons. Snorkellers are well catered for, with shallow, sheltered sites and the chance to observe mantas and turtles from the surface. The route also includes stops at white-sand beaches and the famous Pink Beach, a perfect interlude between dives. The crew's deep local knowledge ensures that every element of the trip, from dive planning to the meals served on deck, feels effortlessly considered and genuinely connected to this remarkable corner of Indonesia.
Final Day
All too quickly, your final day is upon you. One or two morning dives give way to a hearty breakfast as the Duyung Baru eases its way back toward Labuan Bajo. This is the moment for trading dive tales, swapping contacts with newfound friends, and savouring those last lingering views of the Komodo archipelago. After lunch, you'll disembark.
Komodo National Park South
Trip highlights: shark action, manta rays, dugongs/manatees, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity, schooling fish & big pelagics, non diving activities
Diving environment: advanced divers, drift diving, healthy reefs, very popular, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: From Komodo: Manta Alley, Cannibal Rock, Nusa Kode, Yellow Wall, Hot Rocks, Batu Bolong, Tatawa, and Siaba
Day 1
Your cruise kicks off as soon as you come onboard the EcoPro Duyung Baru, docked in Labuan Bajo. The first afternoon is all about getting cozy in your cabin, connecting with the crew, and enjoying a easygoing shakedown sail as dusk paints the Flores Sea. Evenings unfold with a tasty welcome dinner and a thorough safety orientation, perfectly priming you for the unforgettable days on the horizon.
Core Days
Manta Alley - A cleaning station like no other. Glide into nutrient-rich currents and watch majestic manta rays loop and barrel-roll above you, their white bellies flashing as cleaner wrasse pick them spotless. The sandy bottom erupts with garden eels, while fusiliers and bannerfish swirl in the blue.
Cannibal Rock - An explosion of colour. This submerged pinnacle is crusted with bright yellow soft corals, sea fans, and anemones - home to clownfish, damselfish, and shy pygmy seahorses. Snapper and trevally circle the edges, and if you're lucky, a hawksbill turtle drifts by for a curious glance.
Nusa Kode & Yellow Wall - 2 faces of the same dramatic islet. Nusa Kode offers sloping reefs alive with branching corals and resting white-tip reef sharks. Round the corner to Yellow Wall, a sheer vertical drop coated in golden hydroids and barrel sponges. Drift slowly along its face as mackerel and giant trevally patrol the deep, while anthias flit in and out of the gorgonians.
Hot Rocks - Volcanic whispers meet the sea. Bubble streams trickle from fissures in the seabed, warming the water around you. Moray eels peer from crevices, lionfish pose with elegant menace, and schools of surgeonfish sweep past as if chased by the current-all set against a surreal backdrop of steam-tinged visibility.
Batu Bolong - The "hollow rock" thrusts from the centre of the channel. Currents here are alive with action. Hang on as sharks, dogtooth tuna, and rainbow runners slice through the blue; then duck into sheltered overhangs where nudibranchs and ghost pipefish hide. The top of the reef is a garden of table corals and staghorn thickets, teeming with darting chromis.
Tatawa - A long, sloping ridge that drops into sandy flats. The current sweeps gently, making it perfect for a relaxed drift over fields of sea whips and leather corals. Look up to see turtles resting under ledges, and peer down as mantis shrimp stalk the rubble. The shallows burst with parrotfish and butterflyfish, while eagle rays sometimes shadow you from below.
Siaba - Known for its gentle giants. This sandy bay is a renowned turtle haven: green and hawksbill turtles graze on seagrass, often so unbothered they let you drift alongside them. Beyond the turtles, the fringing reef hosts cuttlefish, flamboyant cuttlefish, and sleeping reef sharks tucked beneath hard-coral formations. A mellow, magical finale to any dive day.
But the EcoPro Duyung Baru experience isn't just about what lies beneath, it's just as much about the wonders waiting above the waterline. A guided trek across Rinca or Komodo Island brings you eye-to-eye with the planet's most iconic living fossils: the mighty Komodo dragons, motionless yet menacing in their sunlit domains. For snorkellers, the waters are just as inviting. Sheltered bays and shallow reefs offer calm, crystal-clear windows into marine life, with manta glides and turtle sightings often just a mask-dip away. Sprinkled between dive sessions are stops that feel pulled from postcards: powdery white-sand shores and the blush-hued marvel of Pink Beach, where the sand owes its rosy tint to crushed coral and foraminifera.
Final Day
The final morning arrives too quickly. One last dive, then breakfast as the Duyung Baru cruises back toward Labuan Bajo. Decks fill with shared stories, swapped contacts, and lingering gazes at the fading Komodo skyline. After lunch, disembarkation.
[Information is best estimate in ideal circumstances and subject to changes beyond our control. The itinerary is a guide only and may be adapted to best suit the weather, tides, currents, availability and other prevailing events. Price is for the cruise, not for an exact number of dives].
On the EcoPro Duyung Baru liveaboard, the cruise rhythm is perfectly balanced by a daily routine that blends adventure with comfort, and the shared stories of the day's underwater discoveries.
Your morning begins early, as it should in a place famed for its dragon-fuelled currents. A wake-up call and light breakfast of tea, coffee, and biscuits provide a swift energy boost before the first dive of the day. After splashing into the crystalline waters, you return to the vessel for the main breakfast. This is served in the saloon at 8:30 am and typically features a spread of fresh tropical fruit, eggs cooked to your liking, toast, and a local touch with rice or noodles.
Between dives, the EcoPro Duyung Baru strikes the perfect note. Once the second dive of the morning is complete and the gear is rinsed, lunch is served at 12 noon. The meals onboard are a buffet-style affair, showcasing a mix of Indonesian favourites and international staples. You might find a fragrant beef rendang next to a fresh pasta salad, all accompanied by fresh vegetables and steamed rice. The setting is relaxed, a chance to compare sightings of manta rays or elusive pygmy seahorses while the boat moves to the next site.
Afternoons are for diving and downtime. A third dive is often scheduled, followed by the most welcome ritual: snacks and hot drinks. As the sun begins to lower, the boat often positions itself for a twilight or night dive, a fantastic opportunity to see Komodo's reef predators and nocturnal hunters emerge. Dinner is the social high point of each day. At 7 pm, the saloon fills as the Duyung Baru crew presents another buffet of hearty dishes. Expect a choice of grilled fish, chicken, or a rich Indonesian curry, served with noodles or rice, salads, and sautéed greens. There is always a clear focus on fresh, local produce.
Evenings wind down quietly. With the engines stilled and the stars emerging over the Flores Sea, it’s a chance to review your underwater photos, swap dive stories with fellow guests, or simply enjoy the peaceful isolation. The bar offers a selection of soft drinks, juices, and alcoholic beverages for purchase, while water, tea, and Indonesian coffee are available throughout the day at no extra charge. Should you have specific dietary needs, including vegetarian options, these are happily accommodated with prior notice.
