The Komodo Aggressor liveaboard offers an exceptional way to explore Indonesia's most celebrated waters. As part of the renowned Aggressor fleet, operating in the region since 2001, this 29-metre phinisi-style wooden yacht combines traditional Indonesian craftsmanship with modern diving infrastructure. Twin masts and dual engines provide stability and comfortable cruising at 8 knots, while twin generators supply 220-volt power throughout the vessel. Whether you are chasing mantas in Komodo National Park or hammerheads in the Banda Sea, the Komodo Aggressor is built to take you there in comfort and safety.
Accommodation aboard the Komodo Aggressor liveaboard strikes a careful balance between luxury and practicality. The yacht sleeps 16 guests across 8 staterooms: 2 Balcony Suites on the upper deck with private outdoor seating, 3 Master Staterooms (two upper deck, one main deck) with picture windows, and 3 Deluxe Staterooms on the lower deck. Every cabin includes a private bathroom, individual climate control, and ample storage. The air-conditioned saloon and dining area serve as the social heart of the boat, while the sun deck offers loungers for quiet afternoons between dives.
The dive operation runs with the efficiency you would expect from an Aggressor vessel. 2 motorised tenders transport small groups to sites, keeping diver-to-guide ratios at 4 to 1. The spacious dive deck features individual gear storage, dedicated camera stations, and nitrox available for those certified to use it. Daily schedules include up to 4 dives, night dives included, with itineraries that range from 7 to 11 nights. The Komodo Aggressor covers 6 distinct routes: North Komodo, North & South Komodo, Komodo & Sumbawa, Alor, Banda Sea, and Sulawesi North to South. Each itinerary runs during the optimal season for that region, so your timing aligns with the best diving conditions.
What sets the Komodo Aggressor liveaboard apart is the sheer variety of underwater environments it accesses. Over 3,000 species of fish and 600 types of coral live in these waters. You can drift through Komodo's current-swept pinnacles one week and hunt for mimic octopus in Lembeh Strait's black sand the next. The Banda Sea itineraries offer a genuine chance at schooling hammerhead sharks, an increasingly rare encounter anywhere on the planet. Alor and the Forgotten Islands deliver untouched reefs where you may see no other liveaboards for days. The crew knows each site intimately, having run these routes for nearly a quarter of a century.
Meals onboard the Komodo Aggressor blend local Indonesian flavours with international staples. The sample menu includes dishes like grilled prawns, beef rendang, homemade ravioli, and tiramisu. Fresh fruits, soups, salads, and homemade breads appear at every lunch. Breakfast offers eggs cooked to order, porridge, pancakes, and fresh juices. Complimentary beer, wine, soft drinks, and iced water are included. Dietary restrictions can be accommodated if noted in advance, though the remote nature of some itineraries limits certain requests.
Beyond the diving, the Komodo Aggressor liveaboard fosters a relaxed, social atmosphere. Evenings bring fish ID presentations, movies, or simply stargazing from the top deck. Complimentary Wi-Fi keeps you connected, though most guests find the conversation with fellow divers more engaging. The crew handles gear setup, tank fills, and tender operations; you simply arrive at the dive deck ready to explore. With 18 crew members for 16 guests, the service ratio ensures that nothing gets overlooked. From the moment you board until the final disembarkation, the Komodo Aggressor delivers a level of dive travel that has kept Aggressor guests returning year after year.
Alor (10 Days / 9 Nights - 27 Dives)
Trip highlights: great macro life/ marine diversity, schooling fish & big pelagics
Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track
Dive sites and activities: Alor: Kalabahi Bay, Pantar Strait, Pura, Treweng, Ternate, Buaya; Wetar, Reong, Nyata, Romang, Kisar. Cultural village visits.
Day 1
Your Komodo Aggressor liveaboard adventure begins with departure from Kalabahi Bay, the main harbour of Alor. A welcome drink and snacks await as the cruise director walks you through boat safety and the week ahead. A buffet lunch follows, then you settle into your cabin and prepare your dive gear, though the first dives come tomorrow. The afternoon is yours to unwind as the yacht cruises into the Pantar Strait. Dinner arrives with a glass of wine as the sun drops behind the distant volcanoes of Flores.
Core Days
The Komodo Aggressor spends its days working through the Alor archipelago and across to Wetar, a region that sees far fewer divers than Komodo or Raja Ampat. Alor's dive sites range from shallow coral gardens to dramatic drop-offs. At Pura and Treweng, the walls plunge into deep water, coated in gorgonian fans and black coral bushes. Schools of bumphead parrotfish cruise past. Whitetip reef sharks rest on sandy ledges. Ternate and Buaya offer something rarer: underwater volcanic topography, where bubbles percolate up through the sand and strange hydrothermal vents support specialised life. Macro lovers should spend time here: hairy frogfish, Halimeda ghost pipefish, and wonderpus octopus all appear with patient searching.
The Pantar Strait, which separates Alor from Pantar island, funnels nutrient-rich water between the 2 land masses. Currents can run hard, which attracts larger species. Dogtooth tuna and giant trevallies hunt the channel edges. Schools of barracuda hold station against the flow. Between drift dives, the Komodo Aggressor anchors near local villages. A visit to a traditional Alorese community offers a glimpse of life on these remote islands: ikat weaving, drumming, and a pace of life that has not changed much in generations.
Wetar lies further west, less frequented by any liveaboard. The reefs here are largely untouched. Hard and soft corals thrive in the clear water. Frogfish and flamboyant cuttlefish hide among the rubble. Schools of jacks and barracuda patrol the drop-offs. At Reong and Nyata, the topography shifts between sloping reefs and vertical walls, with eagle rays and the occasional manta passing through. Night dives in the same spots reveal Spanish dancers, hunting lionfish, and the strange bioluminescent glow of disturbed sediment.
Further out, Romang and Kisar deliver pelagic encounters. These small islands sit in deeper water, where oceanic species come closer to shore. Silvertip sharks and grey reef sharks patrol the reefs. Schools of trevally hunt in packs. And if the current brings cooler water, you may spot thresher sharks rising from the depths, a rare sighting that keeps experienced divers returning to this region year after year. The Komodo Aggressor schedules its Alor liveaboard itineraries to coincide with the best diving conditions, typically from September through November when the seas are calmest and visibility peaks.
Between dives, cultural visits enrich the cruise. The people here are warm and unaccustomed to tourists, you will feel like a guest, not a customer. On the final full day, only 2 dives are scheduled. That leaves time for a longer village visit or a beach cleanup, depending on the season and local arrangements.
Day 10
After breakfast, the Komodo Aggressor transfers you to the airport or your hotel in Kalabahi. You leave with a logbook full of entries that most divers have never heard of - Pura, Wetar, Kisar - and the quiet satisfaction of having explored one of Indonesia's last diving frontiers. No crowds. No queues at mooring lines. Just reef after reef, empty and waiting.
Banda, Ambon, Alor & Forgotten Islands (12 Days / 11 Nights - 30 Dives)
Trip highlights: hammerhead sharks, shark action, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity, schooling fish & big pelagics
Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: Alor: Kalabahi Bay, Pantar Strait, Pura, Treweng, Ternate, Buaya; Wetar, Reong, Nyata, Romang, Damar, Teun, Nila, Nil Desperandum, Serua, Gili Manuk, Banda Islands: Pualu Ai, Hatta, Gunung Api; Ambon. Historic and cultural village visits.
Day 1
Your Komodo Aggressor liveaboard expedition begins in Kalabahi Bay, Alor. The crew greets you with a welcome drink and light snacks as the cruise director walks through the safety briefing and the weeks ahead. A buffet lunch follows, then you settle into your cabin and set up your dive gear on the deck. The afternoon passes at a leisurely pace as the Komodo Aggressor cruises into the Pantar Strait. Dinner arrives with a glass of wine, the first of many shared meals as the sun drops behind the distant volcanoes.
Core Days
The Komodo Aggressor spends its core days threading through some of Indonesia's most remote and rewarding waters. Alor delivers the opening act. At Pura and Treweng, dramatic drop-offs plunge into deep blue, their walls coated in gorgonian fans and black coral. Whitetip reef sharks rest on sandy ledges. Ternate and Buaya offer volcanic topography: bubbles percolating up through sand, strange hydrothermal vents, and the critters that love them. Hairy frogfish, Halimeda ghost pipefish, rhinopias, and wonderpus octopus all appear with patient searching. A visit to a traditional Alorese village breaks the dive rhythm - ikat weaving, drumming, and a pace of life unchanged for generations. The Komodo Aggressor liveaboard includes these cultural stops to remind you that the surface holds wonders too.
Crossing to Wetar, the reefs become even less frequented. Reong and Nyata present untouched hard and soft corals, with frogfish and flamboyant cuttlefish hiding among the rubble. Schools of jacks and barracuda patrol the drop-offs. Further out, Romang and Damar sit in deeper water where oceanic species come closer. Silvertip sharks and grey reef sharks patrol the reefs. Thresher sharks rise from the depths on occasion, a rare sighting that keeps experienced divers returning. The Komodo Aggressor crew knows these remote sites intimately, having run this route for years.
The Forgotten Islands - Teun, Nila, and Serua - offer some of the most spectacular diving in the archipelago. Crystal-clear water, coral bommies, and sheer walls plunging into the abyss define these sites. Nutrient-rich currents bring sunfish, dogtooth tuna, reef sharks, and sailfish. At Nil Desperandum, an isolated reef with deep water on all sides, schools of hammerhead sharks pass through, an increasingly rare encounter anywhere on the planet. Gili Manuk, known locally as Snake Island, lives up to its name: hundreds of banded sea snakes coil among the coral heads, curious and harmless, gliding past divers who hover motionless and watch. This is the kind of diving that the Komodo Aggressor liveaboard was built to deliver.
The Banda Islands add a historical layer to the biological riches. Around Pulau Ai and Hatta, pristine reefs teem with life - schools of damselfish, anthias, soldierfish, and angelfish create a living kaleidoscope. Gunung Api, an active volcano rising from the Banda Sea, offers dives over black sand slopes and through channels where the current attracts barracuda, giant trevally, and mobula rays. Keep an eye on the surface between dives: dolphins and whales frequently pass through these waters. Each evening aboard the Komodo Aggressor, guests gather on the upper deck to compare sightings and watch the sunset over another island you cannot find on most maps.
Day 12
The expedition concludes in Ambon. After breakfast on the last morning, the Komodo Aggressor arranges transfers to the local airport or hotels. You leave with a logbook full of hammerheads, sea snakes, threshers, and villages where you were the first foreign visitor in months - the quiet reward of diving the real frontier.
Note that this itinerary may run in reverse, so confirm the direction for your specific trip in advance.
Komodo National Park (11 Days / 10 Nights - 28 Dives)
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: Sebayor, Komodo: Tatawa, Gili Lawa Laut, Sape Strait, Gili Banta, Batu Balong, Makassar Reef, Padar, Langkoi, Horseshoe Bay. Hiking at Gili Lawa Darat, walk to see Komodo dragons.
Day 1
The Komodo Aggressor liveaboard departs from Labuan Bajo around midday. Once on board, you grab a snack and a welcome drink while the cruise director walks you through the vessel's layout and safety procedures. A buffet lunch follows. After eating, you settle into your cabin and set up your dive gear on the deck. The afternoon is yours - sunbathe on the upper deck, browse the library in the air-conditioned saloon, or simply watch the coastline fade. The first evening concludes with dinner and a complimentary glass of wine.
Core Days
This Komodo Aggressor itinerary focuses on both the northern and southern parts of the park, including Banta Island, Padar, Langkoi, and Horseshoe Bay. Diving concentrates in the Sape Strait, where nutrient-rich water attracts a stunning range of marine life. At Makassar Reef, you kneel on the sand and watch mantas glide through the cleaning stations. They come in close, sometimes circling for minutes at a time. Batu Bolong, a rocky spire in the middle of the strait, delivers the classic Komodo drift: you tuck behind the pinnacle, then release into a current that carries you past gorgonian fans, clouds of anthias, and patrolling reef sharks.
Around Gili Lawa Laut, sites like Castle Rock and Crystal Rock see strong currents and big fish. Schools of jacks and fusiliers hold station against the flow. Blacktip and nurse sharks rest on ledges. At Cauldron you drift through a narrow channel between Gili Lawa Darat and Gili Lawa Laut. The water accelerates as the passage narrows, with soft corals in bright yellows and oranges lining both walls. Trevallies hunt at the exit.
Further south, the character changes. Horseshoe Bay delivers colder water from upwellings, which brings different species. At Cannibal Rock and Yellow Wall, the density of life is extraordinary: featherstars, sea apples, and nudibranchs cover every surface. Torpedo rays rest on sandy patches. Langkoi offers a chance at the elusive Mola-Mola (oceanic sunfish) during the first quarter of the year, when the northwest monsoon pushes cooler water into the straits. Even without the sunfish, Manta Alley and Lehoksera Point deliver reliable manta encounters and schools of bumphead parrotfish.
Between dives, the Komodo Aggressor liveaboard schedules 2 land excursions. At Gili Lawa Darat, you hike to the ridge. The view takes in the northern channel, the scattered islets, and the wide spread of the Flores Sea. On Komodo or Rinca Island, a park ranger leads the Dragon Walk. You follow a short trail across the island. The ranger points out the big males basking near watering holes. Staff members accompany the group for safety. You keep your distance, but you feel their presence.
Day 11
Local airport and hotel transfers from the boat will begin after breakfast in Labuan Bajo.
Komodo National Park & Sumbawa (11 Days / 10 Nights - 28 Dives)
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, beginner divers, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: Komodo: Gili Lawa Laut, Gili Banta, Makassar Reef, Sumbawa: Sangeang, Bima Bay, Satonda, Lake Entrance Bay, Moyo. Hiking at Gili Lawa Darat, walk to see Komodo dragons, fruit bats at Satonda.
Day 1
You arrive at the harbour in Labuan Bajo and step onto the Komodo Aggressor liveaboard. The crew hands you a welcome drink and a light snack while the cruise director runs through the safety orientation and the week ahead. After a buffet lunch, you unpack in your cabin and head to the dive deck to get your gear organised. The boat pulls away from the dock as you finish setting up. The rest of the afternoon is free, find a spot on the sun deck, flick through a book in the saloon, or just watch the islands slide past from the rail. Dinner comes with a glass of wine as the yacht cuts through the twilight toward Gili Banta.
Core Days
The Komodo Aggressor spends its core days weaving between northern Komodo National Park and the wilder coastlines of Sumbawa. Around Gili Lawa Laut, the current-swept pinnacles of Castle Rock and Crystal Rock deliver classic Komodo action. Schools of jacks and fusiliers hold station against the flow. Blacktip sharks and nurse sharks rest on ledges. At Shotgun you drift past walls coated in bright yellow soft corals. Trevallies hunt at the exit. Makassar Reef offers manta encounters: you kneel on the sand and watch the rays circle the cleaning stations, sometimes returning multiple times during a single dive.
Crossing into Sumbawa waters, the character shifts. Sangeang Volcano is an active crater rising from the sea. Dives at Hot Rocks and Deep Purple reveal black sand slopes where bubbles percolate up through the sediment from geothermal vents. The unusual conditions attract strange creatures: frogfish in unusual colours, ornate ghost pipefish, and the occasional mimic octopus. Between volcanic dives, Bonto Reef delivers cleaner currents and healthier coral coverage, with schools of jacks and barracuda patrolling the edges.
Bima Bay, on Sumbawa's northern coast, offers a different environment altogether. This large sheltered bay features muck diving sites where the sand and rubble hide wonders: seahorses, flamboyant cuttlefish, and a range of nudibranchs that keep macro photographers busy for entire dives. Satonda Island and nearby Moyo Island provide a return to clearer water and healthier reefs. At Lake Entrance Bay and Batu Gerandong, the slopes are covered in hard corals and sea fans, with eagle rays and turtles passing through.
A special highlight comes during the evening cruise toward Satonda. As dusk settles, thousands of fruit bats lift from the mangroves, filling the sky with silhouettes against the sunset. It is a quiet ritual, repeated daily, and never loses its impact.
Between dives, the Komodo Aggressor liveaboard schedules 2 land excursions. At Gili Lawa Darat, you hike to the ridge. The view takes in the northern channel and the scattered islets of the park, a short climb with a big payoff. On Komodo Island, a park ranger leads the Dragon Walk. You follow a short trail across dry savanah. The ranger points out the big males basking near watering holes. Staff members accompany the group for safety. You keep your distance, but you feel their weight.
Day 11
After breakfast, transfers from the boat to the airport or your hotel begin. You leave with a logbook that spans 2 distinct regions, Komodo's current-swept pinnacles and Sumbawa's volcanic oddities, and the quiet satisfaction of having explored a route that few liveaboards offer.
Komodo National Park North (8 Days / 7 Nights - 24 Dives)
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: Sebayor, Komodo: Tatawa, Gili Lawa Laut, Sape Strait, Gili Banta, Batu Balong, Makassar Reef, Gili Lawa Darat, Sabolan, Batu Moncho. Hiking at Gili Lawa Darat, walk on Komodo Island to see Komodo dragons.
Day 1
The Komodo Aggressor liveaboard departs from Labuan Bajo around midday. You step onto the yacht, grab a snack and a welcome drink, then gather in the saloon while the cruise director walks you through the boat layout and the week ahead. A lunch buffet follows. After eating, you settle into your cabin and set up your dive gear on the deck. The rest of the afternoon is yours; sunbathe on the upper deck, browse the onboard library, or simply watch the coastline slip past. Dinner comes with a complimentary glass of wine as the boat cruises toward the first dive sites.
Core Days
The Komodo Aggressor focuses its attention on the northern part of the park, including Banta Island, with most diving concentrated in the Sape Strait, the channel that separates Komodo from Banta. Makassar Reef delivers the manta encounters you came for. You drop onto a cleaning station, kneel on the sand, and wait. The mantas arrive in ones and twos, then sometimes in groups. They glide low over the reef, close enough to see the markings on their bellies. Between passes, look for eagle rays and Napoleon wrasse cruising the reef edge.
The current-swept pinnacles of Gili Lawa Laut offer a different kind of thrill. Schools of jacks, fusiliers, and bumphead parrotfish hold station against the flow. Blacktip and nurse sharks rest on ledges. At Shotgun you drift through a narrow channel between Gili Lawa Darat and Gili Lawa Laut. The water accelerates as the passage narrows. Soft corals in bright yellows and oranges line the walls. Trevallies hunt at the exit.
Batu Bolong rises from deep water in the middle of the Sape Strait. A small rock at the surface marks a pinnacle that drops beyond recreational limits. You tuck behind the rock's sheltered side, then release into a drift. The current carries you past gorgonian fans and clouds of anthias. Reef sharks circle below. Dogtooth tuna flash through the blue. It is a signature Komodo dive, and the Komodo Aggressor schedules it when the tide runs just right.
For macro lovers, Sabolan Kecil and Batu Moncho offer a slower pace. Coral gardens here hold oriental sweetlips, frogfish, and an array of nudibranchs. Night dives in the same areas reveal sleeping parrotfish, hunting lionfish, and the strange bioluminescent glow of disturbed sand. At Banta Island, sites like K2, Circus, and Rollercoaster deliver pelagic action - schools of jacks, occasional oceanic whitetip sharks, and dolphins passing through the strait.
Between dives, the Komodo Aggressor schedules 2 land excursions. At Gili Lawa Darat, you hike to the ridge. The view takes in the northern channel, the scattered islets, and the wide spread of the Flores Sea. It is a steep climb, short, and worth every step. On Komodo Island, a park ranger leads the Dragon Walk. You follow a short trail across dry savanah. The ranger points out the big males basking near watering holes. Staff members accompany the group for safety. You keep your distance, but you feel their presence.
Day 8
Breakfast comes early the next morning. Transfers to the airport or your hotel begin after you eat, timed around your domestic flight schedule. You leave with a logbook full of northern Komodo's finest moments and a quiet sense of having done it right.
North Sulawesi & Togian Islands (12 Days / 11 Nights - 30 Dives)
Trip highlights: dolphins, dugongs/manatees, great macro life/ marine diversity
Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: Lembeh Strait, Bolaang Mongondow, Tanjung Flesko, Gorontalo, Togian Islands, Pulau Dua, Banggai Islands
Day 1
Your Komodo Aggressor liveaboard adventure begins with embarkation in Bitung, North Sulawesi. The crew welcomes you aboard with refreshments while the cruise director runs through the safety briefing and the 2 weeks ahead. After a buffet lunch, you settle into your cabin and set up your dive gear on the deck. Since the first 2 days will be spent in the renowned Lembeh Strait, you can expect your first dive on this very day: a black sand slope that introduces you to the strange and wonderful. The evening concludes with dinner and wine as the Komodo Aggressor prepares for its journey south.
Core Days
The Komodo Aggressor spends its core days working through north and central Sulawesi, covering underwater environments that see few other liveaboards. The voyage begins in Lembeh Strait, the world's muck diving capital. Volcanic black sand slopes here hide an extraordinary roster of critters: seahorses gripping sea fans, frogfish disguised as sponges, mimic octopus changing shape in front of you, blue-ringed octopus flashing their warning patterns, and pegasus sea moths walking across the sand on delicate fins. Your guides know exactly which patches of rubble hold the rarest finds. After 2 days, you leave Lembeh with a memory card full of images that most divers only see in books.
Moving south, Bolaang Mongondow offers a complete change of pace. Spectacular coral reefs replace black sand. Healthy hard corals and abundant reef fish create a classic tropical diving experience, a reminder that Sulawesi does more than muck. Tanjung Flesko continues that theme, with walls and slopes covered in gorgonian fans and table corals. Schools of jacks and fusiliers patrol the edges. Then comes Gorontalo, where the Komodo Aggressor liveaboard positions you for potential whale shark encounters. These gentle giants appear in the bay with some regularity, feeding on plankton in the nutrient-rich water. No guarantees, but the crew knows the patterns and puts you in the right place at the right time.
The Togian Islands deliver pristine reefs bustling with life. Massive schools of blacktail barracuda and bigeye trevally form living tornadoes. Tuna pass through the channels. Pelagics are common here, but the macro opportunities are just as strong. The Togians also offer wreck diving: sunken vessels now encrusted in soft corals, home to batfish and groupers. At Pulau Dua, the Komodo Aggressor schedules multiple dives around a reef system where white tip, black tip, grey reef, and silvertip sharks are frequently encountered. You can expect to see sharks on almost every dive here, often resting on sandy patches or cruising the reef edge.
The expedition culminates in the Banggai Islands, one of the most untouched corners of Indonesian diving. These scarcely inhabited islands have no dive bases, no day boats, no crowds. You will feel like a pioneer diver exploring these waters for the first time. The reefs are in pristine condition, with hard and soft corals covering every surface. This is the home of the endemic Banggai cardinalfish, a striking black-and-white striped species found nowhere else on earth. Schools of them shelter among sea urchins, their bold patterns unmistakable.
Day 12
The expedition ends in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi. After breakfast on the last morning, the Komodo Aggressor arranges transfers to the local airport or hotels. You leave with a logbook that spans muck, reefs, wrecks, whale sharks, and sharks - a true cross-section of what Sulawesi has to offer, delivered from a vessel that takes you where the day boats cannot reach.
Please note that this tour may operate in reverse, so confirm your specific trip details in advance.
[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].
