Know before you go

Terms and conditions for Scuba Junkie Komodo

• 25% deposit payments and any payments made in advance of arrival are non-refundable.
• If payments are not received by the due date and no reply is received within 3 days of our email or Whatsapp reminder, then we reserve the right to cancel your booking.
• In the event you are unable to come and you inform us a minimum 14 days in advance of your booking start date then we will credit your 25% deposit and any balance payments made towards a future booking with SJ Komodo, up to a maximum of 12 months from the start date of your original booking.
• If you require your dates to be moved, please note your new dates will be subject to the rates that are current at that time, and any discounts applied to your original dates, may no longer be applicable to your new dates.
• No refunds are available in case of illness, missed dive trips, or shortening of your stay. Please ensure that you have valid travel insurance that covers this eventuality.
• If we are forced to cancel or change any part of your package due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances then a refund or credit towards a future holiday will be offered.
• We cannot accept responsibility for any damage to personal items, injuries or any lost flights in the unlikely event of a cancelled transfer or longer journey time due to circumstances outside of our control, such as bad weather conditions / mechanical issues.

Here at the resort we are working hard to reduce plastic use where possible, we also work to ensure we do not put too much of a strain on the local water supplies, especially in the dry season. We would really appreciate your support with this an

• Reusable water bottle: We have water stations around the resort and on the dive boats. This drinking water is provided as part of your package. There are glasses and cups available but we do recommend having your own water bottle to use as well
• Toiletries: To avoid unnecessary plastic waste we ask that all guests bring their own toiletries (shampoo, soap, toothpaste etc). These can easily be bought in town should you forget :)
• Beach Towel: We provide towels for the room but if you want a towel for the boat we ask that you bring one, or a sarong, to dry off between dives.
• Reef safe sun protection: There are chemicals in sunscreen that can cause irreversible damage to the coral reefs. When buying your suncream look out for Oxybenzone and Octinoxate and avoid them! Another option is to bring a long sleeved UV safe rash guard to help protect you from the sun.
• Dry Bag: There are dry areas on the boat to leave your things but for extra safety it’s a good idea to bring a dry bag with you for your phone, a towel and anything else you’d like to keep dry.
• Medication: If you are on any prescription medication do make sure to bring enough for your whole stay - the resort is remote and what is available at the pharmacies in Labuan Bajo is limited. 
• Cash: There are no ATMs by the resort and the signal is not good enough for us to have a credit card machine, so please bring enough cash with you for your stay and for any extras such as drinks or souvenirs.
• Rain protection: The majority of the time the sun is shining, but this is the tropics so it can rain (especially in January & February). A light raincoat and a wooly hat are a great way to stay warm between dives and on the way home. A wooly hat will also protect your ears from the wind and help prevent an ear infection. 
• Proof of certification: Whether it’s your certification card, log book signed by an instructor or us checking you on the PADI website - we’ll need to see proof you are a certified diver before we take you in the water.
• Insurance: Insurance that covers you for diving is a requirement due to the lack of a reliable chamber on Flores. We can assist you with a short term insurance when you arrive at the resort.

Refresher

Not dived for a while? Not a problem at all!  We offer an abbreviated refresher that is designed to ensure you feel comfortable, safe and confident in the water, but will have as little impact on your diving day as possible! We run through some basic skills in the water and on the boat. We generally require people to do a refresher if they haven’t been diving for over a year, but this will depend on your experience level. Feel free to get in touch to ask us any questions about it. Oh, and by the way - it’s completely free! 

PADI Courses

Students for all PADI courses will be required to sign the PADI medical form. Should you answer ‘yes’ to any questions on the medical form then you will need to be signed off by a doctor. There is a hospital and doctors in Labuan Bajo but to minimise the impact on your diving trip then please do the before your check in date. The doctors in Labuan Bajo are not dive specialists and so we highly recommend you get signed off by a  specialist doctor prior to arrival.

Daily Diving Schedule 

The boat stays out for the whole day: 

6.30-7am: Dive boat departs (time dependent on where we plan to dive)

It takes just over an hour to get to the first dive spot - our spacious wooden boats are the perfect place to relax, soak up some sun and enjoy the stunning view. We have a sun deck area and an eating area for breakfast and lunch. 

During the the diving day we will do 3 dives, lunch is served after the second dive.

4.30-5.30pm - The boat returns to the resort where there will be a delicious snack ready and waiting for you!

No Fly Time

You need to wait 18 hours after diving to be able to safely fly. This fits in perfectly with doing the dragon tour on your check our day as you get back to town around 1.30pm so can get a flight any time after 3pm. 

No Decompression limits

As a PADI 5 * dive centre we adhere to the PADI standards and as such we do not exceed our no decompression limits. The Komodo National Park is a remote area with strong currents and so we must always err on the side of caution when it comes to our diving. Given the stunning corals in the shallows and the fact that the manta cleaning stations are all very shallow, there is no benefit to pushing ourselves to stay deep for a long time. 

We ask that all guests diving with their own computer alert their dive guide when they have 10 minutes left of their no deco time to ensure we are well within our safety limits. 

If you do find you have gone into deco then alert your dive guide who will assist you with making the required safety stop. You will then not be permitted to dive for the rest of the day. Should your computer go into ‘Error’ due to going into deco then you will not be allowed to dive for 24 hours. There are no refunds on dives in this instance.

You do not need to take much on the dive boat with you. Occasionally we have small local boats come to the boat selling wooden dragon carvings so if you think this is something you’d be interested to buy you can bring a small amount of cash with you. We have lockers available at the resort if you’d like to lock away cash or any valuables while you are out diving.

The exact weather can be difficult to predict in a tropical country. The forecast will be pretty much the same most days - sunny with a chance of rain and storms.

Here we tend to have two seasons - ‘Rainy season’ and ‘Dry season’. 

What is rainy season? 

Rainy season is generally December - March. It does not mean it will be raining all day every day, but that there could be some heavy rainstorms. These tend not to last too long and will have very little impact on your stay.

The diving is still great then, in fact it is in these months we see our highest number of manta rays!

In January and February we can get stronger winds, although it is rare this does mean that there are days when we are not given permission from the harbour master to dive in the park - this is something that applies to all dive centres in Labuan Bajo. To dive in the park without permission from the harbour master is illegal and so we must adhere to his rules. Or we may be restricted in what sites we dive. 

The rest of the year is considered ‘Dry Season’ but this doesn’t mean there will be no rain at all, it’s always a good idea to have a light raincoat with you, just in case ;)

The water temperature varies throughout the year. From March - December it tends to be 26-29 degrees. December - March it drops a little and is around 23-26. We provide 3mm long wetsuits so if you get chilly we recommend bringing a hood or extra layers to wear in the water. 

Gloves are not permitted during dives. This is not only a Scuba Junkie regulation but also one of the rules of Komodo National Park Office.

We choose the dive sites based on the currents, conditions, weather and where we think everyone will have the best experience that day. We never guarantee any dive sites in advance, although we do always take people requests into consideration and try our absolute best to do them. 

As a general rule: 

March - October: We predominantly dive the centre and north of the park.

October - March: We predominantly dive the centre and south of the park.

All the areas of the park are fantastic and you can read more about them here.

Dive computer rental

We have Suunto Zoop dive computers available for rent. Having a dive computer is recommended by PADI but it is not mandatory. Our dive guides all have their own dive computers and will ensure that you are well within the no decompression limits. Should you want a dive computer during the dive then we do have them available to rent - numbers are limited so it can be a good idea to book one in advance!

We do provide dive computers free of charge for the Open water and Advanced Courses.

Camera rentals

We do have cameras available for rent but there are limited numbers. If you are keen to dive with a camera then please let us know so we can reserve one for you.

Night dives

When we do night dives we do them on the house reef. It is an incredible night dive filled with all the weird and wonderful critters we love to see at night. We do not take bookings in advance for them as it does very much depend on the currents and conditions. Our house reef is located on the edge of the Molo strait - one of the fastest currents in the park that can reach up to 7 knots. We always prioritize safety when it comes to diving and so it will depend on the currents whether or not we can do this dive.

Rental equipment

Dive equipment rental is included in our dive packages! 

BCDs- We have Cressi, Mares and Scubapro BCDs from XS to XL.

Regulators - We have Scubapro and Cressi regulators with yoke fitting.

Wetsuits: We provide 3mm long wetsuits from sizes XS to XL. If you get easily cold then we recommend bringing a vest, hood or thicker wetsuit. 

Masks: We provide Seapro masks. We do not have prescription or narrow masks available.

Boots and Fins: We provide Mares open heeled fins and boots from XS to XL.

Tanks: We use 12L aluminium tanks. All tanks are set up with Yoke connection, but we also have tanks where the insert can be removed to adapt them to DIN. 

We have a limited number of 15L tanks, if you would like to use them please be sure to book in advance.

Our packages include:

• Guided dives with a PADI professional 
• Dive equipment
• Accommodation
• 3 meals & snacks 
• Transfers to / from the resort at set times from Labuan Bajo
• Drinking water, tea & coffee
• 10% government tax

Our packages do not include:

• Komodo National Park fees 
• Alcoholic and soft drinks 
• Airport transfer 

Dietary requirements 

Our talented chefs are used to cooking for all manner of dietary requirements. Vegetarian and vegan meals are easy to organise, but anything a bit more unusual it’s best for us to have advance notice - given the remote location and limited access to markets.

Do let us know of any dietary requirements when you make your booking. 

Security

We have CCTV operating around the resort and night security working from 6pm - 6am. The area is very safe and we only have this as an extra precaution. We have safes available for valuables.

Staying connected

We do not have WiFi at the resort and the signal in general is quite intermittent. Part of the charm of the resort is being able to disconnect and be able to fully immerse yourself in your diving trip! However, we know that for some people this is not an option - Telkomsel is the only provider that works here, we recommend buying a sim card and getting it registered before you arrive in Labuan Bajo. With a Telkomsel simcard you will get some signal whilst at the resort and much better signal whilst out diving! 

Power

Indonesia power sockets use two round pins, there are cheap adapters available in Labuan Bajo should you forget yours. We are self reliant when it comes to power, we have three generators that we use, these are in a sound-proofed room at the back of the resort. We only rest the generators during the day so should you take a day off from diving there is limited power during the day, but there is always power through the night. 

Around the resort

There are no other bars or restaurants by the resort. There is a small village with a shop that sells snacks and soap but it is very limited.

There is a daily national park fee for any activity done within the park. You will not need a Park Permit on your check in day, but any day that you are diving you will be diving in the Komodo National Park and so you will be required to buy a permit. 

The fees are: 

Monday - Saturday: 275,000 IDR per person per day.

Sunday & Public holidays: 350,000 IDR per person per day.

There is no discount for KITAS holders 

For Indonesian KTP holders the price is 82,500 IDR per person per day.

On your check out day when you see the dragons on Rinca Island you will need to pay for your park fees and fee for your ranger.

We do not offer nitrox diving at the Komodo Resort. The best diving in the park is fairly shallow and so there is no need to dive with nitrox.