A snorkeling-only phinisi charter in Komodo: Manta Point, Taka Makassar and a note for divers

Divers should read this first. Lamborajo 1, 2 and 3 are phinisi with cabins, and the itinerary is a snorkeling one. No dive equipment is printed in any of the three brochures, and a dive is not part of any fare. Diving is arranged separately, and a guest who needs a dive boat should book one.

For snorkelers, the same lists look different. Snorkeling equipment is printed on all three, the water is shallow at the easy stops, and the route includes reef stops and a stop for rays.

If you arrive certified and hoping for a dive, tell us at the first message. What can be arranged is confirmed in writing, and nothing is added to a fare without a written quote.

On the private 3D2N route the snorkel stops are Manjarite on day 1, then Pink Beach, Taka Makassar and Manta Point on day 2. The open trip visits Manta Point, Taka Makassar and Pink Beach too, and adds one snorkel stop between Komodo and Kalong that is confirmed in writing.

The stops differ. Pink Beach has reef close to shore. Taka Makassar is a sandbar ringed by shallow reef, suitable for most snorkelers, with minimal shade. Manta Point runs a current, and snorkelers drift along the reef rather than stay in one spot.

Sightings of manta rays are never guaranteed. The open-trip card prints that sentence itself. Depths run from 1 to 8 meters at Pink Beach and 3 to 15 meters at Manta Point, so the stops differ more than the kit does.

The phrase "snorkeling equipment" appears in all three lists, and nothing finer. The lists name no fins, no masks by size and no wetsuits, and we do not claim any of them. A line that says "snorkeling equipment" is a promise of equipment, not of a specific item in a specific size, and we word it the same way.

The same lists print life jackets, and a life jacket is the right call at Manta Point for anyone who is not a confident swimmer.

If your party has children, a prescription mask or a wide foot, the answer is a written confirmation before you pay. We do not guess at a size. A guest with a particular need hears the answer from us before the balance is due.

A certified diver gets two options. One is to accept the snorkeling route and its four stops. The other is to raise the dive at the first message so that we can ask what is possible on the dates you want.

No dive operator is part of the fare, and none appears in the brochures. A dive, if it can be arranged, is its own quote, with its own price and its own written terms.

Park tickets cover snorkeling in the park. They are bought in each visitor's name and are never in a fare. Treat a dive trip as a separate booking with a dive operator; this one is a snorkeling cruise, with a local guide on the open trip, and the three boats are priced as such.