Akomo Isseki

★ 5 · Cheng Yu Hou · 2024-07-05

I have never done a dive liveaboard before this trip, so I really did not have that much experience with others. However, being on Akomo Isseki set my standard for liveaboard diving very high. The crew onboard were some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met in my life. The guides were also amazing and experienced! Just watch out for Alex! If you ever played Uno with them and you lost, you would have to help them massage for 20 times. Just an example of how close we were with the dive team at the end of the trip. Because they keep the group size small (8 people), you are going to be well taken care of and the food onboard is delicious! We did more dives than it was written on the website (this really depends on the conditions). I was a bit worried about the cabin since it has no AC onboard; however, there is no problem for me to sleep at night. It might get a bit too warm at noon, but most of us usually took a nap at the sun deck instead. Overall, I highly recommend this liveaboard to anyone, who wants an ultimate experience of diving in Komodo.

★ 5 · Aaron Ture · 2023-02-05

Our New-Year’s Trip on board Akomo isseki, with Alex, the cruise director and Yetno, the Second Dive Guide, was a trip of a lifetime, that I can not really praise enough. From all the liveaboards I have done in the past, this one, by far, was the most outstanding one. The first thing I want to mention, is the positive energy and vibes, start to finish, from every single person on board. Every member of this crew was so full of happiness, it was infectious, and truly made every day special. The whole crew felt like they were a deeply connected family, and they allowed us, the guest to be part of that. It felt like we all became family by the end of the trip, having shared so many stories and laughter together. The organization, communication, and scheduling of day-to-day trips, diving and traveling in between islands was fantastic. Alex and Yetno did a fantastic job, briefing every dive, and showed that despite 8 years living in the area, and 3000+ dives there, they are still excited to jump into the water, and continue to be fascinated by the underwater world there. We loved every single dive, especially those frequently not visited by other boats, which ended up being some of our favorites. The occasional day-trips to e.g. snorkel with baby sharks, alongside a beautiful BBQ prepared by the crew on a beach, were some other highlights, that made the itinerary very special. Speaking of food, the crew on board made the most amazing food, varying on the daily, even baking fresh bread every morning, and prepared little in-between snacks, not allowing even the hungriest of people to ever get hangry. Overall, I can truly just recommend this boat to everyone, that is looking for a family-vibe kind of trip, with great diving, professional guides and well-maintained boat and equipment, spectacular food and a true love for the region, ensuring that local marine life is protected.

★ 5 · Rebecca Hiromi Teoi · 2023-01-26

Experience of a lifetime! Raja Ampat is incredibly beautiful and Alex runs a smooth operation - dives are amazing (and they do put a effort to provide variety and great dives), dive guides and crew are highly experienced, logistics are smooth, crew/staff are the best - the friendliest / happiest ever, and there are nice land stops. I would def and most absolutely love to come back! Tips: - Do not suffer alone with logistics questions - ask PADI for a very complete guide that Alex prepared on how to get to/from Waisai (PADI does not always provide it proactively. If they don't, just Whatsapp Alex on the number provided in the booking confirmation) - Bring a current hook if you have one (otherwise they have it onboard) - Ask in advance if you want a 15L tank (currents can be strong so if you're not good at air consumption, may be good to consider) - Bring cash for tips & download/register on the Wise app to wire/pay for extras - Another guest had a drone and captured some really cool footage! So bring it if you have one! (besides an underwater camera) - It helped to have one of those reusable grocery bags with me to hang my stuff in the bathroom while I showered / got ready in the morning + a reusable water bottle to carry around - No need to overdo the wetsuit - half of us dived with no wetsuit and the other half with thin 2mm/shorties - No need to bring sneakers/hiking shoes for the land excursions - I did everything on flip flops and it was totally fine - There are sodas and beer on the boat. A couple of guests brought other alcohol - wine / champagne for NYE and it was nice! Things to note (more as FYI; nothing is a deal breaker, REALLY): - There is no phone reception / internet for at least half the trip (in Misool), so i) if you e-mail/text them do it in advance; it may take a few days for them to get back to a place with reception and ii) be prepared to get offline for a couple of days - it feels great :) - No Nitrox available - Usually no night dives (at least none on my trip) - No aircon in the cabins (there is a small fan). It can get hot and may take a bit to get used to it (but it's def doable - or you do like I did - I slept outside a few evenings)