Komodo Live-Aboard - Guest Comments

Maryann Evetts - Australia

Thanks HEAPS for a wonderful trip to the Komodo Islands in September 2009.
The organization of the trip was really well done, with all the details attended to so they were not an issue for us.
Having accommodation, internal airfares and luggage issues dealt with made for a far less stressful trip.
The boat was comfortable and well appointed. Great to have a bathroom for each cabin and air-conditioning. The main deck with the huge table was a focal point for meals, camera fiddling, and repartee! 
The upper deck a pleasant retreat for reading, sleeping and getting a little sun.
We had a diverse group of divers, all great in the water and lots of fun to be with.
I really appreciated the time Jeff spent with everyone, sorting out all our equipment, teaching us how to make the most or our cameras, from my happy snappy (Canon A75) through to the Canon G9 and G10's with a variety of housings & strobes, through to the DSLR photographers. It was with Jeff''s advice both on the boat and in the water that improved the quality of my images immensely, and also helped me settle on the type of equipment I now want to invest in.
The diving in Komodo is the best I have ever experienced. I have experienced trips to the South China Sea, Manado and around Australia. In Komodo there is just such a huge variety of life to see, experience and photograph. From the warmer northern sites with fish of all variety and size to the colder southern sites with a glorious array of critters, including the Komodo Dragons on the beach at Rinca. 
What I appreciated most was Jeff’s attention to tides/sea conditions and his knowledge of the sites which meant we had really comfortable well prepared dives. The organization around the diving was exceptional. We dived in 2 groups of 5 or 6 entering the water about 20 minutes apart so at no time were you invaded by hordes of other divers. If on a small dive site the second group were doing the deeper part of their dive as we were at shallower depth or doing our deco stops. With Dawn and Jeff’s guidance we found some amazing critters.
More than anything being taught how to use Adobe Lightroom was a huge bonus for me. I have never used Adobe Photoshop and have been reluctant to try, being a bit of a technophobe. It was great to watch as Jeff used photos taken during the dives to reveal excellent images by just balancing the exposure, colour, removing backscatter, cropping and sharpening.
I am returning to Komodo in 2010 and highly recommend diving with Jeff and Dawn if you want really good, safe diving at fantastic sites with lovely, friendly and well organized people.

Maryann Evetts - Canon A75 camera