Diving
Liveaboard vs Day Trips
Dive count, hours in the water and cost — compared properly.
- More Dives
- Less Transit
- Northern Sites
The Real Difference
Where You Wake Up
A day boat leaves Labuan Bajo each morning and returns each evening. Two to three hours of that day is transit, twice over.
A liveaboard wakes up already at the site. That is the whole argument — more dives, earlier slack windows, and access to the northern seamounts a day boat cannot reach and return from.
Compared
Liveaboard vs Land-Based
Dive Count
Three to four a day on board, versus two to three from shore.
Transit Time
Zero on a liveaboard. Four to six hours a day from Labuan Bajo.
Site Access
Castle Rock, Crystal Rock and Cannibal Rock are effectively liveaboard-only.
Slack Windows
On board you dive the tide. From shore you dive the timetable.
Cost
Day trips are cheaper per day; a liveaboard is cheaper per dive.
When Shore Wins
Short trips, tight budgets, or non-divers who want a hotel.
Good To Know
Questions
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