Open Water certification is enough for roughly half of Komodo. Siaba Besar, Pink Beach, Karang Makassar and Tatawa Besar are all divable with around 10 logged dives. Castle Rock, Crystal Rock, The Cauldron and Manta Alley need Advanced Open Water and 30 to 50 logged dives. Our own written standard is Open Water or Advanced with a minimum of 30 dives, and Advanced with 50 dives to access every site on the list.
Why Komodo has a certification problem
Komodo is a current destination. Water pushed between the Flores Sea and the Indian Ocean accelerates through the gaps between islands, and the sites that hold the most life are exactly the sites where that acceleration is strongest. A newly certified diver can have a genuinely wonderful week here — but only if the itinerary is built around their level rather than around a brochure.
We publish our standard rather than leaving it vague, because being turned back on the boat is worse than being told before you fly. Minimum experience to join a Pinta dive charter: Open Water or Advanced Open Water with at least 30 logged dives. Recommended experience to access all dive sites: Advanced Open Water with 50 dives. Below 30 dives we still take you — the site list is simply adjusted, and we say which sites come off it before you pay.
Site-by-site: what we ask for
| Dive site | Minimum certification | Logged dives we ask for | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 西亚巴岛 | Open Water | About 10 logged dives | Standard check-dive on every Pinta trip |
| Pink Beach reef | Open Water | About 10 logged dives | Shallow coral garden, easy conditions |
| Sebayur | Open Water | About 10–15 logged dives | Stronger at the point — guide splits the group |
| Karang Makassar (Manta Point) | Open Water | About 10 logged dives | Gentle drift, the manta site all levels can do |
| Tatawa Besar | Open Water / Advanced | 15–20 logged dives | Drift entry, buoyancy matters |
| 马万 | Advanced | About 20–30 logged dives | Moderate to strong current on the slope |
| 峇都波隆 | Advanced | 20–30 logged dives | Current is always running — no exceptions |
| 水晶石 | Advanced | About 30 logged dives | Strong, exposed pinnacle |
| 黄金通道 | Advanced | About 30 logged dives | Channel drift, hood-down navigation |
| 蝠鲼巷 | Advanced | 30+ logged dives | Negative entry plus surge in the south |
| 城堡岩 | Advanced | 30–50 logged dives | Negative entry, reef hook mandatory |
| The Cauldron (Shotgun) | Advanced | 30–50 logged dives | Only run on the right tide window |
The logged-dive column is not bureaucracy. Castle Rock is entered negatively from a moving tender, requires you to descend fast, hook in on rubble on the upcurrent face and stay there while grey reef sharks patrol the blue. A diver with 15 dives who has never used a reef hook will be uncomfortable and will burn air at a rate that ends the dive in twenty minutes. That is not a safety lecture, it is arithmetic.
Recency matters as much as the total. A diver with 200 dives whose last one was in 2021 is, in current, a diver with a handful of dives. If you have been out of the water for more than a year, book the refresher on day one — it costs you one dive and buys back the rest of the week.
Courses you can take on board
Pinta carries a full scuba set and runs courses during the charter, which means an uncertified partner or child does not have to sit the trip out.
| 课程 | Duration | What it covers | Depth limit after |
|---|---|---|---|
| 水肺潜水员探索之旅 | Part of one day | Safety rules, equipment familiarisation, core skills, then a guided shallow dive with the instructor alongside | Instructor-supervised, shallow |
| 开放水域潜水员 | 3 days | Theory from the current Open Water manual (e-learning available before you fly), confined-water skills, then open-water dives and the exam | 18 m, certified independently with a buddy |
| 高级开放水域潜水员 | 2 days | Five adventure dives: Peak Performance Buoyancy, Deep, Drift, Underwater Navigation and Fish Identification | 30 m, and access to the advanced site list |
| Reactivate / refresher | Part of one day | Theory review plus a skills dive — for divers who have been out of the water for a year or more | Restores your existing certification limits |
The Advanced course is the one that changes your trip. Completed on days one and two of a six-day charter, it opens Castle Rock, Crystal Rock and Golden Passage for days three to six — and the drift and navigation adventure dives are done at real Komodo sites rather than in a training pool. Do the Open Water e-learning theory at home before you fly; it saves the better part of a day on board.
Course fees and certification card charges sit outside the charter rate and are quoted per person. Ask for them in writing at the time of booking, because instructor availability for your specific dates has to be confirmed rather than assumed.
How we run the diving day
- 4:1 guide-to-diver ratio, the PADI standard, on every guided dive.
- Groups split by ability, not by friendship. If half your group is Advanced and half is not, you dive in two groups. This is the single biggest reason our dive plans work.
- Site selection is adjusted to the divers on board, and adjusted again on the day if the tide is wrong.
- Every diver carries a computer. We do not run tables.
- A surface marker buoy per buddy pair is standard on drift sites.
- Late check-out on the last day at 5 p.m., which typically buys two or three extra dives that most boats do not offer.
Best for — matching your card to a trip
- Open Water, 10–30 dives: a 4-day charter on central sites, plus the Advanced course on board if you want the north later in the week.
- Advanced, 30–50 dives: a 5- or 6-day charter covering north and centre, including Castle Rock.
- Advanced, 50+ dives: 7 days and up, adding the southern sites and Manta Alley.
- Uncertified but curious: Discover Scuba on any charter, or the full Open Water course on a 5-day trip or longer.
- Out of the water for over a year: book the Reactivate refresher for day one, whatever your total dive count says.
Instructor set-ups differ from boat to boat across the fleet, so if a course is the priority rather than the vessel, say that first and the desk will match you to a boat with an instructor confirmed for your dates.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need to be certified to dive in Komodo?
To dive independently, yes. Uncertified visitors can do a Discover Scuba Diver experience with an instructor alongside, or complete the three-day Open Water course on board Pinta during the charter.
Is Open Water enough for Komodo?
For about half the park. Siaba Besar, Pink Beach, Karang Makassar and Tatawa Besar are all fine for Open Water divers with around ten dives. Castle Rock, Crystal Rock, The Cauldron and Manta Alley need Advanced with 30 to 50 logged dives.
How many logged dives do I need for Komodo?
Our written minimum is 30 logged dives to join a dive charter, and 50 dives with Advanced Open Water to access every site. Below 30 dives we adjust the site list and tell you which sites are excluded before you book.
Can I do my Advanced Open Water course on the boat?
Yes — it takes two days and five adventure dives: Peak Performance Buoyancy, Deep, Drift, Underwater Navigation and Fish Identification. Done on days one and two of a longer charter it opens the northern sites for the rest of the week.
How long does the Open Water course take on a liveaboard?
Three days, covering theory, confined-water skills, open-water dives and the exam. Completing the e-learning theory before you fly saves close to a day on board.
What is the guide-to-diver ratio on Pinta?
Four divers per guide, the PADI standard. Groups are split by certification level and air consumption rather than by who booked together.
I have not dived for two years. What should I do?
Book the Reactivate refresher for day one. It costs one dive and restores skills and buoyancy before you meet current. Recency matters more than lifetime dive count in Komodo.
Do I need my own dive computer?
Yes. Every diver on board carries a computer; we do not run tables. Mask and certification card are the other two items you must bring — everything else is on the boat.
Book Pinta Liveaboard
Send your certification level and logged-dive count with your enquiry and the site list comes back matched to it rather than as a generic itinerary. Pinta is operated and marketed by Komodo Luxury (part of Juara Holding Group, running Komodo trips since 2015). Reservations, cabin availability and current-season rates: WhatsApp +62 811 3823 875 or email [email protected]. Quote the trip length and your certification level in the first message and the desk can hold a date the same day.
Keep reading
- Currents in Komodo explained — why the certification thresholds above are set where they are.
- Pinta rates and booking 2027 — dive and snorkel tiers, seasons and deposit terms.
- Pinta dive FAQ hub — 100 answers on diving and snorkelling in Komodo.
