Shenron — a small, dive-focused Komodo phinisi

Shenron is for divers who would rather spend the night inside Komodo National Park than commute from Labuan Bajo each morning. Its small guest capacity keeps the boat closer to a private expedition than a floating resort, while the four private cabins give couples and small groups somewhere quiet to sleep between dives. The value is in the combination: a modest liveaboard, a full dive programme, and access to central and northern Komodo routes without filling every corner with passengers. Choose it for focused diving, not nightlife or technical expeditions. The minimum requirement is 40 logged dives, with Open Water certification or equivalent.

Shenron makes a compact first impression at the dock: an Indonesian phinisi built from ironwood, with the character of a working wooden dive boat rather than a polished cruise ship. The 2024 renovation matters because it keeps that traditional feel from becoming tired or impractical. Once aboard, the layout separates the working dive deck from the open-air dining area, indoor lounge and sundeck, so tanks and wet kit do not take over every shared space. A single engine is part of the boat's soundscape; it is something passengers will hear underway. The scale is the real appeal. With eight guests, people quickly learn whose camera is whose and who is taking the next surface interval in the shade.

The atmosphere is warm rather than formal. Passenger feedback describes the crew and wider Dragon Dive team as welcoming, and that matters more on a small boat than polished service language does: the same people help with the dive routine, meals and practical jobs all week. With only eight guests, the group quickly becomes visible as a group, not a crowd. Evenings are shaped by the day's diving—food, photographs, a few stories, then an early night for anyone who wants to be ready for the next briefing. Shenron suits divers who want company without a party boat, and a crew that stays present without turning the trip into a performance.

Shenron's routes run from Labuan Bajo through central and northern Komodo, with longer departures adding seasonal highlights and, on selected itineraries, southern areas. The recorded trips include Central & Seasonal Highlights over four days and three nights, Central & Northern Gems over five days and four nights, Central Komodo North Expedition over three days and two nights, and a Komodo Grand Tour combining Central, Padar and the North over four days and three nights. Site names on the route include Batu Bolong, Mawan, Karang Makassar or Manta Point, Padar Island, Pink Beach, Sebayur Kecil, Three Sisters, Cannibal Rock, Manta Alley, Nusa Kode and Yellow Wall. Batu Bolong is the exposed pinnacle; Karang Makassar and Mawan are chosen for manta encounters; Cannibal Rock and Yellow Wall suit divers who slow down for smaller subjects. The exact mix follows season, tides, weather and park access.

Ped →

Max. depth · 40 m

Batu Bolong →

Max. depth · 40 m

Mawan →

Max. depth · 30 m

Manta Point →

Max. depth · 40 m

Pink Beach →

Sebayur Kecil →

Max. depth · 25 m

Cannibal Rock →

Max. depth · 30 m

Manta Alley →

Max. depth · 20 m

English- and Indonesian-speaking guides organise dives in groups of four or five divers per guide. That ratio is useful in Komodo, where a current briefing and a clean pickup matter as much as the site name. Shenron accepts Open Water divers or equivalent, but asks for a minimum of 40 logged dives, so the boat is not aimed at first-time divers or people who have only just completed certification. Guides select and brief dives around conditions and the experience in each group. Emergency oxygen and full boat safety equipment are carried onboard. The listed operation is recreational rather than technical: technical diving is not supported, and no onboard course programme is described. Gear rental is available at extra cost, while SMB and dive computer rental are included.

The dive setup is built around a dedicated dive deck and a 6-metre, 90-horsepower tender for drops and pickups. Divers use 12-litre tanks as standard; 15-litre tanks can be rented at extra cost. Filling is handled by BAUER Poseidon compressors, with a 32% nitrox membrane system. Nitrox EAN32 is included for certified divers, while rental equipment is charged separately. The boat also carries weights, and dive computer and SMB rental are included. Photographers have a camera preparation area, charging access and a separate rinse tank, keeping housings away from masks and wetsuits. The operator's dive setup supports recreational diving but not technical diving. The exact DIN or yoke valve arrangement, tank material and detailed tender entry procedure are not stated, so those are sensible points to confirm before departure if they affect a personal setup.

Between dives, Shenron gives passengers three different places to disappear for a while. The open-air dining area is where people talk over food and compare what they saw; the indoor lounge is better for escaping sun or wind; and the sundeck with loungers is the obvious place to dry off and watch the islands pass. The boat is small enough that these spaces do not feel like separate public rooms, but they prevent every hour between dives from happening on the dive deck. An afternoon without a planned dive becomes simple: find shade, sort photographs, stretch out on a lounger, or watch the tender return with the next group.

A Shenron day starts with the dive routine rather than a long commute. The first briefing comes before the first descent, followed by a surface interval, food and the next site briefing while the crew resets the deck. Three dives are planned during a normal day, with the final day reduced to two. Meals and snacks fill the spaces between dives, and the tender moves divers to and from the selected sites rather than making everyone wait for one large group. When the boat is underway, the scenery becomes part of the interval: dry islands, open water and the changing light of Komodo. After the last dive, there is time to rinse equipment, eat, sit in the lounge or on the sundeck, and let the day catch up. The last evening is quieter; the next morning begins the same way.

Meals are served buffet-style, with both Western and local food, coffee, tea, bottled water, soft drinks and snacks available through the day. Dietary restrictions are catered for, and the kitchen can handle different eating requirements when they are given in advance. Alcoholic drinks and spirits are available at extra cost. On a three-dive day, food has a practical job: breakfast gets divers moving, lunch replaces what the morning took out, and snacks bridge the surface intervals without turning every gap into a formal meal. The open-air dining area gives those meals the right setting, with the boat's scenery still in view and the dive conversation still fresh.

The four private cabins are the main choice at night: double beds, air conditioning, private bathrooms and room to put away personal gear. Two cabin categories are available, including an Ocean View option with panoramic windows and more separation from the working areas. The boat's ironwood and indoor-outdoor design keep the nights tied to the sea rather than turning the cabin into a sealed hotel room. After the last meal, the indoor lounge offers a quieter place to read or review the day's photographs, while the sundeck leaves the sky open overhead. The boat's generator system supports onboard power, with 220-volt EU, UK and US-style plugs. Satellite internet is available as a surcharge, but this is primarily a place to sleep close to tomorrow's dive sites.

Shenron departs from and returns to Labuan Bajo. Transfers are not included and are arranged separately, so the meeting point and boarding instructions should be checked with Dragon Dive Komodo before arrival. Arriving in Labuan Bajo the night before is the sensible plan, leaving room for flight delays and an unhurried start at the harbour.