Maria Seascape, a small Komodo liveaboard built around diving

Maria Seascape is for divers who want to spend the night close to Komodo's reefs rather than lose each day travelling out from Labuan Bajo. The boat keeps the group small, carries no more than 10 guests, and reaches the central, northern or southern parts of the park according to season, tide and conditions. That matters here. A liveaboard can put a diver closer to the first site, offer more dives across several days, and make room for remote southern water that is difficult to reach on a standard day trip. The choice is less about luxury than about access and time in the water. A compact boat, a shaded dive area and guides who brief carefully make sense when the main reason for boarding is to dive Komodo repeatedly.

Maria Seascape presents as a recent boat rather than a worn charter platform. It was built in 2025 and renovated in 2026, with the layout shaped around diving days instead of formal shipboard ceremony. The dive area is shaded, the platform opens directly onto the water, and a Yamaha-powered tender handles the transfers between boat and reef. Inside, the boat has a salon and a terrace, while the galley keeps food part of the working life on board rather than something brought in from shore. With only 10 guests, the boat should feel social quickly without becoming anonymous. By the second day, divers know the guides, the crew and the faces around the table.

Maria Seascape has the feel of a small working boat rather than a hotel with a dive platform attached. Guests eat together, regroup in the shaded areas and quickly learn the difference between the dive guides, the boat crew and the people running the galley. Briefings are clearly explained, and the crew's role is visible in the details: getting divers ready, watching the water, bringing people back from the tender and keeping the day moving. The vessel is recent, but the experience depends on people who make a demanding current day feel organised rather than rushed.

Maria Seascape leaves Labuan Bajo for 2-, 3- and 4-day Komodo routes. The shorter trips stay around Central Komodo, while longer departures add northern or southern sectors when the season and conditions allow. From April to September, the programme focuses on Central and North Komodo, with sites such as Batu Bolong, Tatawa Besar, Castle Rock, Crystal Rock, Shotgun and Lighthouse. These range from coral slopes and fast drifts to current-heavy pinnacles where barracuda, trevallies and reef sharks gather. From October to March, the boat turns towards Central and South Komodo, including Manta Alley, Cannibal Rock, Three Sisters and Pilarsteen. The southern route brings cooler, nutrient-rich water, stronger current and deeper rock structure. Site choices are confirmed daily around tide, weather and sea conditions, not promised as a fixed list. The 4-day route offers up to 13 dives, while the 3-day and 2-day options offer 9 and 6 dives respectively.

Batu Bolong →

Max. depth · 40 m

Tatawa Besar →

Max. depth · 25 m

Castle Rock →

Max. depth · 30 m

Crystal Rock →

Max. depth · 30 m

Shotgun →

Max. depth · 25 m

Lighthouse →

Max. depth · 30 m

Manta Alley →

Max. depth · 20 m

Cannibal Rock →

Max. depth · 30 m

The dive team speaks English and Indonesian, and guides organise groups at a maximum ratio of four divers per guide. Groups are matched by experience and certification so the briefing can reflect the divers actually entering the water, rather than an average group on paper. The guides have thousands of logged Komodo dives between them, and briefings cover the site, current and plan before entry. Maria Seascape operates with SSI instructors and can support training from Try Scuba and Open Water through Advanced Adventurer, Nitrox, Rescue and Divemaster-level programmes. North and south sites are not treated as casual sightseeing dives: the operator recommends Advanced Open Water and solid drift skills for many of them, while conditions and tide decide whether a site runs. Oxygen, first-aid kits, fire equipment and life-saving equipment are carried on board.

The dive deck is shaded and opens onto a dedicated platform for water entries and exits. Full rental equipment is included, covering BCDs, regulators, wetsuits, masks, fins, tanks and weights. Nitrox is available as an optional extra. Cameras have their own separate rinse area, and charging stations are provided for batteries and lights. One Yamaha 40HP tender takes divers to and from the sites, allowing the main boat to remain at anchor while the group enters and exits close to the planned point. The deck is arranged for repeated diving rather than a single excursion, with space to prepare, return, rinse and settle before the next briefing.

Between dives, guests have a shaded area on the dive deck, an interior salon and a terrace where they can dry off, sort cameras or simply watch the islands pass. The deck gives divers room to spread out without turning every surface into a bunk or gear pile. A separate camera rinse area keeps wet equipment away from cameras and housings. On a route with three or four dives in a day, those small separations matter. There is also enough space for a non-diver or a tired diver to sit out one immersion without being pushed into the centre of the operation.

A liveaboard day starts with the boat already close to the first site, followed by a briefing, gear checks and the first entry. The short routes follow a compact pattern, with three dives on the first day and three more before returning on the 2-day itinerary. The 3-day route adds a full day of four dives, while the 4-day route can reach 13 dives across Central, North or South Komodo before two final morning dives and the return to Labuan Bajo. Breakfast, snacks and hot meals break up the diving, with surface intervals spent in the shade, on the terrace or in the salon. On suitable evenings, an optional night dive replaces the last quiet hour of the day. After that, dinner and the low noise of a boat at anchor lead back to the cabin. The next briefing starts the cycle again.

Meals are served as full board, with buffet-style food and local cooking prepared on board. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are supported by fruit, snacks, tea, coffee and drinking water, and beer is available on board. Vegetarian and vegan options are provided. The useful part is not the word buffet, but the timing: food appears between dives when divers are cold, hungry and ready for a proper plate rather than another packaged snack. The kitchen gives a short Komodo trip some of the comfort that makes a longer one worthwhile.

The four cabins sit on the main deck and are arranged as double and triple cabins, making Maria Seascape workable for couples, friends and families travelling together. Each has air-conditioning, a private bathroom and a panoramic window, so the sea remains part of the room even when the door is closed. The cabins are non-smoking and kept clean daily, with fresh linens and towels provided. These are practical liveaboard rooms, not large hotel suites. Their value is being able to step out after a dive, rinse off, close the curtain and sleep without packing a day bag for the next departure. The boat also welcomes non-divers and snorkellers, so a mixed group does not have to split between separate trips.

Maria Seascape departs from and returns to Labuan Bajo harbour. Airport and hotel transfers can be arranged as optional services, and the transfer point should be given when booking so the crew can organise the pickup. The safest plan is to arrive in Labuan Bajo the night before departure. This leaves room for flight delays and puts guests near the harbour when boarding begins.