Komodo & Bali Liveaboard Adventure 2026

Planning a liveaboard dive trip? This ultimate 2025 packing list covers everything you’ll need – from must-have dive gear and personal items to handy extras that make life onboard smoother. Whether it’s your first time or you’re a seasoned diver, this checklist helps you dive in fully prepared.

We've traveled the world and picked our top 7 locations with the best manta ray diving.

2025 report round-ups confirm classics like Komodo, Kona, and Maldives’ Hanifaru Bay still reign supreme for mesmerising manta encounters. Dive operators now weave in citizen-science photo-ID programs and updated season calendars , so you can chase gentle giants responsibly and add to vital conservation efforts

Exploring the underwater world doesn't always require scuba certification or bulky gear as snorkeling provides a simple and equally stunning way to experience marine life in its natural environment. Snorkeling travel is booming in 2025, with high demand for liveaboard snorkel options in the Maldives and Raja Ampat. We've added more itinerary flexibility to help travellers access remote reefs with shallow, clear-water drop-offs.

This unforgettable 12-day journey took us through world-renowned sites like Blue Magic, Melissa’s Garden, and the Four Kings. We explored coral-covered reefs, swam with manta rays, and encountered uncommon animals like walking sharks and pygmy seahorses. It was the dive trip of a lifetime, complete with professional guides, first-rate service, and constant marine life action!

Our travel advisors and trip leaders are always on the move, exploring the underwater world! Using their firsthand experience and feedback from our valued guests, we've curated a list that showcases the best diving in the world in 2025. Learn when to go, where to stay, top dive sites, and more. 

Bluewater Travel's Raja Ampat Photo Workshop aboard MV Ambai in December 2024 was a 12-day diving adventure to remember. Clients explored the biodiverse waters of southern, central and northern Raja Ampat, completing 36 dives and capturing stunning underwater images. Highlights included close encounters with manta rays, wobbegong sharks and the shy walking shark. Night dives and daily photography workshops were part of the experience. As well as diving, the tourists enjoyed scenic tours, a beach barbecue and even an unplanned engagement. The trip concluded with a photo competition and a celebration of the beautiful marine life and friendship experienced aboard MV Ambai.

Discover the Bluewater team's favorite dive sites around the world. From remote corners of Asia and Micronesia to our own doorstep, we've chosen our top 20 dive sites that keep us coming back again and again .

Discover the highlights of our 2024 Bali to Komodo liveaboard trip: exploring remote dive sites, volcanic reefs, and vibrant marine life. From Lombok's hidden gems to Komodo's famed currents and manta encounters, this photo workshop journey captures Indonesia's exciting underwater beauty in a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

Indonesia offers some of the best macro photography opportunities on the planet, and Bluewater’s 12-day, dual destination trip to Lembeh and Bali gave 20 guests an experience to remember. Read all about our Lembeh/Bali 2024 trip.

We've traveled around the world and picked the best shipwrecks to scuba dive. Learn what to see, where to stay and much more!

Discover our top recommended destinations for scuba diving in May. Explore the mindblowing species in the Galapagos, dive Cozumel's renowned reefs, and experience thrilling currents in Komodo. Whatever your preferences, we'll build your dream dive trip in May!

We've traveled the world and picked our top 6 locations with the best coral reefs. Scuba diving or snorkeling, this article will help you plan your next vacation!

Discover our top recommended destinations for scuba diving in September. Explore the diversity of diving in Bali, snorkel with humpback whales in Moorea, and seek the most incredible macro critters in Lembeh. Whatever your preferences, we'll build your dream dive trip in September!

Bluewater Travel's world-class guided trips and photography workshops are a favorite among customers and staff alike. Fantastic destinations, action-packed diving, expert guidance and tuition, and friendly, like-minded guests make eachscuba diving tripunique and memorable for those lucky enough to attend.

We celebrated New Year's Eve in Raja Ampat aboard the Emperor Harmoni liveaboard! Our itinerary covered Misool, Central Raja, and Dampier, so we got to experience all the best dive sites and encountered mantas, wobbegong sharks, walking sharks, bobtail squid, and a stunning array of corals. We also hiked to the incredible jellyfish lake and Piaynemo viewpoint.

Discover our top recommended destinations for scuba diving in March. Embark on an expedition to Antarctica, dive into the famed Blue Hole in Belize, and explore the plunging coral walls of Bunaken. Whatever your preferences, we'll build your dream dive trip in March!

Discover our top recommended destinations for scuba diving in August. Encounter thrilling big animals in the Sea of Cortez, witness the pristine soft corals and diverse marine life in Alor, and snorkel with Orcas on a polar expedition to Norway. Whatever your preferences, we'll build your dream dive trip in August!

Discover our top recommended destinations for scuba diving in December. Experience the incredible biodiversity of Raja Ampat, search for tiny macro critters in Anilao, and explore the renowned shipwrecks in Truk Lagoon. Whatever your preferences, we'll build your dream dive trip in December!

Lembeh is a place where you can truly appreciate the beauty of the small and often-overlooked creatures that inhabit the world's oceans. It is a must-visit destination for any diver with an interest in macro photography and a fascination with critters. The combination of knowledgeable dive guides, fantastic marine life, and excellent accommodations make this trip in which many guests return year after year. There is something about Lembeh that never gets old, and returning can never happen soon enough. Read our Oct 2023 trip recap...

Learn about the top family friendly dive destinations, as selected by the experts at Bluewater Travel. We've included our top picks for your next family dive holiday!