La Galigo Review – Customer Stories: Memorable Diving Experiences on Our Liveaboard
In this blog we wanted to do something a little different and share some of the real-life stories from the guests we have had on La Galigo Liveaboard over the past 9 years. La Galigo Liveaboard has earnt a reputation for making divers feel like they are at home and diving as a part of a big family. Not only is this due to the beautiful and comfortable wooden traditional style of the ship, but more so because of the incredible hospitality of the crew. Everyone from the Cruise Director to the cook and the captain warm guests with a friendly smile and heartfelt hospitality. But enough of that as an intro, here’s the actual stories from 13 of our guests, from some of the most recent to some of the oldest.
Maggie, February 2024
As a solo female diver, I had a wonderful and comfortable time aboard the La Galigo. The entire staff was extremely welcoming and hospitable. My room/ bathroom was cleaned every day; my bed comfortable. The shared spaces were also well maintained and spacious. I also enjoyed all the home cooked meals and desserts. Quality food was a requirement for the live-aboard I choose. The dive crew and cruise director, Fareez, also took great care that my dive preferences and needs were met during our 24 dives. I’d definitely book the La Galigo next time I’m in Raja Ampat.
Bill, January 2024
Our amazing cruise through Raja Ampat aboard La Galigo was the highlight of a year in SEA. This beautiful Phinisi sailing yacht has been outfitted as an efficient and super-comfortable diving platform, plying the pristine waters of Indonesia.
Every person in the crew went out of their way to make our trip perfect: from the first early-morning dive briefing to the last morsel of dinner. And… the food was amazing! Many options for most any dietary preference, and plenty of it. Several land excursions gave us the opportunity to stretch our legs and view the gorgeous landscape from a totally different perspective. (it would have been nice to know we could float all the way down the Blue River instead of hiking back).
And of course – the diving! Tremendous varieties of colourful & healthy corals and billions of tropical fish everywhere. Relaxing dives over beautiful reefs to challenging currents (on a couple) to amazing night dives where our dive master used his x-ray vision to spot creatures we mortals would never have seen. Many thanks to cruise director Fareez, dive guides Ambat, Aghi & Fendy, Jeffrey and all the rest of the crew – on board and onshore. We were also blessed to have a great bunch of fellow divers and look forward to diving and hanging with everyone again in the future. Cheers!
Marco, December 2023
We had the Christmas/New Year liveaboard of 2023-24. Boat and the size of the group (14 people) were great. I enjoyed the diving rhythm, there was a clear schedule, dive sites were introduced well, and everything worked, and without the annoying rush to dive which some liveaboards have. Cruise director was fantastic, and the rest of the crew was great as well. Food was excellent throughout the cruise. On this trip, most days had 4 dives, so not much time for extra activities, or time/energy for having drinks during the evenings, just for people to know if you are used to something else on liveaboards. We did 2 nice hikes to specific islands on the 2-dive days, of which the first was truly amazing remote lagoon, in which we swam after the hike. 35 dives in 11 days, so ears were popping after a long break. The Raja Ampat is beautiful, but for diving, mainly smaller stuff to see (a lot), or then it was just bad luck we only had one dive with proper look on the Manta Ray’s. Overall, beautiful place and nice boat and crew, easily recommended.
Deborah, October 2023
5 Star Service!
My husband and I just returned home from a 12 day Ultimate Raja Ampat and it was absolutely amazing! From the moment we were met at the hotel to our final goodbye the service was 5 star.
La Galigo’s staff take pride in catering to everyone’s needs and are attentive, detail oriented and anticipated your needs before you even asked. The food was wonderful with a variety choices of meats, veggies, salads, fruit and catered to vegetarian and gluten free diets. A range of food from typical Indonesian to more western options. Eggs your style every day. Little touches such as freshly baked bread in the morning and creative desserts in the evening. The chef, his assistant, Raja and Jeffery provided exceptional service. The boat is laid out very well with lots of areas to relax in between dives. Accommodation was very comfortable and cleaned and serviced daily. We had a master cabin on the upper level.
Diving was spectacular and we saw so many fish small and large that are unique to the area (Nudis, pygmy seahorses and squid, ghost pipefish, orangutang crabs) and so many Mantas!! The dive deck is located on the back of the boat with easy access to the tenders which take you to the dive site. The diving operation like everything else on la Galigo is very organized and well run. Attention to detail with amazing drawings of each unique dive site for our pre dive briefs. The dive guides are experienced and somehow have the super power of x-ray vision and could find the smallest and weirdest creatures! Aghi was our dive guide and did an awesome job! We typically dove 4 dives a day with the first brief at 7am followed by breakfast a surface interval rinse and repeat. There were a few days we only did 2 dives as we were transiting to a different location. If you love to dive this is for you! Truly 5 star service!
Nightly Fareez our cruise director gave us a brief about what the plan was the following day. Fareez did a wonderful job coordinating the operations and guest needs. There were several land excursions to hike to a viewpoint and take in spectacular views. A nice change to mix up the trip. Fareez also offered several documentaries to watch throughout the trip. We shared the trip with some awesome guests from the UK, US, Australia and Switzerland and have made some friends for life. We particularly liked the smaller number of divers, maximum of 14.
Raja Ampat is a very special place with pristine and unique coral, healthy and unique fish population, wonderful landscapes and people. For us coming from Canada it did take us 3 days to get there and 3 days to get home and was so worth it! We have memories that will last a lifetime and hope to join La Galigo for a Komodo trip next year. Thank you to all the La Galigo staff who made our trip so special and memorable!
If you are thinking of a trip to Raja Ampat you will not be disappointed in choosing La Galigo!
Paul and Huguette, August 2023
La Galigo is a very professionally run operation. All the crew were incredibly friendly and attended to our every need. Honestly, you could not ask for more.
The ship is super clean, well-appointed and very comfortable. Plenty of areas to get away from things and enjoy the amazing surroundings whether at anchor or underway. The Jurassic Komodo Cruise programme was really well thought out and provided great exposure for both divers and snorkelers over the 6D/5N cruise. Our cruise director Fareez was a super nice guy an very complete when it came to explaining the programme. Briefings on every dive were on time and very detailed. It has to be said that our meal’s were exceptional – Raja and the boys in the galley did an incredible job – nobody went wanting. As for the undersea life, every dive had something different and all were absolutely special – some amazing macro stuff. We went to experience manta rays for the first time and we were not disappointed – absolutely incredible! Indonesia has so much to offer and as snorkelers and free divers the ‘beat’ was just perfect for us with 3 dives per day.
Our time on La Galigo will remain special and very memorable.
We highly recommend La Galigo and crew.
Paul and Huguette (Australia)
Don, April 2023
Outstanding, above expectations, perfect dive boat!
Our group of 14 divers chartered La Galigo for 2 weeks in April 2023 in Raja Ampat. Initially booked for April 2020, we were thrilled that despite the pandemic delays our trip went off without a hitch when travel reopened. Our group unanimously felt this was the best trip of our lives (despite all traveling extensively). Above expectations, the boat is perfectly set up for a dive trip; cabins and public space is awesome and the dive deck is perfect. Crew are absolutely amazing and the food, the diving, and the service are above expectations. We have never been looked after so well. Fereez, made everything run perfectly and was super fun and a great dive resource. All the dive guides are amazing. The diving in Raja Ampat is ‘off the charts’. Can’t recommend this trip enough and we are planning to rebook soon.
Peter, April 2023
I was recently part of a group of 14 friends who stayed on La Galigo in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, for the last voyage of the season. In short, the trip was spectacular! Everything about the trip was amazing…the staff were very friendly and hard working, the food was delicious, the accommodations were very comfortable (each unit had an ensuite bathroom), and the diving…well…if you dive and want to treat yourself to one of the best dive spots on the planet, La Galigo is the way to go. We have travelled extensively and the service on this trip was extraordinary. The dive-gear was always ready to go and the guides were very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. At the end of the trip we felt we had made some new friends and would not hesitate to return, when/if the opportunity arises. Many thanks to the entire staff for making this a trip to remember and to Nick and Tom for creating such a special experience!
Kindest regards,
Peter (and Celine)
Silvia, July 2022
Hands down the best vacation you’ll ever book. Worth every penny. Tom and his crew went out of their way to make this the trip of a lifetime. I spent a lot of time researching Komodo liveaboards before booking. You don’t have to. Just book it. These guys are exceptional.
Lester, February 2020
Travelled with the LGL team end Feb over a duration of 8D7N for Raja Ampat Central/North scuba diving. Boy, was it a wonderful experience! From the get-go, pick-ups from hotel, the intermediate transports, liveaboard briefing (meals, timing, safety), ship’s punctuality to various dive sites scattered across the region – were all very well catered for. Not to mention the on-board crew’s hospitality & warmth, you could always hear some laughter around, and Raja’s (yes, that one of the crew’s name, and no his last name is not Ampat) service during dining & tea break hours are the best! There may be some minor hiccups here and there during your stay, but be sure to speak with Fareez (or whomever the crew or cruise director on-board) and they are very attentive to your needs. Liked the setup at the back of the boat, with a lowered platform, making it really easy for you to get on & off the little boat transfers to dive sites; as well as the efficiency of the crew in setting up your dive gears, and assisting you in offloading your equipment post a dive. Look out for their (occasional) banana fritters snacks after your dive, we kept asking for more!
Lucian, June 2019
We enjoyed everything: rooms (enough space in room and bathroom), food (amazing what the chef can prepare in a small kitchen and spending all day long under heat), diving and crew (forever grateful to the guys that saved my drone, without any request they took the small boat and went for it). La Galigo has a nice rustic aspect, I would recommend only a speaker system in the rooms and upper deck, so the cruise director can announce different events and you don’t need to keep an eye on the watch or set an alarm.
Terrance, February 2019
La Galigo is a comfortable liveaboard; I joined the boat for a trip in Raja Ampat – some of the best diving I’ve had – mantas, sharks, turtles, frequent sightings of woebegone sharks, many critters and many nudibranchs – night dives were particularly good. The crew are fantastic, helping you in and out of the water, washing your gear and getting you ready for the next dive. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered such helpful staff – they even helped me out of my 5mm wet suit & the drinks and snacks after dives were great. My cabin was cleaned every day, food was excellent and there were several shore trips to beauty spots.
ALSO READ : Diving with Mantas: Komodo vs. Raja Ampat
Chris, November 2018
The diving was very good but the experience made exceptional by the crews interaction with us passengers. The boat was full of laughter and good vibes. Don’t worry about the cuisine as the food put out by “Chef” (Gibson)and his team was a pure Indonesian style of food of the best standard. The dive masters (Farhy-Neco and Dodi) made everyone at ease with a very professional attitude to diving. All in all an excellent live aboard experience….one I could do again and again and again.
Jadranka, July 2018
If you are looking for an incredible place to dive and a “new family” to share your experience with… this is the live aboard you want to be on! Thanks for all the little and big moments! They are locked inside us, in our “happy place” forever!
Enjoy a Diving Trip in Raja Ampat and Komodo with La Galigo Liveaboard
La Galigo is known as one of the best liveaboard diving boats in Raja Ampat Indonesia, and it offers trips to well-known diving destinations such as Komodo and Raja Ampat. The Coral Triangle is located in Indonesia, which has the highest marine biodiversity on the planet.
La Galigo Liveaboard Diving was founded in 2015 by two avid divers who wanted to explore some of Indonesia’s pristine reefs but found that all existing scuba diving options were frequently out of their budget, and wanted to provide an affordable option for everyone to be able to explore these beautiful places.
La Galigo Liveaboard Diving in Raja Ampat & Komodo is a friends and family affair, and our liveaboard diving trips are always focused on fun, safety, guest comfortability, and are exceptional value for money. Our trip prices range from $2,160 for a six-day Komodo liveaboard diving trip to $3,815 for an eight-day Raja Ampat liveaboard diving trip. The price includes four meals a day, diving or snorkelling three to four times a day, and land tours.