Review Author: BenC951, Australia

Review Date: 21 May 2019

Review Body: At the last minute we decided to explore Flores and Komodo. Arriving at Ayana and finding Simone and Kev at OrcaNation was the highlight of our trip. A newly opened dive centre with brand new equipment and two very experienced dive instructors made for truly wonderful 4 days of diving. We dived in the national park and at some local sites outside the national park. The diving in Labuan Bajo is truly amazing. We have never seen soft corals and diversity of marine life anywhere else in the world. The dive boat is the crown of Labuan Bajo, very fast and well equipped. Our captain and crew got us to the best sites before the live aboard boats arrived and experienced local instructors or Kev and Simone were with us on every dive. For occasional divers (30-40 dives each, only on holiday), they made us feel immediately at ease and welcome. OrcaNation is more than a dive operator. Check them out to see the work they are doing in Singapore with school kids to teach them about human impact on the environment. The company's mission is to make a positive impact through education to make sure future generations keep coral reefs like the ones in the Komodo National Park alive and healthy. Their mission to educate kids on the impact we have on the world is a truly noble one. Hopefully this will ensure this amazing dive site is there for future generations to enjoy for hundreds of years to come. To Simone, Kev and the team, thank you. We had such a wonderful time during our 4 days of diving with you and your team. We couldn't have wished for better guides and a team that made us feel immediately at ease after not diving for 12 months.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: claudiaggantu

Review Date: 11 May 2019

Review Body: My boyfriend and I just got our Open PADI certificate and we were quite concerned about diving for the first time in Komodo National Park Indonesia, because of strong currents. And then we met Simone and visit the beautiful OrcaNation Diving Center in Ayana, and we knew we are in great hands!:) The diving was amazing, thanks to the high professionalism of OrcaNation team, lead by Simone: she chose a perfect spot, with 20 m visibility underwater and almost no currents, repeated for us the skills, helped us control our buoyancy and made sure we enjoy the magnificent abundant ocean life: we saw an amazing “mountain” of corals, big turtles, lion fish, lobsters, 2 playful dump head fish, and so many more... while we felt perfectly comfortable and safe, as the gear was brand new, and we were only 2 persons per dive instructor!!( and that is quite rare in Flores...) Deeply recommend it and looking fw to go again and explore even more the beautiful waters of Komodo National Park, with the OrcaNation team!!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Jean S, California

Review Date: 21 Aug 2019

Review Body: We had an incredible time diving with Orcanation at Komodo in Indonesia. Everyone we worked with were helpful, flexible and very nice. They helped us plan our schedule so we could see the different dive sites (we did about 10 dives with them). The boats are right there at the Ayana Hotel at the end of the pier. The fast boat made it easy and comfortable. All the equipment was always onboard and in excellent condition (we rented our equipment from them). The guides were amazing - especially Eco and Benny who dove with us daily. They would point out things as they saw them. Even though it was off season for Mantas, we managed to see several on our last dive. A truly good company. I also appreciated how they accommodated us. My friend has a bad back and they always helped her with getting the equipment on at the edge of the boat and off in the water - never any attitude or impatience (which we have had at other places). I highly recommend diving with this team at Orcanation - Komodo

Review rating: 5

Review Author: M C, Australia

Review Date: 23 May 2019

Review Body: Had a brilliant time diving in the outstanding Komodo National Park with OrcaNation. Kev, Simone, Echo and the dive team couldn’t have been more accomodating or helpful. We felt relaxed, safe and well looked after on their very fast and comfortable boat. Gear was top notch. We were able to easily arrange a whole day dive trip to get the most out of our time there (3 dives included plus lunch) and were blown away by the beauty of the National Park and the varied soft corals and sea life we saw - many turtles, eagle ray, nudibranchs, tuna, ribbon eel, frog fish, some impressive cuttle fish and white tip reef shark. Would highly recommend!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: David G

Review Date: 01 Jul 2019

Review Body: We stayed at the Ayana during our honeymoon and we wanted to go out and dive Komodo during our stay. Having the dive shop in the property was super convenient. We had 2 dive instructors plus a dive master in training for the 2 of us. One of the guys had a fabulous underwater camera and was able to get pictures of us with a sea turtle, lionfish and a giant napoleon. The currents in Komodo can be very strong but OrcaNation was aware of the situation and chose spots to dive that had excellent visibility and tons of marine life. The rental equipment was some of the best I have gotten to use.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: GS_Abroad, Indonesia

Review Date: 23 May 2019

Review Body: This is a newer dive shop in Labuan Bajo, located at the Ayana Resort (also new). I highly recommend this dive shop. It may be slightly more expensive than the others, but the equipment, boat, and staff are all excellent. You will not be disappointed in the service and your experience. The diving in Komodo is some of the best I've ever seen and this is one of the best dive shops I've ever used. I tried two other dive shops in Labuan and was disappointed in both--they were cheaper, but the equipment was old and I didn't feel they were safety conscious.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Murray C

Review Date: 20 Oct 2019

Review Body: As a family with an eleven year old who past his Junior Open Water PADI, due in no small part to some outstanding nurturing support from Ben at OrcaNation - Komodo, we cannot rate these guys too highly! We were accommodated no matter what problem we threw at them. They took us to see some fantastic dive sites. The equipment was brand new and of very high quality. This is a tremendously professional outfit, who instill enormous confidence, leaving you to enjoy the thrill of diving in the pristine Komodo National Park! Highly recommended.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: chris j, Spain

Review Date: 09 Jul 2019

Review Body: We had 9 dives with OrcaNation - Komodo (Labuan Bajo) over 4 days. We were over the moon with the quality of the diving. So many different species and corals and to top it off a Manta experience. This is a very professional operation led by Kev and Simone with support from Ben, Kayo and Benny, world class. All the diving kit was first rate. The boat, the food and the crew were also great. And they organised the Komodo Dragon experience as well. All in all our expectations were exceeded. Very highly recommended.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: jeffywagg

Review Date: 24 Aug 2019

Review Body: Thanks to Ben and the team based at Ayana resort in Labuan Bajo! We had two great dives after not having been in the water for a couple of years and he was very helpful and patient. The diving itself was beautiful with too many turtles to count. We would highly recommend.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: cazessteph, Singapore

Review Date: 27 Jun 2019

Review Body: We made a few dives from the house reef, unique direct into the sea access ramp from diving center ! The water was not always clear but we saw corals of different types, fishes, small rays, turtle, black tip shark and went to the small boat wreck. The equipment was recent, in very good condition. Nice instructor with us, who did point a few hidden animals or remarquable underwater features. Nice snorkelling direct from the beach as well, the corals are protected and growing, various types of anemons with clown fishes

Review rating: 4

Itinerary Day 1

Itinerary Summary: Today you'll get to dive in 3 of Komodo's hot spots!

Itinerary Description: 8am: Begin diving at different locations (see route for the day)