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about kararu dive voyages

Kararu Dive Voyages was established in the year 2000 with the objective of developing and operating one of the premier liveaboard scuba diving and underwater photography vessels in Indonesia. From the beginning we have focused on servicing and exploring the remote regions of the archipelago.

the company & owners

The company was established in Bali as a foreign owned Indonesian limited company in 2000, with full incorporation in April 2001.

It was founded by three young dive professionals with a passion for scuba diving and over twenty years combined experience in the diving industry. The three partners combined their considerable experience and skills to create all that is essential to a first class liveaboard dive operation.

In early 2006 one of the partners,Tony Rhodes decided that he would like to leave the company and spend more time with his family leaving Lisa Crosby and Sascha Dambach to continue the journey.

how it started

With the knowledge that most diving operations in Indonesia were shore-based and centred around the tourist areas of Bali, Lombok and Northern Sulawesi the three founders of Kararu recognised that Indonesia’s vast archipelago held some other extraordinary diving locations that were too far from the beaten track and could therefore only be accessed and dived by a live aboard vessel.

With this in mind the three of them went their separate ways for a year to work and dive around the archipelago to establish the best routes for their new business and establish relationships with the local communities.

They returned to Bali, leased and customised a 42 metre traditional Indonesian wooden schooner before a full cruise schedule began in November 2000.

our team

Kararu Dive Voyages employs expatriate dive instructors as dive and operations managers, Indonesian dive masters/guides and 20 local crew members on the live aboard. There is also an office in Bali employing five local staff.

Experience on board and behind the scenes is essential to any successful scuba diving liveaboard operation. Kararu Dive Voyages has carefully selected and trained a team of crew members from all over the Indonesian archipelago. The combination of these different island cultures makes for a special team of gifted seamen and friendly personalities.

Experienced and professional dive staff are also important, our expatriate Dive Instructors are fully qualified and experienced with thousands of dives logged. In addition we employ local dive masters who can find just about any critter in any situation. Their local experience and knowledge of marine life habitat will lead you to the secret places only those intimately familiar with the area can.

marine conservation

Kararu Dive Voyages was started with the objective of bringing Indonesia's scarcely seen underwater treasures to a broader base of divers under the belief that first hand experience is the key to education and therefore conservation.

Establishing a profitable company within the first year enabled the co-founders to explore their second great passion – marine conservation. It was recognised that if they could bring tourism, and the money it generates, to remote communities whom would otherwise be excluded due to their remoteness, then these communities could be educated as to the benefits of preserving their local marine environments for divers and the dollars they brought with them.

To this end, Kararu Dive Voyages has set up educational programs on marine conservation in remote communities throughout Indonesia such as Alor, Flores, Komodo, Banda Islands and Papua. They have also been able to educate community leaders as to the benefits of marine conservation for the welfare of future generations. The directors continue to work closely with the Worldwide Fund for Nature, The World Wildlife Fund and the Nature Conservancy as well as the Department of Fisheries of Indonesia in surveying areas for future conservation and establishment of marine parks.

Actively assisting in raising funds and awareness for conservation is the cornerstone of the company. Bringing tourism to rarely visited areas of Indonesia and educating the local population in the benefits of reef and fish conservation is the key to preserving the fragile seas of Indonesia.

Kararu Dive Voyages recognizes that it is at the forefront in being able to make a long term difference and help to ensure that Indonesia's treasure and its local cultures are preserved for the benefit of all.