About Aimar Always
We keep the starboard stabiliser lowered when the Timor Sea swell runs through the Sape Strait – it’s how we hold steady at anchor near Kalong Island without dragging. At 27 metres, Aimar Always isn’t the largest vessel out of Labuan Bajo, but she balances her draft and beam to sit level in sudden gusts off Padar. I’ve seen cheaper boats heel too far when the afternoon thermals kick in, but our hull was built for this stretch. She sleeps 18 across just two cabins, so space never feels tight, and our crew of six know every guest by name by the second sunrise.
Day one, we time arrivals to meet the last hour of light. If the guests clear immigration before 15:00, we push straight for Menjerite – not the crowded Kelor – because the coral slope there holds big trevallies even at low tide. The sundeck gets set with cold towels and lime drinks by 17:30. No speeches, just quiet viewing as the sun dips behind Banda. We don’t run generators past 20:00; the cabin lights are low-voltage LED, and the private bathrooms use pressurised saltwater flush – a small thing, but it means no clogs after two days at sea.
On day two, we’re up at 04:45. Padar’s north ridge catches first light, and we’d rather you have it empty than behind a line of tripod-toting tour groups. The hike starts at 05:30 – dry trail, no mist – and by 07:30 we’re back onboard, serving fried bananas and strong coffee on the aft deck. Then it’s a 45-minute run to Komodo Island for the dragon walk. Rangers meet us at Loh Liang dock; we’ve worked with the same two for seven seasons. They know to point out the juveniles under the casuarina roots, not just the big males on the path.
After lunch, we drift between Pink Beach and Manta Point. The crew drops two snorkel lines – one at the cleaning station near the reef pinnacle, the other along the sandy channel where mantas glide at midday. We don’t chase them; we position Aimar Always where the current brings the animals close. If the tide’s right, we’ll catch the eddy at Rutong Rocks by 15:00. That’s where the eagle rays stack up in the current. Sunset’s at Kalong, but only if the wind’s below 15 knots. Otherwise, we shift to Sebayur – quieter, and the bioluminescence shows better when the water’s flat.
Final morning, we aim for Taka Makassar by 07:00. The sandbar’s usually half-submerged, but it’s the reef edge that matters – that’s where the schools of fusiliers hover in the blue. We do a surface interval there, then head to Kanawa for a shallow coral swim. Lunch is grilled skipjack with sambal matah, served as we motor back to Labuan Bajo. We dock by 15:00, unless the marina’s congested – then we raft up offshore and tender guests in pairs.
