Contact the Sumbawa Liveaboard desk

By Sumbawa Liveaboard Editorial Desk

Reach the desk on WhatsApp 6281139414563, by email at bd@juaraholding.com, or through the form at the top of this page. Say which route or stop you want, which month, how many guests, and whether anyone dives. The desk answers questions and asks what it needs to know; only a written offer binds anyone to anything.

What should I include in my message?

Four details do most of the work: where, when, who, and whether anyone dives. Everything on this site changes with those four. A boat that suits two certified divers in June may be wrong for a family with a non-swimmer in the same month, and a stop that fits one route may not appear on another. Add the rest if you know it, and say so if you do not.

A good first message is short. Something like this is enough:

Hello. Two divers and one snorkeller, flexible in late May or June 2027. We want Saleh Bay and Moyo, and Satonda would be a bonus. We would like a shared cabin, starting from Bali or Labuan Bajo. Both divers hold Advanced certificates. What do published trips say about this, and what should we check first?

That message takes a minute to write and gives the desk what it needs, so nothing has to be asked twice. The same structure works for a question with no booking in mind. "Does this stop appear on June crossings?" is a fair thing to send on its own.

Which extra details make an answer more useful?

Some additions save a round of questions.

• A link to anything you have already seen. If a trip on an operator's site caught your eye, paste the link and the date. We can talk about what it publishes; its cabins and calendar remain that company's to confirm.
• The one thing that would change your mind. If the whale sharks decide the trip, say so. If you would drop them to avoid a pre-dawn start, say that too. A ranked preference is more use than a long wish list.
• Your limits. Seasickness, a fear of deep water, a knee that dislikes steep paths, a child who has never snorkelled. One line is enough for now, and it shapes which stops are worth discussing.
• A spending ceiling, if you have one. State it in your own currency and whether it includes flights. It helps the conversation stay on trips you would really take. You are free to leave it out.

Before you write, it may be worth a look at the Sumbawa liveaboard FAQ, since common questions on cost, routes and whale sharks are answered there with their sources.

What can I leave out of my first message?

A first enquiry needs very little personal information. Please keep these back, because nobody needs them to answer you, and a chat or mail thread is a poor place to store them:

• Passport scans, ID numbers, and dates of birth for your group.
• Card numbers, bank log-ins, payment screenshots or any password.
• Medical records. If a condition may affect diving, say that a doctor's view may be needed and leave the details out.
• Dive logs and certificate photos. The level and rough number of dives will do at this stage.
• Contact details for other members of your party. One person's contact is enough.
• Money. Do not pay anything on the strength of a chat message.

Should a booking go ahead later, the company issuing the contract will say which documents it needs, and why, at that point.

What happens after I send it?

The sequence is straightforward, and it can stop at any step.

1. The desk reads it and replies on the channel you used. We do not publish a fixed reply time.
2. You get an answer from what is sourced, or a plain statement that something cannot be confirmed. On some questions the honest reply is that only a particular operator can say.
3. The desk asks for anything missing. Usually that means dates or who is diving.
4. If the enquiry can become a commercial proposal, it comes as a written offer. The offer states what is being offered, for which dates, what it includes, and its terms.
5. You decide. You can compare it, ask more, or walk away.

A reply is not a reservation. Nothing on this site, and nothing said in a chat, holds a cabin, fixes a date or promises a particular boat. Until you hold a written offer, treat anything you hear as information. Some enquiries will rightly end at step two, with an answer and nothing to buy, and that is a perfectly good outcome.

Can I send a correction to a fact on this site?

Yes, and they are welcome from anyone, including operators named here. Facts on these pages are attributed so that they can be challenged. To make a correction easy to act on, send three things: the page address, the sentence you dispute, and the source that shows otherwise.

Two examples show what kind of source settles a point. The whale shark's protected status rests on Decree 18/KEPMEN-KP/2013, as listed on the ministry's legal database. Moyo Satonda's park status rests on the decree reported by the West Nusa Tenggara provincial government. If you hold a later official document that changes either, that is exactly what we want to see. A recollection or a line on a brochure will lead us to look again, but it will not by itself change a page.

Operators can use the same route. If a rate, date or inclusion we attribute to you has changed, send the link to the current page. We will recheck it and update what the page says. We do not add a claim that nobody can open and read.

Who issues an offer if there is one?

Sumbawa Liveaboard is a specialist brand under Juara Holding Group, made up of a sourced guide and an enquiry desk. The site itself is not a contracting party: brokerage, central agency, charter marketing and commercial representation contracts are issued by PT Komodo Bahari Nusantara. Any fee and payment terms are stated in the offer.

That gives us an interest you should weigh. An enquiry here can lead to a contract with a company in our group, so test our offer as you would any other. Our guide to comparing boats before you pay gives you the checks to use. Trips that this site describes from named operators remain theirs, on their terms.

Which channel should I use?

Use WhatsApp for a short question or when you are already travelling. Use email when you want to attach a document, set out a longer plan, or keep a record that is easy to forward to the rest of your group. The form suits anyone who prefers to be prompted for the details above. Pick one and stay with it, because the same enquiry sent three ways is harder to answer well.

What else do people ask before they write?

Can I book a trip through this page?

No. This page starts a conversation. Any booking follows a written offer, and it is that offer which sets the terms.

Will an enquiry hold a cabin for me?

No. An enquiry reserves nothing, on any boat, for any date.

Can the desk confirm a departure that a named operator lists?

No. Only that operator can confirm its own cabins and dates. The desk can tell you what has been published and what to ask.

Can I ask a question if I am not ready to buy?

Yes. Questions about routes, seasons, rules and sources are a normal reason to write.

Should I pay a deposit after a chat?

No. Wait until you have a written offer and have read its payment terms.

Which sources support this page?

• Decree 18/KEPMEN-KP/2013, ministry legal database (JDIH KKP)
• Decision establishing Moyo Satonda National Park, West Nusa Tenggara provincial government

How do I reach the desk?

Message WhatsApp 6281139414563 or bd@juaraholding.com, or use the form at the top of this page.