Princess Lala
Princess Lala Phinisi
Komodo snorkelling on a phinisi, and what divers should know
Updated 11 October 2026
Princess Lala is a snorkelling boat: a mask and snorkel for every guest, no fins, no tanks, no compressor. Day two of the open trip holds the manta drift and the Taka Makassar sandbar; it sails on Mondays and Fridays, from IDR 3,250,000 (≈ USD 199) apiece. Divers book dive days with a dive centre in Labuan Bajo.
If you came here to dive
We would rather say it first. Princess Lala carries mask and snorkel for every guest, and nothing else for the water. No tanks, no compressor, and no fins either, so bring a pair if you swim with them or rent a pair in Labuan Bajo. She is a snorkelling boat that happens to have a very good table.
If your trip is measured in tank pressure and logged dives, another boat suits you better. Divers book their dive days with a dive centre in Labuan Bajo, before the sailing or after it, and they do it with people whose boat is built for the job.
The page is still worth reading if you are a diver whose partner is not, or a diver who wants three days of walks, dragons and dinner between dives. Divers sail with us as snorkellers and are welcome on those terms, at the same fares as anyone else. The rest of this page is about the water you will actually be in.
What a snorkeller sees at Manta Point
Day two, after lunch, the boat stops at Manta Point. It is a drift snorkel, which means you do not anchor over a spot and hover. You slip in, the current takes you along the reef. Depth is between three and fifteen metres, and the current can be strong, so the stop suits confident swimmers.
Manta rays are common here and never promised. Sightings follow the tide and the current, which is also why this stop and Taka Makassar swap places on the day. For manta rays, the strongest months are December to February and July to September.
You see them from the surface, a dark wing sliding under you, and a mask and snorkel are all it takes. Nobody has to hold a certificate for that. Life jackets are on board, and our advice for this current is that anyone less sure in open water wears one. A pair of your own fins is worth bringing.
Plan on thirty to sixty minutes in the water.
Taka Makassar, the shallow half of the afternoon
Taka Makassar is the gentler swim. A crescent of sand sits among shallow reef, one to five metres deep, with only a mild current, and it suits most snorkellers. The sandbar appears at low tide, so at high tide it lies under water. Shade is minimal on the sand. Bring a hat and reef-safe sunscreen.
The open trip includes it on both fares, on day two after Manta Point. Pink Beach, earlier the same day, has reef close to the shore, and Kanawa on the last morning of the three-day trip is an easy first snorkel, shallow and white-sanded.
That is the whole underwater plan. It is a good one for snorkellers, and it is nothing like a dive itinerary.
Months for mantas, and the sea that comes with them
The months when mantas peak are the same months when the sea is rougher: January and February in the wet season, July and August in the dry-season wind. September sits between them, with winds easing, clear water and mantas still around, and December brings the mantas back as the wet season starts. April to June, October and November are the calm months, and mantas are fair rather than peak.
Choose by what you mind less. The calm months suit anyone who would rather swim in flat water and take their chance with the mantas; the windy months suit anyone who wants the mantas and can live with a lively sea.
Sailings go on Mondays and Fridays, so you choose the month first and the date second.
| Month | Sea | Visibility | Mantas | Crowds | Rain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | rough | low | peak | low | wet | Wet season and the roughest seas of the year; manta rays at their best. Families with small children do better from April. |
| February | rough | low | peak | low | wet | Still wet and rough, with lower visibility; few boats at the stops and good months for manta rays. Keep the camera in a dry bag. |
| March | moderate | medium | good | low | wet | The showers ease and the sea settles; the stops are still quiet. A fair month for photographers who do not need a guarantee of sun. |
| April | calm | high | fair | medium | dry | The dry season begins: calm sea and some of the clearest water of the year. The first month we suggest to families. |
| May | calm | high | fair | medium | dry | Dry, calm and clear; steady days for snorkelling with children and for the walks on Kelor and Padar. |
| June | calm | high | fair | medium | dry | Dry and clear, with the south-east wind starting to build towards July. Still a family month. |
| July | rough | medium | peak | high | dry | Dry but windy, with a rougher sea and the most visitors of the year; manta rays pick up. Sunrise on Padar near 06:18. |
| August | rough | medium | peak | high | dry | The windiest dry month and busy anchorages; manta rays are common. Better for strong swimmers than for toddlers. |
| September | moderate | high | peak | medium | dry | The wind eases, visibility improves and the manta rays are still around: the month we point photographers to. |
| October | calm | high | fair | medium | dry | Calm, clear and hot, with fewer visitors than July and August. Hats and shade for the children. |
| November | calm | high | fair | low | dry | The end of the dry season: calm sea, clear water, quieter stops, and the earliest sunrise on Padar, near 05:31. |
| December | moderate | medium | peak | medium | wet | The wet season starts and the manta rays return; late December is busy with holiday travellers, so book the family cabins early. |
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A diver and a snorkeller in one family
This is the case we meet most. One of you dives and the other does not, and you want a trip you can share. Book the dive days with a Labuan Bajo dive centre, then book the boat for the walks, the long table and the snorkelling, and the non-diver will have missed nothing that mattered to them.
On the boat you eat together at the long table or at the stern table, with the sea close at hand. You walk Padar together and watch the dragons with a ranger. The diver gets a second kind of day somewhere else, and the non-diver gets two days of the sea that suits them.
If anyone in your party needs tanks at the boat's own stern, you already know the answer.
FAQ
Do I need to be a certified diver to see manta rays here?
No. At Manta Point you drift on the surface with a mask and snorkel, and the mantas pass below you when they are there. Sightings are common and never promised. The open trip starts at IDR 3,250,000 (≈ USD 199) apiece on the three-day fare, and the mask and snorkel are in it.
Can I rent fins in Labuan Bajo?
Yes. The boat does not supply fins, so bring your own or rent a pair in Labuan Bajo before you sail. A mask and snorkel are on board for every guest. At Manta Point the current can be strong, so a pair of your own is worth bringing.
Where do divers book their dive days?
With a dive centre in Labuan Bajo, before or after the sailing. Princess Lala carries no scuba tanks and no compressor, so no dive can start from the boat, and the open-trip fare of IDR 3,250,000 (≈ USD 199) per person and up buys a snorkelling trip, not a dive plan.
Which is the better stop, Manta Point or Taka Makassar?
For the chance of a manta, Manta Point, a drift in a current that can be strong, for confident swimmers. For an easy swim, Taka Makassar, shallow water around a sandbar that shows at low tide. Both are on day two of the open trip, in an order the tide decides.
When are manta rays best seen on your sailings?
The best months run from December to February and from July to September, and no month guarantees them. The sea is rougher in January, February, July and August. Sailings go on Mondays and Fridays, so you can choose a month and then a date.
Check availability — Princess Lala
Princess Lala is sailed by her own crew; bookings and payments are handled by PT Komodo Explorer Indonesia.