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How we choose

How an operator gets named on this site

Every partner — boat, dive centre, transport provider — is assessed against five weighted pillars before this guide will recommend it. Safety and compliance carries the heaviest weight, and it is the one pillar that cannot be compensated for by scoring well elsewhere.

Pillars
Five
Heaviest weight
Safety
Re-checked
Annually
See the compliance list Jump to the contents
Methodology — how operators on this site are assessed

The short version

  • Five pillars, weighted. Safety and compliance carries the heaviest weight of the five.
  • Assets and amenities rank last of the five. A beautiful boat with the wrong paperwork does not pass.
  • Partners are inspected on site, not assessed from a brochure, and re-checked annually.
  • Recommendations are not sold. Commercial terms follow the assessment; they do not cause it.

The weighting

The five pillars in rank order, published because a rubric whose order is secret is not a rubric. We publish the ranking, not numeric weights: we hold no audited scoring model, and inventing percentages would be worse than naming the order.

Heaviest
Safety and compliance
Second
Sustainability and impact
Third
Service quality and expertise
Fourth
Assets and amenities
Fifth
Authenticity

What each pillar tests

In descending order of weight.

  • Safety and compliance

    Licensing and legality, safety equipment and protocols, crew and staff certification. The pillar weighted most heavily of the five.

  • Sustainability and impact

    Waste management, sustainable water and energy, reef-safe practice, tangible conservation contribution, local hiring and fair wages.

  • Service quality

    Staff-to-guest ratio, depth of guide knowledge, crew professionalism, and genuine willingness to accommodate individual needs.

  • Assets and amenities

    Vessel or property condition, maintenance, comfort, and the quality of what comes out of the kitchen.

  • Authenticity

    Access to something genuinely uncommon, and a real connection to the place rather than an imitation of one.

Inside the safety pillar

The non-negotiable foundation, and the checks it actually involves.

  • Operational licences verified, including tourism licensing and vessel registration.
  • Safety equipment inspected on site — SOLAS-grade rafts, EPIRBs, first-aid kits.
  • Emergency procedures reviewed, including medical evacuation plans.
  • Captain and crew maritime certifications confirmed, and PADI credentials for dive guides.
  • Insurance and staff welfare arrangements checked before listing.
  • Compliance with Komodo National Park Authority regulations checked.

A partner failing any single item here does not get a lower score. It does not get booked.

Independence

Komodo Luxury holds commercial relationships with the partners it books for travellers. Those relationships are the consequence of a partner meeting the standard, not the reason it was rated as meeting it.

We do not accept payment for a positive assessment or for inclusion. Where sponsored content or a paid partnership appears, it is labelled as such. The editorial standards page sets out the verification workflow behind that in more detail.

Related

Ask which operator is running your boat

It is a fair question and it has a specific answer. Ask before you pay, and ask what they were assessed on.

Ask Komodo Luxury Read the compliance page

Kanawa is normally visited as part of a wider Komodo trip arranged through Komodo Luxury's speedboat charters for a fast crossing, or a fuller Komodo boat trip, liveaboard, Labuan Bajo tour or VIP charter if your itinerary covers more of the park.