You've booked a Komodo liveaboard diving trip, and now a short domestic flight with a smaller allowance than your long-haul ticket sits between you and the boat. The short answer: fly your personal dive kit but never tanks. Split it between a checked soft bag and a 7 kg carry-on, and pack for the cabin rather than the airline, because the boat is usually the tighter space. Hello Flores has booked travellers onto vetted Komodo partner boats since 2018. Every trip we plan uses a morning flight into Labuan Bajo that goes straight to the boat, so whatever you check in Denpasar is exactly what sails with you. That's why we plan luggage from the cabin backwards.
TL;DR
- Carry-on on Indonesian domestic flights is generally 7 kg. Checked allowances vary by airline and fare.
- Sports equipment rules differ by airline and fare, so check your airline's own baggage page before you pack.
- Never fly tanks. Leave them at home: boats that run diving rent tanks as an extra.
- Bring a collapsible soft bag. Cabin storage is limited, and dive gear lives on the dive deck.
What are the domestic baggage limits on flights to Labuan Bajo in 2026?
The flight is the first limit you'll hit. Domestic carry-on in Indonesia is generally capped at 7 kg, and checked allowances depend on the airline and the fare you buy for the roughly 1.5-hour hop from Denpasar.
- Garuda Indonesia: check the checked allowance and any sports equipment rules for your fare on the airline's own baggage page.
- Lion Air and Batik Air: each airline sets its own weight and dimension limits for checked and cabin bags.
- Citilink baggage allowance and Wings Air baggage allowance: these depend on fare type. Read the baggage line on your booking, and add checked weight at booking if your kit needs it.
Book in this order: your international flight first, then the Flores and boat leg, then Bali. Fly to Labuan Bajo even with heavy kit, and add checked weight rather than taking the Bali to Flores ferry. Those are local passenger ferries, not a tourist service.
Verdict: choose your Labuan Bajo flight with your dive kit in mind, not just the departure time.
What dive gear should you fly with, and what should you rent?
Once you know your allowance, the question becomes which items earn their weight. Fly the small items that need to fit you. Decide on the bulky ones based on how often you dive.
Tanks are the easy call. Leave them at home: boats that run diving rent tanks, usually as an extra.
| Item | Bring your own if... | Rent if... |
|---|---|---|
| Mask, regulator, computer | You've dived with them before (they're light and fit matters) | You're a first-timer without kit |
| Wetsuit, BCD, fins, boots | You're an avid diver with a generous or sports equipment allowance | Your checked weight is tight, or you dive rarely |
| Tanks | Never | Always, through a boat that runs diving or a Labuan Bajo dive shop |
A Komodo boat price typically covers the vessel, crew, meals, drinking water, snorkelling gear and the airport-to-harbour transfer. Dive tank and gear rental and dive courses are usually extras. You can rent through boats that run diving, and Labuan Bajo dive shops also rent equipment. Some boats in our collection, such as Mutiara Laut, Fenides and Sequoia, list diving as included on their own pages. Check the inclusions before packing a BCD you might not need.
Snorkellers: gear is usually included, so a favourite mask is the only thing worth carrying.
Verdict: for Komodo National Park diving, the regulator and computer fly with you. Everything else is a weight-versus-frequency decision.
How should you pack a scuba gear travel bag for a domestic hop?
Building on that split, packing follows one rule: bulky soft gear goes in the hold, and fragile, expensive gear stays with you.
- Weigh at home against the checked allowance on your actual fare.
- Choose a soft scuba gear travel bag. A padded duffel that folds flat beats a hard case for this trip.
- Hold bag: wetsuit, BCD, fins and boots. Use the wetsuit to cushion anything with an edge.
- Carry-on: regulator, mask, computer and camera, kept under the 7 kg cabin limit.
Verdict: if losing an item would end your dive trip, it goes in your carry-on.
How much storage is there on a Komodo boat, and where does dive gear go?
The airline decides whether your bag flies. The cabin decides whether it fits. Komodo liveaboard cabins typically have limited storage, so guests should bring collapsible soft duffels rather than hard-shell suitcases. Dive gear is generally kept on the dive deck or a dedicated support vessel so living areas stay clear.
Soft bags matter for a mechanical reason. A hard case occupies its full volume even when empty, like a cardboard box. An unpacked duffel flattens and slides under a bunk or into a narrow locker, so it stops competing with you for floor space.
Cabin size varies more than you'd expect, even on one boat. Aqua Blu's own page lists its smallest suites at 12-14 m² and its largest at 25-31 m². On shared trips with bunk cabins, such as Papiton Lopi's solo-friendly cabins, you share that floor with a cabin mate.
With a morning flight, bags travel from Komodo Airport to the harbour, about 10 minutes away, and straight onto the boat. There's no Labuan Bajo hotel night to leave anything behind. Before you pack, we can check with a boat's operator how dive gear is stored on board.
Verdict: pack soft, pack light, and expect wet gear to live outside your cabin.
About Hello Flores
Hello Flores is a booking platform for Komodo National Park liveaboards. It has curated vetted partner boats since 2018 and is part of YMA Yachting. We help travellers compare and book everything from affordable shared cabins for solo travellers and couples to private charters for families and groups of friends, with a best-price guarantee. Our team tests the boats we offer and matches each trip to budget, group size and travel style, including whether a boat suits divers.
Ready to match your dive kit to the right boat? Send your dates, group size and diving plans through https://helloflores.com/ and we'll reply within 24 hours with boat options.
