Nitrox and gear rental on a Sulawesi liveaboard: what three operators publish

By Sulawesi Liveaboard Editorial Desk

Sourced figures: prices in the table carry their source and check month. Published fares are not our offers, and fees change.

Nitrox is a paid extra on the three Sulawesi operators compared here: La Galigo charges per day, White Manta per day or per fill, and Mermaid per fill or per trip. Those units cannot be averaged. Count your likely fills and diving days, then apply each boat's own unit to the figures in the price table on this page.

Is nitrox in the fare?

No, not on these three boats. Each lists it as a separate priced item on its own pages, checked in November 2026. Other Sulawesi boats may treat it differently, so a fare page that stays silent on nitrox should prompt a question to the operator. Do not read silence as inclusion.

The same goes for rental gear. All three operators price it apart from the fare, and an operator guide from Neptune lists rental gear among the items excluded on its Wakatobi trips. Even land-based packages can work this way: the Murex Passport to Paradise sample, which is a resort product, excludes equipment hire. These costs sit alongside several others, and our page on extra charges shows the whole list.

Here is how each operator states its units. The amounts are in the price table on this page, because they change and each needs its own source and date.

How do per-fill and per-day prices differ?

They charge for different things, so the headline figures say little until you add your own dive count. A per-fill price rewards the diver who skips dives. A per-day price rewards the diver who does every dive. A per-trip price only makes sense once you know how many fills you would otherwise buy.

White Manta publishes both units for one boat, which makes it the clearest worked example. On its figures, three fills in a day cost more than the day rate, and two fills cost less. Its Lembeh and North Manado trip lists 22 dives over 7 diving days, an average of a little over three a day. So a diver who does nearly everything is likely to come out ahead on the day rate, and a diver who sits out the night dive or takes a rest day may not.

Mermaid's per-trip price has a similar crossover. On its published figures, the total for individual fills passes the trip price at the 24th fill. Mermaid lists 25 dives for the shorter 10-day version of the route. No dive count is listed for the 12-day version, so ask for one before you assume the trip price wins.

La Galigo's day price covers up to four tanks a day, and the cost builds with each day it applies. Ask whether the charge runs for every calendar day or only for days you actually dive.

This is why we do not offer an average. A mean of these figures would combine two currencies, three pricing units and trips of different lengths, and it would describe no real trip. Run the sum separately for each boat you are considering.

What does full gear rental cost?

This page's price table holds the figures, and they need the same care as the nitrox ones. Here the unit looks similar across operators but is not quite. La Galigo's price is written per person per day. White Manta's and Mermaid's are per diving day. On a 12-day trip, the difference between days aboard and diving days could matter, because the first and last days of a voyage may not include a full programme. Ask which days are counted.

A quick way to size the line is to multiply the operator's daily price by its diving days. On White Manta's 8-day trip that is 7 diving days. The figure then has to be read alongside its condition: White Manta's price is for gear paid in advance, so ask what happens if you decide once on board. Onboard payment can carry its own charge, too. White Manta adds a 4.5% handling fee to onboard card payments, and La Galigo adds 2.5% to onboard payments in a foreign currency.

Also ask what a full set contains. Operators may not define it the same way. A question worth sending is simple: which items, in which sizes, and is a dive computer among them?

These operators' pages showed no separate 2027 list for nitrox or rental in November 2026, so confirm the price for a 2027 departure directly.

Is a dive computer required?

On two of these operators, yes. White Manta requires a dive computer on its Lembeh and North Manado trip, and Mermaid says one is mandatory per diver. We have no such statement from La Galigo, so ask. This changes your budget, because a diver without a computer cannot treat it as an optional rental. Mermaid prices it per diving day as a line of its own.

A rule like this usually sits with the other entry requirements. Certification levels, logged dives and insurance are covered on our page on the experience boats ask for. If you plan to dive nitrox, also ask what certification the operator wants to see.

Should you bring your own?

Our view, and it is a judgment and not a sourced rule: bring your own dive computer if you dive regularly, and decide on the rest by counting days and weighing your bags. A computer you already understand is one less thing to learn on the first dive of a trip with several dives a day. Add up the daily rental across your diving days, and set it against what it costs you to carry your own kit. Baggage fees on domestic flights are for your own airline to confirm.

If you do rent, send your sizes ahead of time, and ask what stock the boat carries. A rental price tells you nothing about whether your size will be aboard.

What do readers ask about nitrox and rental?

Can I average these prices to set a budget?

No. The figures use different units, different currencies and different trip lengths, so a mean would describe no real trip. Work out each boat's cost separately from its own unit and your own dive count.

Does the per-trip nitrox price always work out lower?

No. It only pays if you would otherwise buy enough fills. On Mermaid's published figures, the fills overtake the trip price at the 24th fill, so ask how many dives your trip actually offers before you choose.

Do I need a nitrox certification to use it on board?

Ask the operator before you book. La Galigo, White Manta and Mermaid publish nitrox prices, but we have seen no certification rule from them. Have your card ready, since boats may want to see it.

Will these prices hold for 2027?

Not necessarily. The table records what operators showed in November 2026, with no separate 2027 list. Check the figure for your departure date with the operator.

Does a full rental set include a dive computer?

Do not assume so. Mermaid lists the dive computer as its own line next to the full set, which suggests you would pay for it separately. Ask each operator to list what its set contains.

Which sources support this page?

• La Galigo: Bangka, Lembeh and Sangihe trip
• La Galigo: frequently asked questions
• White Manta: Lembeh and North Manado trip
• Mermaid Liveaboards: nitrox
• Mermaid Liveaboards: equipment rental prices
• Mermaid: Lembeh, Togian itinerary
• Neptune Liveaboards: Wakatobi liveaboard guide
• Murex: Passport to Paradise sample package (PDF)

How do I reach the desk?

For a question about extras on a specific trip, send the boat, the dates and what you plan to rent. If an operator's page is unclear, tell us which line and we will say whether we can clarify it.

WhatsApp +62 811-3941-4563 or email bd@juaraholding.com.