**Yes — most whole-boat charter rates out of Labuan Bajo include snorkeling masks, fins and lifejackets for every guest at no added cost, as of 2026. Dive tanks and regulators, SUP boards, drones and underwater cameras almost always cost extra, and Komodo National Park charges its own per-person snorkeling fee on top of any boat rate.**
The word “included” hides a lot of variation, though. A Rp 7,000,000 speedboat and a boutique phinisi both advertise snorkel gear, yet one hands you a shared bin of masks while the other stocks sized sets, SUP boards and a tender. This guide maps what each boat class actually bundles, what always shows up as a separate line, and the exact wording your written quote should carry before you send a deposit.
What Gear Comes Standard on a Whole-Boat Charter?
Three items ride free on nearly every private hire leaving Labuan Bajo harbor:
- Snorkel sets — mask, snorkel and fins, one set per guest, sized when you board
- Lifejackets — adult sizes as standard; child sizes on request, so name your kids’ ages when booking
- Basic safety kit — first-aid box, drinking water, and a working marine radio or phone
That baseline holds across the price spectrum. Nera Wela Tour and Travel publishes whole-boat one-day rates, as of 2026, of Rp 7,000,000–9,000,000 (about USD 450–580) for a small speedboat carrying one to four people, and Rp 10,000,000–13,000,000 (about USD 640–830) for a medium speedboat carrying five to ten — and at both tiers, boats working the Komodo day-trip circuit typically fold basic snorkel sets into that figure rather than renting them back to you.
The whole-boat figures on our charter boat price list follow the same convention: masks, fins and lifejackets sit inside the day rate, and anything motorized, pressurized or airborne is priced as a named add-on.
One marketplace caution. Click&Boat, which as of 2026 pegs a typical Labuan Bajo rental at USD 950–1,700 per day, notes that fuel and skipper fees can be billed separately on its listings — the skipper alone averages about USD 100 a day. The same line-item logic applies to equipment: if a listing or quote does not name the gear, assume it is not in the price.
How Does Gear Inclusion Differ by Boat Class?
| Boat class | Typically inside the rate | Usually billed extra |
|---|---|---|
| Speedboat (1–10 guests) | Snorkel sets, lifejackets, drinking water | Dive gear, GoPro or camera rental, drone use, wetsuits |
| Open-deck day boat | Snorkel sets, lifejackets, simple lunch on most hulls | SUP boards, dive gear, dedicated snorkel guide |
| Slow boat (day or overnight) | Snorkel sets, lifejackets, meals and bedding on overnight runs | Dive equipment, kayaks or SUPs on some hulls |
| Phinisi (day or multiday) | Sized snorkel sets, lifejackets, often SUPs, kayaks and a tender dinghy | Dive tanks and compressor, licensed dive guide, drone permission |
The pattern is simple: the higher the boat class, the more water toys migrate inside the rate. Labuan Bajo Luxury benchmarks boutique phinisi charters at USD 2,200 per day as of 2026, rising past USD 10,000 for a sailing superyacht — at that level SUPs and kayaks are usually part of the furniture. At the USD 450 speedboat end, expect the basics and nothing more.
Which Items Almost Never Ride Free?
Budget for these as separate lines whatever the boat:
- Scuba equipment — tanks, regulators and BCDs come through a licensed dive operation, priced per dive or per day, never silently bundled
- SUP boards and kayaks — standard on many phinisi, rare on speedboats, and rentable by the day when the hull does not carry them
- Drones — flying inside Komodo National Park needs permission, and operators charge for arranging it
- Underwater cameras and GoPros — rented per day, memory card usually separate
- Wetsuits and rash guards — the water here is warm, but some guests want them, and few boats stock a full size run
Best Komodo Tour, whose 2026 pricing puts a private Komodo charter at USD 800–2,500 per boat depending on capacity and facilities, frames the spread exactly that way — facilities. Two boats at the same day rate can differ entirely in what is aboard, which is why the equipment list belongs in writing, not in a phone call.
Is the Park’s Snorkeling Fee the Same as a Gear Charge?
No — and mixing them up is the most common budgeting mistake we see. According to Best Komodo Tour’s cost breakdown, as of 2026, Komodo National Park charges approximately IDR 150,000–250,000 per person for entrance, IDR 80,000–100,000 per group for a ranger, and a further IDR 50,000–100,000 per person for snorkeling or diving activity. These are park levies collected regardless of whose mask is on your face. You pay the snorkeling fee even if you carry your own gear from home, and it stays payable even when the boat’s snorkel sets are free. Treat all three as additional to the charter rate unless a written package states otherwise.
What Should Your Written Confirmation Spell Out?
Before transferring a deposit, get a quote that answers every line below:
- Gear named and counted — “8 adult snorkel sets (mask, snorkel, fins), 2 child sets, 10 lifejackets”, not “snorkeling equipment included”
- Sizes confirmed — children’s masks and jackets, plus fins above EU 45, are the usual gaps
- Park fees itemized — entrance, ranger and snorkeling levies listed with IDR figures, marked included or excluded
- Extras priced per item per day — SUP, dive gear, camera, drone permission, each with its own number
- Fuel and crew confirmed inside the day rate — not floating as a surprise line, a pattern Click&Boat flags on marketplace listings
- Damage and loss policy — who pays for a cracked mask or a fin dropped at Manta Point
- Everything in one written message — WhatsApp or email, before payment
Final per-boat quotes, including every gear line above, are confirmed in writing by the Komodo Luxury reservations team via WhatsApp at 628113823875 or sales@komodoluxury.com — as of 2026, no verbal price is treated as final.
Does Included Gear Change the Split-Cost Math?
It keeps the math honest. Take the medium speedboat at the top of Nera Wela’s published band: USD 830 for the whole boat, as of 2026. With eight aboard, that splits to roughly USD 104 per person — inside the USD 60–150 per-person range Best Komodo Tour quotes for shared one-day Komodo tours. If snorkel sets sit inside that USD 830, the comparison is clean: same gear, same reefs, entire boat private. But if a charter quote excludes gear while the shared tour includes it, you are comparing two different products — ask for the bundled figure before deciding. Run the numbers that way and the whole-boat break-even against per-person tours still generally lands at six or more passengers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to bring my own snorkel mask on a Labuan Bajo private charter?
No. Nearly every whole-boat charter from Labuan Bajo stocks masks, snorkels and fins for each guest inside the day rate, as of 2026. Bring your own only if you wear prescription lenses or prefer not to use shared stock. Confirm children’s sizes and large fin sizes in writing before departure — those are the two most common gaps.
Is the Komodo National Park snorkeling fee a charge for renting gear?
No — it is a park activity levy, not equipment rental. According to Best Komodo Tour, as of 2026 the park charges roughly IDR 50,000–100,000 per person for snorkeling or diving, on top of IDR 150,000–250,000 entrance per person and IDR 80,000–100,000 per group for a ranger. You owe it even with your own mask.
Can I rent dive gear, SUP boards or a GoPro through the charter instead of bringing my own?
Usually, yes — priced per item per day, never silently bundled. Scuba equipment must come through a licensed dive operation with tanks and a guide. SUPs are standard on many phinisi but rare on speedboats. Ask for each add-on as a named line with its own price in the written quote, confirmed before you pay the deposit.