Best non-liveaboard diving destinations to visit in Asia or Australia/Pacific

[rmorgan]

non-challenging dives where we can enjoy the colourful fish and coral and not worry a lot about strong currents etc.

Fiji might be the sweet spot here. The soft corals are varied and beautiful, the hard corals are healthy, there is some macro, some turtles, beautiful reef tops with all the things swimming around. There can be currents, of course, but that's what brings the goodness in. Fiji Airlines is now serving YVR, and they cater to travelers headed to/from Australia. And, the Fijian people are lovely.

 

[diveUAE]

I've heard the name but wouldd be interested to learn more.
[/QUOTE]

Sipadan is awesome, but you’ll need to check travel warnings and make sure your insurance covers the area + I think January/February is not the best time to go (I may be wrong)

Raja Ampat would be my best bet for this time frame and area - while currents are prevalent you can almost always avoid - just tell your resort you’re not comfortable with strong currents- but also: drift diving can be amazing and relaxing.

 

[CJS]

We live in Sydney. We dive in Bali regularly; Tulamben, Amed, Pemuteran all doable without current, plus other (better) spots with plenty of current. We have also dived beyond Bali in Raja Ampat and heading to Wakatobi next year. We had some current in RA, but local operators know the sites and can work around it or with it. There was nothing crazy though. Have also dived Komodo, where there was crazy current! Indonesia is pretty easy to get to from Australia and full of good topside stuff, great food and nice people.

 

[Micko1974]

Many places in the Philippines depending on the type of diving.
Indo- Bunaken or Lembeh
Solomon Islands
Borneo- Sipadan/Malbal

From Oz, the options are endless. Enjoy.

 

[Ramila]

We are in the position of spending some time in Australia for a few months but also have some free time to go diving. Have done some diving in Australia at the GBR but due to the bleaching it takes a while to get to the unbleached part (and its also pretty pricey) ... so am also looking at two 1-2 week stopovers/detours on the way there or on the way back, in southeast Asia: Indonesia, Phllipines, Thailand. This would be beginning of Jan and late Feb/early March.

Here is some background:

We are moderately experienced OW divers (85 and 50 dives respectively), but we enjoy non-challenging dives where we can enjoy the colourful fish and coral and not worry a lot about strong currents etc. Not particularly excited about muck diving though. Also, wife is prone to seasickness, so shore dives best, short boat trips OK, longer trips can be OK if the weather is fine and the water is relatively calm. Liveaboards are probably out.

So where to go?

Raja Ampat: have heard great things, but worried about the strong currents - don't fancy learning to use a reef hook (see above). Are there still good (non-liveaboard) sites with milder currents?

Other spots in Indonesia, Thailand or the Philippines? Or the South Pacific?

I realize this is a bit open ended, just looking for ideas and inspiration.

Sri Lanka is a great destination as well. Liveaboards are now happenning, however those same boats operate on day excursions as well. Until May, they will be operating from Colombo, and then by August switch to the East Coast of Sri Lanka.
Serendib Scuba operates the dives. www.serendibscuba.com

 

[CJS]

Fiji might be the sweet spot here. The soft corals are varied and beautiful, the hard corals are healthy, there is some macro, some turtles, beautiful reef tops with all the things swimming around. There can be currents, of course, but that's what brings the goodness in. Fiji Airlines is now serving YVR, and they cater to travelers headed to/from Australia. And, the Fijian people are lovely.

That time of year can get pretty wet in Fiji though.

 

[rosasintheocean]

Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon - Japanese fleet turning into coral reefs in sheltered atoll with no current. Don't expect much to do on surface breaks.
Palau - Exciting big-current drift diving (just go with the flow), big walls, fish soup and mantas with healthy reefs.
Sipdan/Mabul - Beautiful reefs, even bigger walls, less current, healthy fish population and some macro: if you can get a permit.
Rajah Ampat - Amazing diversity and healthy reefs.
Lembah - one of the best spots in the world for black sand macro (muck diving), but only if you are a photographer

Then, taking a step down in terms of reef health, interest and diversity, to the point of being similar or slightly better than the Caribbean :

Bali - has some good black sand macro in the north, if you're a photographer. Great holiday spot, but most people don't go there just for the diving.
Bunaken - has some walls, and not much else. Was a letdown relative to above. Main benefit is that's it is on the way to Lembah.
Thailand - Similans and Richelieu are great, but are liveaboards. Day reefs/islands are OK if you're non fussy, like cattle boats and/or have never been exposed to a healthy coral ecosystem: definitely on par with Cozumel.
Philippines - few good macro spots. Anything edible has been cyanided/dynamited unless you're in one of the more remote spots.
GBR - beautiful coral atolls and fish life, but you need to get on a liveaboard to the outer reef and head north.

Gday Rohan , great info! Must pick your brain for a 2026 road trip!
are we the only Tassies on here?

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

Gday Rohan , great info! Must pick your brain for a 2026 road trip!
are we the only Tassies on here?

Hi Rosa - welcome to the board! There's a few Tasmanians here, but not many. Should try to get more locals to sign on.

See you Friday!

Cheers
Rohan.

 

[rosasintheocean]

Hi Rosa - welcome to the board! There's a few Tasmanians here, but not many. Should try to get more locals to sign on.

See you Friday!

Cheers
Rohan.

Yes we should. Hopefully we see that enormous octopus from my dive there 2 weeks ago..