Where to dive in Indonesia in April?

[kcat]

I'm thinking of going to Indonesia this April and was hoping for some advice on where to go and whether to go on a liveaboard or stay in a resort. I've never been to Indonesia and there seem to be so many choices so it is getting confusing! I'm looking for a mixture of macro diving with the chance of seeing some big stuff (sharks, mantas etc). Normally I stay on liveaboards as I don't like big resorts but most of the Indonesian liveaboards I've looked at are for 10 days which seems like a long time to be on a boat as I would like to do some land-based stuff as well, eg jungles, volcanoes...

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Tippytoes12]

Hi there

We did 2 three week dive trips to Indonesia this year and loved them both.We would do both again tomorrow if we had the time and the cash.

On the first trip in May we went to Amed, Gili Air and Nusa Lembongan. We also love big things and saw a shark on the Liberty wreck , many many turtles in Gili Air and a couple of sharks. In NL we saw a shark , a giant manta and several mola molas in 2 days. All areas had opportunities for trecking etc. In Gili Air we met people who were about to climb the large volcano on Lombok. After the diving we stayed in Ubud for a few days , where there were also plenty of other activites available , eg rafting , mountain biking etc.

On the second trip in October we went to Bunaken in Sulawesi( stayed in Cha Cha which was beautiful and had wonderful diving ) , then did a Komodo liveaboard on Mermaid 2 for 7 nights followed by 4 nights on Gili Air. Again all were fantastic, but the liveaboard was truly out of this world. Seeing the dragons was really something else and the diving was spectacular. We saw 20 mantas at Manta Point , numerous sharks , dolphins by the boat most days and many many turtles. We also saw numerous sharks and turtles in Bunaken and on Gili Air. We also thought that 10 night might be too much , but if we went again we would do a 10 night trip to do Komodo justice.The coral and fish life were spectacular and there was a fair bit of macro stuff as well. We felt great after the liveboard and could have easily done another week.

Alot depends on you, how much time you have, your budget, who you are travelling with etc. None of the resorts we stayed in had more that 10 bungalows or rooms . Apart from Ubud of course we stayed in the dive centres' accomodation , brilliant for meeting people. We met and dived with and socialised with wonderful families and couples and singles aged from 10 to 72 years.

Happy to provide more information if required and , hey , you can always go back !

 

[buiszie]

A good combination is the Gili Island. Around the Gilis u have muck dive sites and dive sites for the big stuff. So if u want to see seahorses, ornate gohstpipefosh, banded pipefish, blue ringed octopus or sharks, bumpheads, eagle rays, turtles we have it all. U can combine ur diving trip with trips on Lombok, like climbing the Rinjani, see the waterfalls or surfing at Kuta lombok.
for more info pls pm me....

 

[wetsuit]

Tippytoes12 - could you tell me: Where did you stay when you were in Tulamben (Liberty Wreck)? I'm planning on going there next September. Thanks.

 

[Tippytoes12]

We stayed in Scuba Seraya. It was a beautiful property and we had one of the villas, as the rooms were full when we booked ( shame !! ).There are lots of other places though and because there was a large group in Scuba Seraya we seemed to have been "sidelined " a wee bit and only managed one dive on the wreck. If we go back we would probably stay somewhere with more opportunities for visiting the wreck, which was wonderful.They didn't offer nightdives for example.

 

[eugeni]

I'm planning to go to Indonesia on Jan. 13-31. Itis rainy season. Most parts of Indonesia around this time is divable but notthe best conditions. Actually I found that after my ticketing. I got the information South Komodo is the best time to dive around January. But later I also found different opinions about this. Now I’m quite confused. Around this time what isthe real diving condition of Bali, North and South Komodo. I consider right after my south komodo diving flyto Phuketsince its dry season there. If you are familar with Indonesia, please give me good advices for January diving tour in Indonesia.Thanks a lot.

 

[Tippytoes12]

Hi Eugeni

My understanding is that Raja Ampat is good at that time of year , all of the liveaboards move there then. I am not sure what the diving conditions are like in Bali , but it seems that none of the dive resorts close , which sites in some parts of Thailand and Malaysia do during their monsoons. We were told that diving in Nusa Lembongan is possible right through the year.

Phuket is indeed dry at the end of January , but what I have seen of it I hated ! The Similans are wonderful top-side , but the coral is badly bleached in some areas. The diving in Indonesia is much better than in Thailand , in my very humble opinion, so I would not hesitate to go there in January.

Hope this helps .

 

[Quero]

For the OP, kcat: The best option for liveaboard diving in Indonesia in April is Komodo.

For wetsuit: Seraya is a very nice place to stay at Tulamben. Mimpi is also similiarly nice. There are resorts that aren't as upscale, too. When I go to Tulamben (I just spent 10 days there in August), I always book my dives with a different company than the on-site dive op at the resort. This prevents me from being "sidelined" as tippytoes was.

For eugeni: Bali is diveable year round, though it's true that January isn't the best time. After your Komodo trip, you could make your way to the Indian Ocean part of Indonesia to Pulau Weh, for instance. And of course Phuket is a great option as it is indeed in dry season. (I have to respectfully disagree with tippytoes about Phuket--this is usually the kind of comment we hear from people who have only been to the party-central town of Patong on Phuket--I hate that place, too!) In fact there is wonderful diving in the Andaman Sea as well as beautiful beaches and quieter areas. The underwater topography in the Similans is something really special, particularly with the boulder sites, and for the most part the corals were not affected by the bleaching--mainly only staghorns in very shallow areas, and they are recovering nicely, though it will still take some time for them to be fully grown again. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Phuket in January as long as you get reliable help and don't try to figure it all out on your own.

 

[kcat]

Thank you all very much for the advice! I think I am sold on the Komodo liveaboard idea. Just need to decide where to got for the rest of the trip - I'm thinking Manado is probably the easiest option but I'm also quite tempted by trying to go to Raja Ampat. Anyone got any experience of doing shorebased diving in Raja Ampat? And how easy is it to get there from Bali?

 

[ocdiver1]

Kcat, I think Raja Ampat is definitely an area best served by liveaboards, but there are land based options, one of which I stayed at on one trip...Kri Eco Resort..and really enjoyed. There's a more upmarket Sorido resort on the same island and Misool further south, and I know there are several more than I think that are closer to Sorong. Many Indo airlines fly Bali-Sorong, although I don't recall any that don't involve a change of planes...not difficult at all to get there from Bali. It's even closer to Manado...Express Air I believe flies Manado-Sorong and at least Merpati flies via Makassar.