Question Recommendation for next Indonesia trip(s)

[Lu Y]

Following advice from various forum members a few months ago, we managed to plan our first Indo trip in North Sulawesi. We did 5n Lembeh / 4n Bangka / 4n Bunaken, for a total of c. 40 dives (39 for me, 40 for my husband). Thanks to the recommendation from forum members, we were also able to request one of the most experienced guides at each resort, which made the dive experience much better.

We are now planning the next 1 or 2 trips to Indonesia for 2026 (can also book for 2027 if 2026 sold out). Duration of each trip would be c.2 weeks / 35 dives (I feel exhausted after 30ish dives). Our holiday schedule is relatively flexible so would travel during the best months for good diving conditions (weather is quite important as I get depressed when it's cloudy or rainy). Budget should fit most high end resorts or LOB including Scubaspa, Dewi Nusantara and Velocean). Ideally we would like a boat offering a lot of space and services however with extensive experience in underwater photography (I heard mixed feedback on Scubaspa due to inexperienced guides as they are a relatively new LOB).

I would welcome advice from forum members on the following points:
- Komodo + Bali combo: (1) Who would you recommend as macro guide in Bali? Ideally with photography skills. I met a few Bali based Underwater Tribe guys while in Bangka and they seem solid. (2) Which LOB would you recommend for Komodo, and which private guide should I request?
- Raja: We like Dewi and heard good feedbacks, however their master suite is sold out until 2027. Should I book 2027 now or go for Samambaia which still has availability on their master cabine for March 2026? Coralia is another option but also sold out in 2026.
- Ambon + Banda combo: (1) We would like to stay a few days at Spice Island Divers for macro. Who is the best guide there?
- Halmahera: How does Halmahera compare with the destinations listed above?

Thanks a lot in advance for the help!

Kind regards,
Lu

 

[Luko]

- Komodo + Bali combo: (1) Who would you recommend as macro guide in Bali? Ideally with photography skills. I met a few Bali based Underwater Tribe guys while in Bangka and they seem solid.

Lots of local/indonesian photo oriented guides in Bali Tulamben (less in other areas of Bali)
Depending on the level of your photography requirements. Ajiex Dharma is quite easily the best UW photo guide in Tulamben (if not in Indonesia). He's been my guide for 10 years since he started freelance, he does photo workshops 3-4 times a year. Problem is you need to book him a few years in advance if you need his guiding services.
Other than that, Utama Villa is specialized in training guides for helping photographers : Ari, Komang Agus, Noris or Gede Jaya any of them will do the job perfectly.
If you still want a freelancer independant from a dive center, Wayan Jhon is a very knowledgeable senior guide for photographers..
At Liberty dive resort, Gede Ardha is probably the best photographer-compatible guide.

Komodo is hard to get great guides, I have often been disappointed. SInce it's 90% wide angle, except if you go for a workshop you would rather have someone guide you in the currents than a real photoguide expert.
Anyway you will have to stick with the guides on board if you go on a LoB.
For a Komodo-Bali combo try end of september/October shoudl be the best season for good weather

Ambon best guide I know is called Robert Lekatompessy, absolutely phenomenal for macro, he used to work for Blue Rose then Dive Into Ambon I don't know which op he is now working for. Probably not Spice Divers.
Ambon is great starting from mid-February to April.

I'm coming back from Halmahera, very nice land based resort Sali Bay. However I don't rate the diving -at least for photo opportunities- as high as Raja, Komodo, Alor or such places for wide angle and much less interesting than Tulamben or Lembeh for Macro. Avoid august when I was there, totally depressing weather clouds and rain despite seas flat as a lake.
Gallery here Halmahera 2025

 

[Lu Y]

Lots of local/indonesian photo oriented guides in Bali Tulamben (less in other areas of Bali)
Depending on the level of your photography requirements. Ajiex Dharma is quite easily the best UW photo guide in Tulamben (if not in Indonesia). He's been my guide for 10 years since he started freelance, he does photo workshops 3-4 times a year. Problem is you need to book him a few years in advance if you need his guiding services.
Other than that, Utama Villa is specialized in training guides for helping photographers : Ari, Komang Agus, Noris or Gede Jaya any of them will do the job perfectly.
If you still want a freelancer independant from a dive center, Wayan Jhon is a very knowledgeable senior guide for photographers..
At Liberty dive resort, Gede Ardha is probably the best photographer-compatible guide.

Komodo is hard to get great guides, I have often been disappointed. SInce it's 90% wide angle, except if you go for a workshop you would rather have someone guide you in the currents than a real photoguide expert.
Anyway you will have to stick with the guides on board if you go on a LoB.
For a Komodo-Bali combo try end of september/October shoudl be the best season for good weather

Ambon best guide I know is called Robert Lekatompessy, absolutely phenomenal for macro, he used to work for Blue Rose then Dive Into Ambon I don't know which op he is now working for. Probably not Spice Divers.
Ambon is great starting from mid-February to April.

I'm coming back from Halmahera, very nice land based resort Sali Bay. However I don't rate the diving -at least for photo opportunities- as high as Raja, Komodo, Alor or such places for wide angle and much less interesting than Tulamben or Lembeh for Macro. Avoid august when I was there, totally depressing weather clouds and rain despite seas flat as a lake.
Gallery here Halmahera 2025

Hi Luko,

Great to hear from you!

Would you mind sharing Ajiex's contact details? I'll reach out to check his availability. Since there is no urgency to visit Bali, I can book him for 2027 given he's probably fully booked for 2026. Alternatively have you heard about Parman Joseph from Underwater Tribe?

Regarding timing for Komodo Bali combo, we were thinking about August as I can work remotely in addition to taking time off (work is quiet in August). Would you say weather in Sept/Oct is better than August?

Re Ambon, I'll try to find out where Robert works now and contact him for availability. Is Ambon not great in Oct? We were thinking Oct for combo with Banda given the hammerhead season.

Thanks a lot for the feedback re Halmahera. The photos look amazing!!

 

[Luko]

Would you mind sharing Ajiex's contact details? I'll reach out to check his availability

Alternatively have you heard about Parman Joseph from Underwater Tribe.

You can message Ajiex through Facebook.
I only dive Tulamben with Tulamben dive guides who dive their spots every day and get every night (even sometimes real time) all the information from the community of Tulamben guides of the new critters they discovered.
Safari operations diving all around Bali will tell you differently, my experience of Tulamben differs.

Mid september/October is really the best time for Komodo & Bali esp. if you hit a La Nina year, which you cannot know from now. Part of August and beginning of September was horrible this year in Bali, interrupting the diving for days because of wind and high waves (the rest of Bali was flooded last week due to heavy rains), mid september/mid october in on a safer side.

I have always dived in Ambon around Feb-march, talking to my guide (Robert) he told me this was the best season for him (Add on top it's the gandaria fruit season that you would only taste in Ambon). October might be good too (although I read from an experienced member that hammerheads were more often spotted in the late september period at the end of the rainy season, which might be tricky for Ambon).

 

[cetacean]

Following advice from various forum members a few months ago, we managed to plan our first Indo trip in North Sulawesi. We did 5n Lembeh / 4n Bangka / 4n Bunaken, for a total of c. 40 dives (39 for me, 40 for my husband). Thanks to the recommendation from forum members, we were also able to request one of the most experienced guides at each resort, which made the dive experience much better.

We are now planning the next 1 or 2 trips to Indonesia for 2026 (can also book for 2027 if 2026 sold out). Duration of each trip would be c.2 weeks / 35 dives (I feel exhausted after 30ish dives). Our holiday schedule is relatively flexible so would travel during the best months for good diving conditions (weather is quite important as I get depressed when it's cloudy or rainy). Budget should fit most high end resorts or LOB including Scubaspa, Dewi Nusantara and Velocean). Ideally we would like a boat offering a lot of space and services however with extensive experience in underwater photography (I heard mixed feedback on Scubaspa due to inexperienced guides as they are a relatively new LOB).

I would welcome advice from forum members on the following points:
- Komodo + Bali combo: (1) Who would you recommend as macro guide in Bali? Ideally with photography skills. I met a few Bali based Underwater Tribe guys while in Bangka and they seem solid. (2) Which LOB would you recommend for Komodo, and which private guide should I request?
- Raja: We like Dewi and heard good feedbacks, however their master suite is sold out until 2027. Should I book 2027 now or go for Samambaia which still has availability on their master cabine for March 2026? Coralia is another option but also sold out in 2026.
- Ambon + Banda combo: (1) We would like to stay a few days at Spice Island Divers for macro. Who is the best guide there?
- Halmahera: How does Halmahera compare with the destinations listed above?

Thanks a lot in advance for the help!

Kind regards,
Lu

@Lu Y

I would rate both the Damai boats and the Arenui as better, more comfortable that what you've listed.

As for great photo pros - hard to find on LoBs, however, if you pick an LoB with a photo workshop scheduled you will likely have a photo pro along for the trip.

Many places to find various photo workshops being scheduled... (example: Alex Mustard's workshops - these sell out far in advance... WORKSHOPS – ALEX MUSTARD)

 

[Lu Y]

You can message Ajiex through Facebook.
I only dive Tulamben with Tulamben dive guides who dive their spots every day and get every night (even sometimes real time) all the information from the community of Tulamben guides of the new critters they discovered.
Safari operations diving all around Bali will tell you differently, my experience of Tulamben differs.

Mid september/October is really the best time for Komodo & Bali esp. if you hit a La Nina year, which you cannot know from now. Part of August and beginning of September was horrible this year in Bali, interrupting the diving for days because of wind and high waves (the rest of Bali was flooded last week due to heavy rains), mid september/mid october in on a safer side.

I have always dived in Ambon around Feb-march, talking to my guide (Robert) he told me this was the best season for him (Add on top it's the gandaria fruit season that you would only taste in Ambon). October might be good too (although I read from an experienced member that hammerheads were more often spotted in the late september period at the end of the rainy season, which might be tricky for Ambon).

Thanks Luko.

How about July for Komodo & Bali combo? September is the toughest time for us to take long holiday unfortunately.

I messaged Ajiex on Instagram but he didn't reply, I'll register a FB account to try my luck.

 

[Lu Y]

@Lu Y

I would rate both the Damai boats and the Arenui as better, more comfortable that what you've listed.

As for great photo pros - hard to find on LoBs, however, if you pick an LoB with a photo workshop scheduled you will likely have a photo pro along for the trip.

Many places to find various photo workshops being scheduled... (example: Alex Mustard's workshops - these sell out far in advance... WORKSHOPS – ALEX MUSTARD)

Hi Cetacean,

Thanks for the intel on boats. Arenui looks great and based on a few trip reports I understand service is very good. If Arenui doesn't have the availability that fits us, which other luxury boats would you recommend? Damai feels a bit more basic based on the photos. Do you have any feedback on Scubaspa Zen (I like their master suite's deck) or Velocean (not sure about guide quality given new boat)?

If photo pro is not compatible with LOB, we will probably just get a private guide from the boat. As only my husband does photos, I'd a bit scared to be stuck in a photo workshop. When we were in Bangka last month, there was a photo workshop with Andreas Muller, they had 4 divers per guide and only 1 of the two guides was experienced. We had a better experience requesting an experienced macro guide in advance for the whole trip and booked private boat for full flexibility (I know the latter is not possible for LOB).

 

[Darnold9999]

Hi Luko,

Great to hear from you!

Would you mind sharing Ajiex's contact details? I'll reach out to check his availability. Since there is no urgency to visit Bali, I can book him for 2027 given he's probably fully booked for 2026. Alternatively have you heard about Parman Joseph from Underwater Tribe?

I have been diving in Tulamben with Parman and was very impressed. As good as the guides at NAD in Lembeh. Possibly not as good as the guides Luko is recommending, but you would not be disappointed. I will be returning to dive with UWT next month in Tulamben.

 

[cetacean]

Hi Cetacean,

Thanks for the intel on boats. Arenui looks great and based on a few trip reports I understand service is very good. If Arenui doesn't have the availability that fits us, which other luxury boats would you recommend? Damai feels a bit more basic based on the photos. Do you have any feedback on Scubaspa Zen (I like their master suite's deck) or Velocean (not sure about guide quality given new boat)?

If photo pro is not compatible with LOB, we will probably just get a private guide from the boat. As only my husband does photos, I'd a bit scared to be stuck in a photo workshop. When we were in Bangka last month, there was a photo workshop with Andreas Muller, they had 4 divers per guide and only 1 of the two guides was experienced. We had a better experience requesting an experienced macro guide in advance for the whole trip and booked private boat for full flexibility (I know the latter is not possible for LOB).

The two Damai boats are easily above the standard of of either of the boats you mention (and it's not close). Are you basing your opinion on the style of boat, or reviews, or...?

The other option to consider i chartering your own boat. My sister (and her teen kids) as well as my family of 4 chartered a dive boat - for our first trip to Komodo. It provided the highest level of service possible while also getting to dive our own schedule and the dive sites we wanted to dive. Not cheap, but with 8 of us (all family) it wasn't too far off if we had paid for on a typical itinerary.

 

[Lu Y]

The two Damai boats are easily above the standard of of either of the boats you mention (and it's not close). Are you basing your opinion on the style of boat, or reviews, or...?

The other option to consider i chartering your own boat. My sister (and her teen kids) as well as my family of 4 chartered a dive boat - for our first trip to Komodo. It provided the highest level of service possible while also getting to dive our own schedule and the dive sites we wanted to dive. Not cheap, but with 8 of us (all family) it wasn't too far off if we had paid for on a typical itinerary.

Hi Cetacean,

I have to admit we have never done LOB before and I don't have many friends who have done it as we are relatively new divers. I simply based my inaccurate opinion on a quick price comparison on Liveaboard.com...

Charter would be the optimal solution, unfortunately I can only find 3 people (a friend, my husband, I) so cost will be too high. For the first one or two LOBs we are happy to just join a standard itinerary and we will get a private guide for the two of us. We have only done North Sulawesi in Indo, so bar won't be very high for the classic LOB routes.