Where to dive in Indonesia in April?

[Quero]

I look it from the perspective of advising a fellow traveler who may have limited time, money, may never make it back to the place they are considering traveling too, etc...the same concerns i would have... And Quero, you never said it was a trip you personally would make until much later...I think that's something that would have been valuable to throw out earlier.

You see, I disagree that my personal opinion would have been valuable to throw out earlier. What I would personally do simply doesn't matter. That's the difference in perspective that you have as a tourist and I have as a travel professional. You are talking about what you would do, what you find manageable, what you value, and you are superimposing your preferences on other people's travel planning, trying to convince them that you know best. I take a different tack--it doesn't matter what I would do or what I find valuable or what I think is manageable. What matters is what they find manageable, valuable, and what fits into their personal comfort zone. I just give them the real information without any editorializing. They can make up their own mind; they know best what will work for them and what will spoil the fun.

 

[ocdiver1]

You say tomato I say tomatoe? lol I don't want to beat the point to death but I agree with what you say only when their personal comfort zone has been determined..this it's absolutely appropriate. In this case, I just feel the information at hand was of such a general nature that there was no way on earth this zone could have been established, and just standing back at looking at the responses then given the slant was really pretty negative to the prospect.

 

[MA]

I actually use the forum somi can get personal opinions and hearing why, which most travellers provide, allows me to make my own decision.

Unfortuntely the thailand forum is very difficult to get personal opinons as it is overrun by tourism operators. I now rarely make a post there as whatever i see seems to be disputed. I really hope the indonesia forum is not heading in that direction too, as i have found it extremely useful in planning trips, and have been absolutely rapt with the feedback and comments from fellow travellers.

 

[froggie01]

I actually use the forum somi can get personal opinions and hearing why, which most travellers provide, allows me to make my own decision.

Unfortuntely the thailand forum is very difficult to get personal opinons as it is overrun by tourism operators. I now rarely make a post there as whatever i see seems to be disputed. I really hope the indonesia forum is not heading in that direction too, as i have found it extremely useful in planning trips, and have been absolutely rapt with the feedback and comments from fellow travellers.

I couldn't agree more and I don't want this being a personal comment directed at anyone but I recently returned from Phuket in thailand to dive the north island, Richelieu then Hin Daeng/Hin Muang and Koh Lipe. Probably the best dive sites in thailand but anyone saying the north island and simili are great is lying in my opinion and obviously biased. The bleaching is extensive and the coral will take years to recover if it ever does. I guess when you are an operator in thailand you're kind of stuck with it aren't you? But ScubaBoard I'm sure wasn't intended for businesses and I too would love to see the professional go and give advice somewhere else.

My two cent contribution.

Dive safely,

froggie

 

[Bali Diver]

I couldn't agree more and I don't want this being a personal comment directed at anyone but I recently returned from Phuket in thailand to dive the north island, Richelieu then Hin Daeng/Hin Muang and Koh Lipe. Probably the best dive sites in thailand but anyone saying the north island and simili are great is lying in my opinion and obviously biased. The bleaching is extensive and the coral will take years to recover if it ever does. I guess when you are an operator in thailand you're kind of stuck with it aren't you? But ScubaBoard I'm sure wasn't intended for businesses and I too would love to see the professional go and give advice somewhere else.

Yes i know where you are coming from and agree and with MA with some of your points and yes more and more Dive Op's are on here now unfortunately and there is other places on Scubaboard for them.Some Op's do give some good input.but you can see between the lines.Saying that someone on here who always give great and correct information and works on Nusa lembongan.But has never said which Dive operation he works at is zivva so a lot respect there.

The Indonesian forum is great and there are a lot of divers on here and together with vast experience and great input for those looking for info.With my vast experience in Indonesia i wish i could input more.but lack of time and other regulars on here always post good information.

Saying that i do notice at times that some expect too much or unfair negative comments are made of Dive Operations and fair balance must be given and even best run Dive Operations or Liveaboards are going to have some problems or incidents at some time.but that does not mean or make them a poor operations in any way and remember everyone's needs are different,some are fussy,some are easy going and from regular posters on here you can find a fair balance and for your needs.

 

[gekodivebali]

Yes i know where you are coming from and agree and with MA with some of your points and yes more and more Dive Op's are on here now unfortunately and there is other places on Scubaboard for them.Some Op's do give some good input.but you can see between the lines.Saying that someone on here who always give great and correct information and works on Nusa lembongan.But has never said which Dive operation he works at is zivva so a lot respect there.

This is very interesting as I had taken the different approach of being transparent and stating clearly that i work for a dive centre and which dive centre i work for. (Not saying one approach is better than the other and agree with you that zivva gives great advice as far as Lembongan is concerned).
Now many forums do not allow operators the freedom that they are given on Scubaboard. I answer questions with info that i honestly believe will help divers choose the right destination for them. I hope none of his is taken as spam or the like. This is also why i want to be proactive and say: warning i actually work for a given dive centre.
Please pm if you felt some of my posts were spam...

 

[donsilcock]

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?

I have just added some updates to the Indonesia diving locations pages on my site which may help you decide - still working on the Raja Ampat and Banda Sea ones, but numerous other locations are covered as a result of the many trips I have done.

Here is the link to the main page - just follow the links from there.... Diving Indonesia: The Indonesian Archipelago

Don