February - where to dive that's not Bali

[reign180]

Hey guys,

My wife and I have booked flights to Bali from the 13th to the 26th February 2019.
We've been to Bali twice before and have dived up in Tulamben, and the Gili Islands.

So the question is, where else in Indonesia should we go?

We're thinking about land based diving in Komodo, but I've read that the Southern parts are best at that time, and are only available via liveaboard. Unfortunately the only liveaboards that are available at that time are a quite a bit out of our price range.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks so much.

 

[dirtfarmer]

I've done Komodo at that time of year, yes vis at that time of year can be better in the south than north and central but it is also very changable. I've seen it shift dramatically over the course of a few days. That being said the plankton brings the fish and mantas. Have you checked the budget LOB that leave out of Labuan Bajo? I did a southern trip on the Weta Mola and it was basic but sufficed. Many of the budget LOB from LBJ are of short duration and will rotate North-Central-South, so you could do back to back trips and cover the whole area.
Muck enthusiast's? Lembeh has awesome muck/macro.

What about land based in Raja Ampat? You wouldn't cover the whole area but get a good exposure of what lies ahead should your budget increase.

 

[Luko]

We're thinking about land based diving in Komodo, but I've read that the Southern parts are best at that time, and are only available via liveaboard. Unfortunately the only liveaboards that are available at that time are a quite a bit out of our price range

If you're looking for budget range, even though they have a suite available on their LA, try Dragon Dive Komodo.
Went them in august, it was great, report to follow ...soon . , or PM me.

Other than that Ambon and Lease are fine at this season.
It's also the Philippines season.

 

[Tippytoes12]

I have been to Lembeh twice in February and have had perfect weather on both trips, as I have had Lembongan , the Gilis and Bali.

 

[Nettie-NZ]

As well as Lembeh, there is also Bunaken if muck diving isn’t your thing. You might be concerned about Sulawesi and the earthquake/ tsunami but that happened in Central Sulawesi which is several hundred km from Lembeh & Bunaken.
Also don’t forget Borneo - Sipadan and Mabul in Malaysia are great options too!

 

[mildlystoic]

Plenty of options for Indo.

• Sabang, underrated dives, just be prepared for terrible food and accomodation
• Derawan / Maratuan, Indonesian side of Borneo (Kalimantan).
• Banda and/or Raja Ampat, though it'll still be pricey even for "budget" everything.

 

[Dan]

Hey guys,

My wife and I have booked flights to Bali from the 13th to the 26th February 2019.
We've been to Bali twice before and have dived up in Tulamben, and the Gili Islands.

So the question is, where else in Indonesia should we go?

We're thinking about land based diving in Komodo, but I've read that the Southern parts are best at that time, and are only available via liveaboard. Unfortunately the only liveaboards that are available at that time are a quite a bit out of our price range.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks so much.

Northern & Central Komodo are fine in February time. I saw some mantas around Makassar Reef around that time, none in the south (Manta Alley).

If you want to go to the southern Komodo, the best time is around June to August.

 

[Luko]

If you want to go to the southern Komodo, the best time is around June to August.

hmmmh... not sure about that Dan, boats seldom ply south Komodo in July August since it's south east monsoon occurring high waves in the southern parts..
On the other hand, feb is northwest monsoon, Northern sites cannot be accessed sometimes.

 

[Indah]

Please have a look at www.wedaresort.com

 

[Dan]

hmmmh... not sure about that Dan, boats seldom ply south Komodo in July August since it's south east monsoon occurring high waves in the southern parts..
On the other hand, feb is northwest monsoon, Northern sites cannot be accessed sometimes.

I guess I was lucky with the weather to see several mantas in Manta Alley then. The 1st & 2nd pictures, below, were taken in August 2014. We saw the mantas in Manta Alley, but none in Makassar Reef, where I saw some of them in January 2013, as shown in the 3rd picture.