Ambon - Worth It?

[octopuppy]

Have done Raja Ampat (Batanta), Lembeh (twice), Halmahera and also Fiji in South Pacific. Any recommendations for land based or live aboard. Komodo, Bali other better? Not really after sites that require three reef hooks. Love Macro and close wide angle shooting. Kind of a foodie too, but fine basic. Thanks so much.

 

[pughio83]

Bali macro is often underrated but east coast can offer some great diving. Tulumben is an excellent destination, a nudi heaven and nearby Nusa penida for molas in season. North Bali also has some nice sites. Komodo I have only heard good things and the same goes for Ambon. Friends recently raved about it though quite rustic and I would to expect gourmet food there. But diving wise they say it was excellent.

On a different note what did u think of halmahera and how does batanta compare to lembeh? Thanks

 

[Christian.Juanda]

I dive in Parigi last week. It is 2 hours driving from City of Palu (Gulf of Tomini), it is land based.
It is relatively remote area, but there is a dive resort there, they also equipped with internet. Food is basically local homemade style.

Underwater view is mostly corals, and sometimes whale shark also appearing there.

Take a look at Parigi Moutong Dive Resort

Regards
CJ

 

[indonesian bubble]

hi,

why don't you have a look at Diving Indonesia with Wallacea Live Aboards : Rajah Empat - Komodo - Manado, Bunaken and Lembeh Strait - Togian Islands & Banggai - Diving Indonesia - Wallacea Dive Cruise - Indonesian Liveaboard Experience with Paisabatu II and Ambai |. Ambai is a very nice motor vessel with experienced staff in Komodo; Some spots are will available on the following cruises:
- A140801 : august 1-10, 2014 from Bima-Labuanbajo
- A140828 : august 28 september 8 Denpasar-Denpasar
- A140924 : september 24-29 Labuanbajo-Labuanbajo

Shall you need further information , please get back to me

 

[Wisnu]

Hi Octopuppy,
We visited Ambon october last year, dived with DIA (DiveIntoAmbon)
the nice thing, you can have both muck diving and coral / WA; but take more time to get you to the muck dive sites.
here our report

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/indonesia/471216-ambon-october-2013-dia.html

 

[Luko]

Yes Ambon is excellent for macro, went 3 times in the 3 past years and usually dive with Blue Rose, which is quite convenient for both macro sites in Ambon bay, as well as the coral sites on the South coast.
Ambon is not that comfortable for lodging as you can have in Bali or NorthSulawesi but it is quite surprizing and good for food when you know where you're going. Maluku cuisine is probably some of the best I have tested in the Indonesian Archipelago, their slightly smoked & grilled fish with eggplant and almond sauce is a foodie highlight. The only problem is that the good restaurants are downtown Kota Ambon, away from the lodging options.

Bali/Tulamben is also an excellent option for a mix of macro and coral sites.

Not in Indonesia but in the Philippines you may try Anilao if you're macro headed. It's in my personal top 3 areas. (check out my Flickr galleries of you want to have a look at what can be found in all of these options.)

 

[jake11]

We liked Ambon and have been there 2x.The muck diving is fantastic!Although, some thought it seemed a little more trashy than Lembeh. We stayed at Maluku Divers Resort and had a great time both times. The head guy from KBR recently opened his own resort in Ambon called Dive Into Ambon. His name is Kaj Maney and he was AWESOME when he was at KBR. Check it out and have fun!

 

[Luko]

Although, some thought it seemed a little more trashy than Lembeh.

probably but on average much clearer waters and better viz in Ambon, I reckon.

 

[hughrster]

A dozen of us tried to visit Ambon last year with John Edward Sidjibat of Global Diving. Paid $1000 deposit, then could not get any response from him or Blue Rose. With only a week or so to go before flying out we had to divert to Manado - Bunaken - where we had some splendid diving.

Our John eventually got back to us, and promised to refund the deposit. More foot dragging, then he promised 75% refund because his business was suffering from bad debts. This has now gone on for a year.

Does anyone know about either Mr Sidjibat or Blue Rose? Do they really exist or is it a scam?

Thanks in advance for any info.

 

[Luko]

A dozen of us tried to visit Ambon last year with John Edward Sidjibat of Global Diving. Paid $1000 deposit, then could not get any response from him or Blue Rose. With only a week or so to go before flying out we had to divert to Manado - Bunaken - where we had some splendid diving.

Our John eventually got back to us, and promised to refund the deposit. More foot dragging, then he promised 75% refund because his business was suffering from bad debts. This has now gone on for a year.

Does anyone know about either Mr Sidjibat or Blue Rose? Do they really exist or is it a scam?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Yes I have had some mails with that Mr.John Sidjibat who was at some time uselessly taking care of Blue Rose Marketing. At the time he started to interfere into my relationships with Blue Rose i knew that was over. To put it simple, this guy is highly unreliable and a joke : his only use was to inflate the prices and intriduce more chaos into the organization, so that I was at one day waiting at Laha wharf for my diveboat that never came.

I suggest you complain to the owner of Blue Rose, M.Augustinus Tanumiharjo. PM me if you want the mails.