August /September safari to Cenderawasih Bay and...?

[Liberty01]

I woud like to dive with whalesharks and found trips on Sea Safari 8 that fit in my holiday time.
The trip would be from 1th of September to 7th of September. Is that a good time to go?
Furthermore, I would have time from 19th of August for diving elsewhere (possibly with good airline connections).
Where to go? A safari to South Halmahera? Or some diving in Biak? Or better combine it with Manado/Bangka(Lembeh?
Last year, I spent 3 weeks in Raja Ampat and Ambon in March/April, and rarely saw the sun.

Cheers, Liberty

P.S.: I read about whalesharks in Talisayan in Kalimantan Timur and would prefer to dive with them there, but I cannot find any offers.

 

[Dan]

I’m commuting with Dalton from Sea Safari 8. He recommends me to go to a trip from Alor to Fak-Fak / Triton Bay and refers me to talk to Mark of Sea Safari. You may want to inquiry on the similar route for this year.

P.S. I was in Cendrawasih Bay in June 2015 & had a great time. Saw 4 whalesharks feeding under one of bagans in Kwatisore. Also saw WWII Mitsubishi Zero & USAF Mustang wrecks near Biak. Check out this video by Kaufik Anril on Cendrawasih Bay:


Kalimantan Timur is also a great place to dive. I was in Nabucco, Maratua Atoll to see huge school of barracudas in the Big Fish Country site. If you will be in Kalimantan Timur, don’t miss it. Check out this video by MrUnderwaterVideo:


And this video by Kaufik Anril on Maratua Atoll (Maratua, Sangakaki & Kakaban):

 

[Liberty01]

Hi!
Thank you for your quick reply. I could only find a trip to Halmahera end of August.
In 2002, I dived in Derawan, Sangalaki and Kakaban. At that time, Maratua was to difficult for me.
Would like to go back and combine it with whaleshark diving as it is offered on some special trips.
Cheers,
Liberty

 

[Dan]

I have never been in any of Sea Safari cruises (Cheng Ho, Sea Safari VI, Sea Safari VII, Sea Safari 8) Sea Safari Cruises - Indonesia Diving Liveaboard. That’s why I’m inquiring them about their 2019 schedule.

For August is the best time to be liveaboard diving is in Komodo. Perhaps you go to Komodo if you haven’t been there. You’ll see a lot of liveaboards there as shown here: Search Results

Waow starts the trip to Komodo on 19 August.

 

[Dan]

I just read about whaleshark tour in Talisayan: Labuan Cermin Lake & Whale Shark 4 Days 3 Nights

Whale Shark in Talisayan
The whale shark in Talisayan only can be spot from 06-08 Am, So you need to travel very early from the town to the Floating Fisheman House which is around 22 Miles away from the harbor, you should travel around 3.30-04.00 Am from your hotel.

It’s an adventure that is not worth a risk for with no guaranty of sighting. It’s a lot safer, easier & guaranteed of sightings with liveaboard in Cendrawasih Bay. So, I’d suggest to forget about Talisayan for now.

However the trip to Home - Nabuccoislandresort would be a lot easier now since the opening of the airport in Maratua. You can fly from Balikpapan to Maratua instead of taking 3.5 hour boat ride from Berau to Maratua.

 

[Dan]

Or just go to Cancun, Mexico at about the same time & swim with tons of whalesharks there in Isla Mujeres for $150 / day tour.

Check out these drone pictures of Isla Mujeres whalesharks (provided to me by @Ken Kurtis):

Those white specs are boats. So the whalesharks there are as big as the boats.

Here is a YouTube video of whaleshark of Isla Mujeres that I took in August 2017:

 

[Liberty01]

Wow, the picutres from Isla Mujeres are amazing. But I have just come back from Socorro where I dived with whale sharks for the first time. I think I can appreciate them much more while diving. That is why I thought about Cenderawasih Bay.
Cheers,
Liberty

 

[outofofficebrb]

If you have time in August, definitely hit up Komodo. You could even fly into Bali first, look for some sunfish there, then fly to Labuan Bajo for Komodo. Komodo is not to be missed if you are an experienced diver.

 

[Liberty01]

Thank you.
I often thought about Komodo. But nowadays there are so many boats. Which are the best sites for manta rays at that time of the year?
Cheers,
Liberty

 

[Dan]

Manta Alley in south Komodo. I went with Mermaid Liveaboards | Liveaboard Scuba Diving Vacations | Hammerhead Indonesia, 2 of best liveaboards out of 9 liveaboards I've been in. Went from Bali to Komodo & back to Bali.

For Halmahera, try PM @Indah of Weda Reef & Rainforest Resort - Best Diving and Birding in Halmahera. A trip report was posted here: Weda Resort