Bali ... and then where?

[EvaL]

Wakatobi might require an early (1-2 years ahead) reservation, especially for a larger group - you can check their website for availability for your travel dates. Also don't leave out Lembeh Straits or Manado in your vicinity. A little further is Sipadan - you'll need to get to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur and on to Kota Kinabaru, early morning flight to Tawau, followed by a land trip to Semporna, where you can stay or move on to Mabul (more expensive). Sipadan lodging is closed but can be accessed via Mabul or Semporna. You can also consider Phuket and the Maldives (both 3 or so hours' flights from Singapore, which is 3 hours from Bali). Both can be dived land-based or via liveaboard.
Dive safely and enjoy your trip!

 

[swisstrav]

beeing in bali i would and will also go to lombok. but first, dive around tulamben as mentioned and why not transfer to the menjangan area (permuteran)? if you like muck diving, you will like secret bay.

lombok is just the next island in the east. you can go by plane or ferry. go to the gilis in the north. for experienced divers, in the south are some challanging dives too.

still not enough? then i would dive eather around flores or go and see lembeh. muck diving at it's best

 

[Allison Finch]

Well, I would have to say that you should forget Bali and go straight to PNG. However, if you must go to Bali, there are a few places better than Tulamben. Menjangan Island has a great wall to dive on that beats Tulamben diving. It was so damaged by the volcano that nit has not recovered fully, yet. Tamen Sari (spelling?) Resort is a beautiful and affordable place to stay near Menjangan. Also, Lombongan Island on the south shore of Bali is worthy. You may just opt to dive the various areas of Bali. Komodo is also nearby and, although I have not been there, I understand it is good.
Whatever you decide, HAVE FUN!!

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

We may do an overnight trip to Menjangen Island ... we loved the wall there. Tamen Sari will go on our short list of places to look into. Truth to tell, I enjoyed riding out on that oversized canoe they called a dive boat ...

But Cheng absolutely fell in love with Tulamben, and needs to spend more than the two days we gave it last time.

Lots of great suggestions ... really want to thank all of you.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[balifan]

Rohan,

Komodo is truly fantastic. It has the reputation of having extremely challenging diving, on account of stiff currents in some parts. However, I took my first post-certification dives there; so there are a number of spots suitable for less-expert divers as well. In any case, it's a national park whose management is assisted by a local affiliate of the Nature Conservancy. You'll find beautiful sealife. Of course, the famed dragons are a top-side bonus!

Cheers,

Matt

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

Thanks for that Matt - A liveabord to Komodo is on on my list of places to go in indonesia next year. Who did you dive with and what sort of divesdid you do- big walls? any big fish? shallow coral gardens and macro?

Two other places that I have also heard excellent things about, and are rarely mentioned, are Raja Ampat (NW Papua - excellent range of big and small, including mantas, and a lot of areas still being discovered) and Timor. Raja Amapt has been called the epicentre of marine biodiversity in SE asia.

Raja Ampat is on top of my New Places to Dive list (well, the Tropical Waters sub-list...), closely followed by PNG, Yap, Cordon, Komodo, and Iron Bottom Sound. So many places, so little time...

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[almitywife]

Tassie - i think Kim has a sig line about a Komodo liveaboard so he might have some info for you.

 

[SCUBAJENNIFER]

Rohan, I did a liveaboard in Komodo last year and it was by far the best place I've gone. The boat I was on was called the TemuKira, which was comfortable and manned by an excellent and competent crew...they also do Raja Ampats, Alor, Wakatobi, and even some exploration of newer areas as well. Check out their schedule on their website. They have 4 boats.

www.komodoalordive.com

 

[ishbaby]

spend a week in the philippines NWG. You can either go for PG, Bohol or Cebu. but if you want big stuff, do a liveaboard in Tubbataha Reef.

 

[reubencahn]

Thanks for that Matt - A liveabord to Komodo is on on my list of places to go in indonesia next year. Who did you dive with and what sort of divesdid you do- big walls? any big fish? shallow coral gardens and macro?

Cheers,
Rohan.

We did a ten day trip to Komodo on the Kararu in '05. This was on the wooden Pinisi schooner, now replaced by a metal hulled power boat. I would not recommend Kararu. If you do a search, you can find my report on the trip. Some of the diving was very good. The closer you got to the park, the better it became. Few big fish or sharks. Some very rich reefs. But, on the whole, PNG is better. The one exception is Horseshoe Bay which lives up to its reputation for abundant, overwhelming invertebrate life. If I were to do it again, I would try to find a boat that departs Bima or Flores, so that all the dive time could be in the park instead of cruising to it. I think the komodalordive boats may fit that description. I also think the AquaOne may. One other thing. I know we missed some very good diving because of bad drops, bad timing or decisions about where to dive. I've been told that, in Komodo, more than most places, being in the right place at the right time is critical. So finding a boat with good local knowledge is probably well worth the effort.