I wrote this a year or two ago:
I have been to Belongas Bay twice. The near shore dive sites are very solid- far, far better than the Gili Islands...maybe approaching Komodo levels of good. I don't remember significant current on the near shore sites like Cannibal Rock. The Magnet and Cathedral are pretty far off shore, maybe 3 km, and very much blue water wall diving. The first time I was there the Magnet was pretty benign. The current was easy and the space between the swells easy and gentle. The second time was pretty sporty: huge swells and significant current. It was very divable, but those conditions don't really bother me. Some people would find the boat trip in and out pretty awful. I should mention there were tons of pelagics including the hammerheads and what we thought could of been an oceanic white tip in the distance. We were also treated to a lone mola mola. Belongos Bay itself is a beautiful spot flanked with a small village that allows one to peek into life in very rural Lombok- something that was very significant to me when I first moved to Indonesia. The "diving lodge" is pretty, secure, and the food was fine.
I think the biggest challenge with running trips to the area is everyone shows up with the expectation they are going to dive the Magnet. Fact is there are days that ain't gonna happen...or at least should not happen...due to conditions or the abilities of the guests. Anyone who spends time in Indonesia knows locals will almost always tell you what you want hear and truly want to please guests...almost to a fault. When you combine that with the sort of customer who is willing bully to get his way or with tourists who think they are being ripped off when the dive site is closed things can be ugly. I have nothing but respect for DiveZone, and Two Fish is a big player in the the scuba world here. Combining their experience, resources, and customer service I think will be an asset to South Lombok.
Below is a pic of the Magnet on the easy day. You can see it is simply a rock 2 miles out in BIG A$$ water. There is pretty much nothing but water between that marker and Antartica. DiveZone has always made it clear that odds are good the site won't be open and hammerheads are hit and miss. Is what it is. Im sure some guests never get that through their heads no matter how many times they are told. The other pic is Belongas Bay at sunset. Like I said: beautiful.
