Banda and Ambon - Blue Motion? Anyone?

[ocdiver1]

Yes I dove them with once, maybe 18 months ago. Very, very inexpensive, stayed at a local homestay they recommend for their divers...decent enough and clean, and Blue Motion has a great location right next to the "Twilight Zone." However guides, with the possible exception of the manager, are not good and you will miss a lot, completely defeating the purpose of diving in a place like Ambon. I'd say BM is best suited for those on the strictest of budgets who "like to do their own dive," otherwise you will be completely disappointed. I saw a fraction with BM of what I typically see with Maluku Divers who I otherwise always dive with. Maluku Divers is top notch in every respect, and well worth splurging for....I have dove with them probably 6 or 7 times. Several in this string have complained about their prices, but actually I've priced them (as a solo diver) vs Dive Into Ambon and Maluku Divers actually wound up being slightly cheaper... It is true you might get one day of outside reef diving if you are lucky and a group staying there wants to go, but the trade off is that if you are there for the muck diving they are going to give you by far the best experience as they are located right in the muck area and dive the sites daily. If you have any other questions feel free to pm

 

[Luko]

I know that's where we differ on MD, Allan...
What makes me say that MD is not worth is that
- compared to DIA location and surroundings, I find the price very expensive.
- More over it's unadapted for a non diver companion (although you would have witness I was not grounded too much by my nondiving wife ) and far away from life in Maluku. I would rather compare it to a liveaboard than to a dive centre (Bali or Manado like)
- the selection and variety of diving enters for me into the price analysis, basically at MD you're stuck into Ambon bay.
- since it's probably the most marketed resort in Ambon, chances are that your boats will be more crowded than the others' .

The only thing that would make me stay at Maluku Divers is for purchasing their polo shirt which I find really nice....

(btw, what did I miss the next days in PB and how was Lembeh?)

 

[dirtfarmer]

Yes I dove them with once, maybe 18 months ago. Very, very inexpensive, stayed at a local homestay they recommend for their divers...decent enough and clean, and Blue Motion has a great location right next to the "Twilight Zone." However guides, with the possible exception of the manager, are not good and you will miss a lot, completely defeating the purpose of diving in a place like Ambon. I'd say BM is best suited for those on the strictest of budgets who "like to do their own dive," otherwise you will be completely disappointed. I saw a fraction with BM of what I typically see with Maluku Divers who I otherwise always dive with.

It's unfortunate their guides are lacking. Maybe I can show them a thing or two if I can't get the manager to guide for me. I'm also not to timid in giving feeback to guides trying to get them to improve, so there is always hope. In all my dives in Indonesia I haven't had a Indonesian guide that wasn't a good to great spotter so I hope this won't be a first. They are being very accommodating with my scheduling arrangements, if my flight isn't delayed to bad ( right I know it's Indonesia) they will take me out for two dives the afternoon of my arrival, and two on the morning before my departure on the Black Manta.

 

[ocdiver1]

I know that's where we differ on MD, Allan...
What makes me say that MD is not worth is that
- compared to DIA location and surroundings, I find the price very expensive.
- More over it's unadapted for a non diver companion (although you would have witness I was not grounded too much by my nondiving wife ) and far away from life in Maluku. I would rather compare it to a liveaboard than to a dive centre (Bali or Manado like)
- the selection and variety of diving enters for me into the price analysis, basically at MD you're stuck into Ambon bay.
- since it's probably the most marketed resort in Ambon, chances are that your boats will be more crowded than the others' .

The only thing that would make me stay at Maluku Divers is for purchasing their polo shirt which I find really nice....

(btw, what did I miss the next days in PB and how was Lembeh?)

Haha I know we will always "agree to disagree" on MD. Maybe next time I go I'll get you a polo shirt and you'll finally come around . Had a great dive at Gili Biaha the day after you left with a couple more mola mola, and Lembeh was fantastic as usual

 

[Andreni]

When I was diving with DBM in Ambon and Banda I liked it a lot. Maybe I was lucky with the guide in Ambon but i prefered them over the overpriced Maluku Divers (saw as many things)... In Ambon i don't need to see corals just muck so their location was perfect for my taste.

For me diving around Banda Neira was a big highlight of our 3month trip through Indonesia. DBM is very safety concerned at the time i was there and with Toby as a guide you don't miss a thing. I liked the whole atmosphere of Banda Neira. Had the impression that it smelled everywhere of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. And it wasn't touristy at all, which I liked a lot. I heard that there are flights regularly so it's easier to go there than with the ferry we had to take.. The dives where stunning. Healthy corals, fish schools, even tresher sharks and a hammerhead..



Would go back this minute and safe the money in Ambon to combine the trip with Raja Ampat .

 

[billt4sf]

For me diving around Banda Neira was a big highlight of our 3month trip through Indonesia. DBM is very safety concerned at the time i was there and with Toby as a guide you don't miss a thing. I liked the whole atmosphere of Banda Neira. Had the impression that it smelled everywhere of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. And it wasn't touristy at all, which I liked a lot. I heard that there are flights regularly so it's easier to go there than with the ferry we had to take.. The dives where stunning. Healthy corals, fish schools, even tresher sharks and a hammerhead..

I can't WAIT to go to Banda Neira! That's great news about the flights (as long as no one else hears about it ha ha ha ). When were you there?

- Bill