Beginner spots

[scotian]

Hi Guys and Gals,
The wife and I are going on a belated honeymoon that has been slowly turning from a vacation to a dive trip
It was my Idea to get us both OW certified before jumping in any foreign waters and at first she was pretty hesitant.
To my surprise after the first day of diving and finishing our first two OW checkout dives she was hooked. Currently our
dive trip/vacation starts with 5 days in Honolulu, Hawaii then 8 days in Port Douglas, Australia and finally 14 days in Indonesia.

So we currently only have 5 dives under our belts and were wondering about some beautiful but less challenging spots in Indonesia.
We've read that quite a few of the spots around Komoto or Raja Ampat have some pretty crazy currents and the wife is pretty timid at the
moment so to say.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

 

[LembehR&Critters]

Lembeh is suitable for all levels; from beginner to the most experienced diver, you will certainly see something you have never seen before. Seas are always calm and most of the dive site have little to no current.

 

[Indah]

Please have a look at our website Weda Resort Halmahera
Guaranteed a great place, if not the best, for beginning divers. However, the risk is that you will be spoiled for the rest of your life. You can have great dives here without having to go deep or to fight currents.

 

[billt4sf]

Hi Scotian,That sounds like a heck of a lot of fun!One thing you might think about is whether you are looking for a "dive vacation" (where you do almost nothing but dive, and you might go to places that have nothing else to do besides diving), or whether yours will be a "vacation plus diving" (where you go to great places to be, where you can also dive). Or a combination of the two.- Bill

 

[maat1976]

I went to Bali (Tulamben) with only 24 dives, and doubled my experience there. It could have easily been 5 though. It wasn't complex diving. billt4sf is right about type of vacation though... Tulamben is pretty much nothing but diving.

Im jealous of your trip!!

 

[matts1w]

Look into diving and even doing some more training in the Gili Islands off Lombok. There are numerous operators that run classes every day. The diving is not the best Indonesia has to offer, but the currents are benign, the water is warm, and you will see plenty of cool stuff including a ton of turtles, white tip sharks, cuttlefish, etc.. It is a great place to learn to dive as there are sites where you can get an introduction to Indonesian currents without getting your butt kicked.

Gili Trawangan is very much a party island. Gili Air, my favorite, has enough going on a night to keep most people happy, but is much more laid-back and family friendly. Both have a range of basic backpacker accommodations up to beautiful villas with private pools. The Gilis are my go-to-place when I want to dive a little and still have something to do at night or am traveling with friends who don't dive.

Google "gili islands lombok" and check them out.

 

[dirtfarmer]

I really agree with Matts1w.
The Gilli's are charming, the diving will be just fine for a beginner.
Then if you both really get into the diving leave a few days at the end to dive Tulamben. Some of the other diving off Bali can be advanced conditions but topside is fantastic.
I love Lembeh but I wouldn't advise going there as a beginner, unless you check out videos on you tube of Lembeh and are fascinated.
And when your hooked on Indo you can keep coming back and dive Komodo and Raja Ampat.

 

[Cali_diver]

As much as I love muck, i.e. Lembeh and Tulamben are two of my favorite places in the world, I think you should wait until you have more dives under your belt. Critter diving is fantastic but not really appreciated by divers who are still learning buoyancy. I would put that on the burner for later. Pick a spot with lots of fish and beautiful coral!

What time of year are you planning on visiting?

 

[scotian]

It's going to be a combination the two, getting some good dives in is big priority. But its our first time in Indonesia so once we get a few dives in I'm sure our priorities will shift a bit and we'll be doing some top side exploring.

Hi Scotian,That sounds like a heck of a lot of fun!One thing you might think about is whether you are looking for a "dive vacation" (where you do almost nothing but dive, and you might go to places that have nothing else to do besides diving), or whether yours will be a "vacation plus diving" (where you go to great places to be, where you can also dive). Or a combination of the two.- Bill

---------- Post added October 22nd, 2015 at 12:31 AM ----------

Our current plan is to hit Amed first which is right next to Tulamben I believe. How is the diving there?

I went to Bali (Tulamben) with only 24 dives, and doubled my experience there. It could have easily been 5 though. It wasn't complex diving. billt4sf is right about type of vacation though... Tulamben is pretty much nothing but diving.

Im jealous of your trip!!

---------- Post added October 22nd, 2015 at 12:40 AM ----------

Thanks for the info on the Gili Islands, a friend I work with has been praising them up ever since I mentioned we were hitting Indonesia. But I wasn't sure what the diving would be like there. Sounds like its right up our alley

Look into diving and even doing some more training in the Gili Islands off Lombok. There are numerous operators that run classes every day. The diving is not the best Indonesia has to offer, but the currents are benign, the water is warm, and you will see plenty of cool stuff including a ton of turtles, white tip sharks, cuttlefish, etc.. It is a great place to learn to dive as there are sites where you can get an introduction to Indonesian currents without getting your butt kicked.

Gili Trawangan is very much a party island. Gili Air, my favorite, has enough going on a night to keep most people happy, but is much more laid-back and family friendly. Both have a range of basic backpacker accommodations up to beautiful villas with private pools. The Gilis are my go-to-place when I want to dive a little and still have something to do at night or am traveling with friends who don't dive.

Google "gili islands lombok" and check them out.

---------- Post added October 22nd, 2015 at 12:41 AM ----------

We'll be arriving November 9th

As much as I love muck, i.e. Lembeh and Tulamben are two of my favorite places in the world, I think you should wait until you have more dives under your belt. Critter diving is fantastic but not really appreciated by divers who are still learning buoyancy. I would put that on the burner for later. Pick a spot with lots of fish and beautiful coral!

What time of year are you planning on visiting?

---------- Post added October 22nd, 2015 at 12:42 AM ----------

Our current plan is to hit the amed area for a few days then head on to the Gili's, I think our main interest is seeing some beautiful reefs.

 

[Cali_diver]

Sounds like you will have a great trip... Make sure you do try a little muck diving in Tulamben while you are in Amed. The critters are really amazing! Frogfish, bluerings, nudibranchs etc. Bring a magnifying glass!

You will have a great time... Bali is amazing!