Best House Reefs in SE Asia

[whalesharkgaz]

Morning all...

I'm returning to SE Asia this year, from late May onwards, for several months of budget dive travel. I will definitely going back to Pulau Weh off Sumatra, Gapang beach is a great place to chill out, just several local restaurants and a great house reef.

Can anyone suggest other places like this, with good value long term (ish) accommodation, good house reefs that you can dive un guided, and probably better boat dive sites as well.

Im currently looking at Lembeh, and possibly Alor, but will also be able to go the Philippines etc. I love UW photography so good macro / muck diving is preferred.

Thanks

 

[Wisnu]

Tulamben - Bali
the house reef stretch over 500 m and has everything : wreck, wall, muck, night diving and pelagics,
more and better choice of accommodation and foods than Pulau Weh.

 

[Andy_from_Germany]

Hi Whalesharkgaz,

I can't help you much but as you're looking to Alor, too, I can give you my 2 cents about that ;-)

Alor is a great place to go diving and has cheap but (nowadays) reasonable accomodation. Diving of course is superb as others in this board confirmed, too.
BUT: Diving Alor without a guide is not a good idea due to the sometimes very strong currents!! You might find some shore dives, e.g. towards the airport or North of Alor Kecil BUT you will still have a lot of places with (very) strong currents which you should know before jumping into the water. As well, the best diving on Alor is done by boat.

What I would recommend is that you go diving with a local dive operator (I always recommend Thomas from ALOR DIVE Tauchen in Alor). He speaks english very well and nearly fluent Bahasa Indonesia and is the only operator on Alor itself. This is especially important when you choose to dive close to the airport as all other operators around Alor are just too far away.

If you need more informations about diving on Alor have a look at the thread "Alor" (http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/indonesia/322881-alor.html)

HTH,

Andy

 

[whalesharkgaz]

Hi Wisnu...we did briefly visit Bali last year, and dived the Liberty....which we loved, and in fact stayed in cheap excellent bungalows right opposite the wreck.....however we then took off for Lombok......I guess there is other good diving right along the east coast?? and cheap chilled places to stay

 

[jake11]

Kungkungan Bay Resort has a GREAT house reef! Unlimited shore diving between 8-5 usually comes with your dive package. We did several:blinking: dives on this house reef! Very easy access as well!

 

[Wisnu]

Indeed, KBR has very nice house reef in Lembeh; comparable or probably better than Lumba2 Gapang house reef. I love night diving at KBR house reef; but they are not cheap.
If you travel in budget you may consider 2Fish diver; not as good as KBR but still great for night diving.

 

[kathydee]

I've done extensive budget trips in SE Asia and second what Wisnu is saying about Tulamben. Not only is there great diving just behind "Puri Madha" which has $8 rooms on the beach, but if you are creative you can hire a local boat for $10 and travel to nearby sites with amazing muck diving.

Another nice spot is Apo Island in the south of the Philippines. You should be able to rent a rustic cabin in the village for about $10 a night and have a great time there. If you are into wreck diving try Coron - no house reef but not to be missed. Creativity should secure you a local room for a very reasonable price if you stay for any time. Dive with Discover Divers.

Lembeh is not entirely cheap but worth the splurge. I agree Two Fish is probably your best bet, they have budget rooms. You can stay a few days then travel to Bunakan in 1/2a day.

Bunakan. Living Colors is a dive shop I respect. The budget accommodation option, which is very chill with nightly local live music and hammocks, is Lorenzo II. $18 per person should include a bungalow, food and water. There is absolutely fantastic sunset snorkeling along the shore. For a cultural experience you can stay in the small village for cheaper but it is a bit of a hike to the dive shops.

Feel free to PM me if you'd like more suggestions & have fun! I'll probably be in the same region for a few months around May.

I've been to Gapang Beach in Sumatra too & enjoyed the house reef, especially at night.

 

[whalesharkgaz]

Appreciate all the advice folks.......anymore info on the Philippines would be great, even just general dive info there

 

[jake11]

Atlantis Resort in Dumaguete is a great resort to dive from. They have ( or at least had when we were there) a wonderful house reef. We saw mating mandarin fish at sundown on that reef. Their dive operation was top notch and we dove 4 dives a day when we were there. The weather was awesome when we went in the month of November!

 

[Scuba Dive Asia]

Yes, check out Atlantis. They have a cool operation over there. Consider a liveaboard for the more remote areas. Very special and untouched!