Best non-liveaboard diving destinations to visit in Asia or Australia/Pacific

[OctopusSneakers]

Thanks for the tips everyone. Very helpful.



While the marine life sounds great the strong currents are what I was hoping to avoid (se OP above). Read a bit of the thread here and it sounds like it could get pretty hairy.


I've heard the name but wouldd be interested to learn more.

Palau has a lot of variety and particularly with a land operation if you talk to the dive op they will likely take you to spots without as much current. That said, I didn't find the current in Palau to be as terrifying as I had heard them described in advance.

I was in Palau as a newish diver (I think I had ~70 dives at the start) who wasn't comfortable with current. I was really nervous going in, but ended up loving it. The site with the worst current was Ulong Channel which we did twice (once with the tide in either direction), and the current slows at the end of the channel so you get a fun roller coaster (don't fight it, just go along for the ride) with a relaxed end. Blue Corner we had changing currents one time, but then currents good for reef hooking and watching the sharks other times. I had never used a reef hook before but it's relatively easy to get the hang of.

This combined with a bunch of magical dives, and Palau is on my list of places to revisit. Of course @Tassie_Rohan has provided a couple of places to add to my list of new places to go.

 

[Fred A.]

We are in the position of spending some time in Australia for a few months but also have some free time to go diving. Have done some diving in Australia at the GBR but due to the bleaching it takes a while to get to the unbleached part (and its also pretty pricey) ... so am also looking at two 1-2 week stopovers/detours on the way there or on the way back, in southeast Asia: Indonesia, Phllipines, Thailand. This would be beginning of Jan and late Feb/early March.

Here is some background:

We are moderately experienced OW divers (85 and 50 dives respectively), but we enjoy non-challenging dives where we can enjoy the colourful fish and coral and not worry a lot about strong currents etc. Not particularly excited about muck diving though. Also, wife is prone to seasickness, so shore dives best, short boat trips OK, longer trips can be OK if the weather is fine and the water is relatively calm. Liveaboards are probably out.

So where to go?

Raja Ampat: have heard great things, but worried about the strong currents - don't fancy learning to use a reef hook (see above). Are there still good (non-liveaboard) sites with milder currents?

Other spots in Indonesia, Thailand or the Philippines? Or the South Pacific?

I realize this is a bit open ended, just looking for ideas and inspiration.

Back in June 3 of us spent 6 days of land based diving in Puera Gallera, Philippines and then 6 days in Palau, as it is only a 2.5 hour direct flight from Manila.

I've been lucky to dive around the world and I was very impressed in Puerta Gallera. Five dives a day from the resort, excellent, excellent diving, great weather and unbelievably affordable. We went with the El Galleon Resort/Dive Center. Palau much more expensive for everything and usually only 2 tanks per day unless you want to spend a lot more.
Best time to go imo is June/July. It's off-season so no crowds, flat seas, great vis and little rain. One of the best non liveaboard options available. Better than Fiji or GBR imo.

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

Its often the case that the stronger the current the better the fish life and the more spectacular the dive. Sheltered locations with no water flow = muck diving: silty/muddy bottoms and macro subjects.

Current dives, when done well, are some of the easiest dives you will ever do: just descend, get neutrally buoyant and watch the reef pass buy. You can do entire dives without kicking once: diving doesn't get easier than that. Just remember that if you get separated from the guide you need put up a DSMB and surface at the agreed time.

The only place I have ever used a reef hook is Blue Corner in Palau, and again its not difficult: get down to the point, hook onto some coral and watch the show (big pelagics, sharks, barracuda, tuna, etc). When done unhook and drift along as you ascend to your safety stop: as the water is so clear you can just sit at 5m (with a smb) and watch the reef pass by 10-30m under you.

After a few days diving moderate currents you may actually start enjoying current diving, and be ready for exhilarating dives such as the Peleliu Express: one of the most fun dives I have ever done.

I had around 60 dives the first time I did Palau, and I learnt to embrace current diving quickly. Avoiding currents (and avoiding sheltered muck sites) mean you will miss out on many spectacular experiences and will be limited to a few ordinary locations.

Cheers
Rohan.

 

[Centrals]

The current at Blue Corner is nothing if you had dived Peleliu.
Ever dived or heard Peleliu Express?
Most land based operator do not go to Peleliu because of the distance.
The Shot Gun in Komodo is another high octane dive.

 

[JonnieB]

Bali could be a good option with good connections from Australia available. Good shore diving e.g. in Tulamben and Amed.
I have never heard of shore diving in Thailand. If you want to avoid boats Thailand is not the place you should go.

A decent amount of shore diving in Thailand...I mean any country with a coastline in the tropics is going to have shore diving. Just search the forum for "shore diving Thailand."

 

[JonnieB]

Edit.

 

[Centrals]

Decent shore diving in Thailand!!
Keep dreaming. BTW, stay away from the day boat out from Phuket.
Both Indonesia and Philippines have much better diving than Thailand.

Diving holiday and holiday with diving is completely different.

 

[tarponchik]

We loved Kri Eco Resort very much, the quality of diving was way above Australia and Fiji. However, this was the only place we've been, so I do not have the stats

Currents were strong at times but we never used hooks. Only on some Manta dives we had to grab the rocks to stay in place, otherwise, we just did drift dives, not a big deal. No current at their home reef, if you like shore diving.

 

[Centrals]

Bali could be a good option with good connections from Australia available. Good shore diving e.g. in Tulamben and Amed.
I have never heard of shore diving in Thailand. If you want to avoid boats Thailand is not the place you should go.

A very good place for shore dive is Republic of China(Taiwan to some of you). I had made three trips to three different areas over last several yrs. The only issue personally is the entry, you have prepare to walk quite a distance on rock. One of the unique feature for diving in that country is the extra thickness of the booties offered by the operator! You need that to negotiate the tricky walking through. My usual boat dive dive booties was absolutely useless and was cut in many areas.

 

[peeweediver]

Take a peek at Bangka island in North Sulawesi. Lots of highly regarded dive resorts and good shore diving. We’ve done Raja, Palau, Philippines and Maldives. Next trip will be Bangka Island. If you want, you can do only the short boat rides, shore diving and avoid the pinnacle dives where the current is.