Best relatively unknown diving in Indonesia?

[GDMP]

OP, I know that you are focused on Indo but you might want to consider adding a liveaboard in Maldives to your resume. I've slid over to Maldives a few times whilst in SE Asia. The liveaboards have been good value and there's been some exciting dives.

Absolutely, I'm sure I'll like it! I haven't been there yet, and I'm trying to decide if my next LOB will be there or in Burma.

 

[GDMP]

Hi, Greg.

I'm a crazy Indo diver...For some context, about 650 of my just over 1,000 dives have been in Indo and out of your mentioned places, I have dived Alor 2x (2X land and 1X as a stopover on a LOB), Raja 5x (3 LOB, 2 land based - prefer land), Banda 2X (LOB), Lembeh 2X (land), Bunaken 1X, Ambon 2X (land), Triton Bay 1X (land), Bangka 1X (land), Halmahera 1X (LOB). Komodo (LOB 3X, land based 2X, returning again later this year but prefer LOB) is another repeat favorite, but it has gotten too crowded.

I am returning to Halmahera again in a month's time after going for the first time last year because I loved it that much. There is no shortage of fish, and I would say it is some of the best diving that Indonesia has to offer without having anyone around. Tops in my books. We did not share a dive site with anybody while there on a liveaboard and only saw 1-2 day boats going past us on return to the LOB while closer to the area with resorts. Here are photos: Halmahera 2024. No pelagics, but incredibly fishy, healthy reef, and some of the best macro on night dives I've had the pleasure of doing in Indonesia outside of a dedicated macro destination like Ambon, Lembeh, Tulamben.

Another good one without anyone around is Tompotika, and it is affordable.

I will report back on eastern Sumbawa. I am headed that way after my return trip to Halmahera and am staying at Kalimaya.

I've chatted with some folks who have been to some of my Indo faves that have also been to Wakatobi and they say it is not worth it. I think the service and resort stands out, and the context I have been provided is that it is very expensive for the quality of diving, and most that are blown away by it are not seasoned Indo or coral triangle divers so I think this is a YMMV based on the reviewer. As a result, I haven't gone.

I have gone to Bangka, and it's good diving, but I think it has slotted further down on my list of places to return. Overall, I enjoyed the wide angle diving in Tompotika more - plus there is no one because it's the only resort in the area with no liveaboards around - but Bangka has the edge when it comes to macro while being easier to get to.

Pelagics outside of Raja, Banda, Komodo/Sumbawa, Triton Bay, Cenderawasih, and Gorontolo are tough but admittedly, I haven't been everywhere so they are also probably elsewhere but I haven't heard of it. You might get some hammies in Alor, but my record is bad for it. I have heard good things about togean/una una but that is probably more for reef.

@outofofficebrb (like the name, haha), thanks very much, this is very helpful!

Really interesting about Halmahera (great photos — thanks for sharing). I initially wrote it off because of a couple of conversations I had with people in Alor who'd dived there recently. They basically said: nice reef and macro (similarly good to Alor), but less fishy than Alor, less current, and no big stuff... so basically much like Alor, but worse. But for me Alor is a very high bar to hurdle. I was looking at Halmahera dive shops, and I found very little there (some on Morotai though). I don't know where the best dive sites around there... do you know of any good dive shops that visit some of the top spots?

I'd never heard of Tompotika or Gorontalo... what are they like?

Thanks for the thoughts about Bangka!

Re Wakatobi, I've heard the same (beautiful, colourful reef, but not better than other spots). Togean I've heard has interesting coral but is overfished.

I've also not seen hammers at Alor (did about 40 dives there during 2 visits last year), but they're around — I'm friends with a couple of dive guides, so I get plenty of updates about random sightings (hammers, whale sharks, molas, etc).

I'm also tempted to go back to Raja for the third time and do some land based diving from Waisai. I did LOBs there in 2018 and 2023. I was blown away in 2018... but I'd only done 30 dives before, haha, though they'd been at good places like Malapascua and Lembeh. In 2023, I thought there looked to be meaningfully more reef damage and was slightly underwhelmed. There are still sites I haven't been but would like to visit though.

 

[chillyinCanada]

@outofofficebrb (like the name, haha), thanks very much, this is very helpful!

Really interesting about Halmahera (great photos — thanks for sharing). I initially wrote it off because of a couple of conversations I had with people in Alor who'd dived there recently. They basically said: nice reef and macro (similarly good to Alor), but less fishy than Alor, less current, and no big stuff... so basically much like Alor, but worse. But for me Alor is a very high bar to hurdle. I was looking at Halmahera dive shops, and I found very little there (some on Morotai though). I don't know where the best dive sites around there... do you know of any good dive shops that visit some of the top spots?

I'd never heard of Tompotika or Gorontalo... what are they like?

Thanks for the thoughts about Bangka!

Re Wakatobi, I've heard the same (beautiful, colourful reef, but not better than other spots). Togean I've heard has interesting coral but is overfished.

I've also not seen hammers at Alor (did about 40 dives there during 2 visits last year), but they're around — I'm friends with a couple of dive guides, so I get plenty of updates about random sightings (hammers, whale sharks, molas, etc).

I'm also tempted to go back to Raja for the third time and do some land based diving from Waisai. I did LOBs there in 2018 and 2023. I was blown away in 2018... but I'd only done 30 dives before, haha, though they'd been at good places like Malapascua and Lembeh. In 2023, I thought there looked to be meaningfully more reef damage and was slightly underwhelmed. There are still sites I haven't been but would like to visit though.

Wow, I've never been underwhelmed in Raja. A couple of sites maybe from time to time but overall trip, never. Oh, OK, one time but that was 100% weather related and we still managed to have one experience that the dive guides and cruise directors had never had before.