Best relatively unknown diving in Indonesia?

[wheresvincito]

Thanks for your thoughts!

I'm considering there, but I might visit Gorontalo as an easy, low-cost alternative with lots that interests me (nice topography, big variety, whale sharks, etc).

I might visit the southern Gilis, not sure. I've dived all of the usual Belongas sites (Cathedral, Magnet, Manta Pot, Serang) and love them, so I'll be heading back there with Jay and Galina from Wild Scuba, if they're running. I've also dived Gamechanger (great site! That wall of coral is just stunning) but not yet the cleaning station. I've had that on my list for a while but couldn't go last time I was in Lombok. (Blue Marlin usually goes there from about Oct to Apr, depending on conditions.)

Hope you get to go to Alor! I'm hoping to do a DM there at the end of this season as it's probably my favourite land-based place to dive, there's a resort I love there (great people too), and some sites can be tricky, as I'm sure you know, so it's a good place to train!

Thank you! Good luck on your DM training in Alor. Maybe we’ll bump into each other there!

 

[Indah]

Looking for new places myself for Macro tho not big stuff..Before Covid we did Alor 6 times and loved it..but cant do currents and deep now so limited. Off to Tumumben in 2 weeks again at Markissa but thinking.. where to next for nudi’s.
Have done 3 livaboard previous but never Ambon! Is it worth it ?

You didn't dive in Lembeh Strait yet?

Dives in Lembeh - Divers Lodge Lembeh

At Divers Lodge Lembeh we specialize in dives at Lembeh Island, an area known worldwide for macro photography and muck diving.

www.diverslodgelembeh.com

Regards, Rob

 

[GDMP]

Thank you! Good luck on your DM training in Alor. Maybe we’ll bump into each other there!

That would be great, fingers crossed! I'm hoping to be there (at Nautika) from Nov 24th to the end of the season

 

[Indah]

Looks like your next destination should be Halmahera and Morotai. Given that you’ve been to Banda, Alor, and Derawan, flights to North Maluku should be easy: Jakarta - Ternate - Morotai. I’ve only seen these places through my friend’s photos, but Halmahera looks like Banda with a ton more fish, if that’s even possible, while Morotai has this shallow site like in Maldives with reef sharks that eagerly swim around you and wrecks as in Tulamben.

Southern Gili’s are okay… the reefs and their marine suspects resemble those of Eastern Lombok, without the cool topography like you find in The Gamechanger or the manta cleaning station in Gili Dua close to Sumbawa. (Blue Marlin Kuta occasionally goes to this spot, but not frequently as it is a 2 hour boat ride from their quay at Tanjung Ringgit.) There’s also a new dive center (Dive Dude Blongas, ran by former Komodo Blue Marlin instructors) which brings you to all spots in Blongas depending on conditions. When we did Gili Sarang and The Cathedral, we saw devil rays and lots of blue-spotted sting rays, but they have seen a whale shark and of course hammerheads at Cathedral and The Magnet. So yeah, South Lombok is worth going again.

I’ll probably return to Alor this September. I can’t stop thinking about the sleeping mommy nurse shark with her shark embryo hanging over Wolang Cave, or about prettiest safety stops with the chance to see the wildest pelagics (like they saw a whale shark and hammerheads in April just after I left).

Morotai? I am very curious to hear which sites do you have in mind when recommending this beautiful island?
Thanks, Rob