Best value diving in Indonesia

[Cali_diver]

Not sure this is my topic anymore, but... For me, the value is underwater life. Say it has weight 10 out of 10. Good foor and nice room has maybe 2 out of 10. If you pay more, you will still get the same sealife, if you go to the same site. You might get a better guide and see (much?) more, but you never know and you can (but not necessarily will) get an excellent guide in a cheapo center as well. So my question really was "where can I see the best sealife for as little money as possible", not "which liveaboard has softer beds and steaks". But maybe I said that already .

Dan, you are rather off topic, as your Galapagos trip cost approximately the same we paid for first 5 months of our trip December - April.

I still have not done proper research having planned Sumatra, so I am still on Komodo LoB/land based, maybe Lombok (yes?), Nusa Penida if mola have arrived and Bali north/east if the time permits (which means in fact "if Komodo will be too expensive to spend there more days" - but maybe Bali is better than Komodo or on par?).

Hi... welcome to Scubaboard I cannot help with Sumatra but Komodo is very special. There used to be very affordable/backpacker lobs there, but things have changed quite a bit there. Hopefully you can find something that fits your budget. Nusa Penida is fun but I would only do for a day or 2. The manta dive can get "very" crowded and the mola site has very tricky currents. The divers that frequent these 2 sites are not always the best divers but if you have snorkelers in your group they might enjoy the manta dive. Make sure you have your smb if you are diving. I have done the Mola dive many times and always just missed the molas... it seems like the group right in front of us scares them away every time. Bad luck for us. From the sounds of it I think you should look at Alor. Flores is a really cool island to visit and explore and is off the beaten path. Bali is definitely worth exploring and diving, but different and not better than Komodo. You really can't go wrong in Indonesia!

I understand your value statement but as you get older accommodations and service become more important out of necessity so that might be why many here on the board put more importance on it! Ahh to be young again!! Good luck and enjoy Indo... it is my favorite place to be!

 

[matts1w]

...but maybe Bali is better than Komodo or on par?).

No part of north Bali is better than or on par with Komodo... Only Tulamben's muck is world-class.

 

[Centrals]

I understand your value statement but as you get older accommodations and service become more important out of necessity so that might be why many here on the board put more importance on it! Ahh to be young again!! Good luck and enjoy Indo... it is my favorite place to be!

Overheard a complaint from a old lady for the lack of facility in a old guest house on Freak St in Kamando well over 30 hrs ago. She forgot she only paid $1.00 for the single room.

 

[Asanoth]

Hello again,
I got offer for last minute Komodo LoB, 4 days, 10 dives, 700 usd pp in shared 4p dorm including gear and park fees (except for monitor permit). The only disadvantage, apart from low number of dives, is they do not go to Padar for hiking, but probably nobody does as the diving/vis? is not great there now. Also, they start on the most convenient day for us.

Generally, other budget LoBs have 750-800 USD for 4 days, but plus park fees (100 USD), but often do 12-13 dives.

Reviews are good and the offer is from a well known centre.

What do you think, should I snatch it, or wait for arrival to Labuan to get a possibly better last minute deal?

sidenote: originally I wanted to do diving (land based or LoB) and a trip for land sites (monitors, Padar and Kalong, maybe Pink beach), but it works out cheaper to do it via diving LoB at once. We will miss Padar (fruit bats we can see elsewhere and pink beach is on Lombok as well), but we cannot really be picky given our budget.

 

[Indah]

Price per dive is the same. Better check what the limited time per dive is, and number of guests per guide. Most of all, how many dives would have your preference?

 

[Asanoth]

So, back from Komodo. Needless to say it was very nice . Might write a modest report later.

We decided to do more diving in Indonesia. Now we land-visit Flores, go whale sharking on Sumbawa and than Lombok, maybe Nusa Penida and fly from DPS. For diving, I am thinking 3 options: Belongas, NP and Amed/Tulamben. I like to see cephalopods the most and cartilaginous fish 2nd most. Not so much into fish, but my wife likes them. I do not need coral for a good dive (like I enjoy a good sandy bottom dive).

From some reading I did, it seems Penida offers more interesting diving than Belongas? We do not have enough dives for Magnet. Chances of sunfish are nice, though I do not count on them. In Amed/Tulamben I think we might get more lucky with cephalopods (only saw 2 in 10 Komodo dives), but probably no sharks/rays? I imagine it sort of like Anilao?
I also looked at Moyo, but it is supposedly not so attractive compared to Bali?
I imagine we could squeeze about 4 days of diving, depending on transport, delays etc. Maybe only 2 days. We would arrive to Lombok on June 29, 30 or something like this and fly out of DPS on July 12th afternoon.

Where would you recommend to allocate the days given the interest?

Thank you.

edit: Did not look at Gillis, as the diving there is supposedly not so impressive compared to NP (?).

 

[MaikaKomodoTour]

There are many options for Komodo Liveaboards, If you are looking for a Komodo Scuba combination. Maika Komodo Tours does diving and hiking on a 3 day liveaboard. Good for diving and also visiting the other highlights. www.komodoislandtour.com if you have any questions.

 

[Asanoth]

So, back from Komodo. Needless to say it was very nice . Might write a modest report later.

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

LOL.
I bet you will transfer the money to help those deprived lots in Indonesia.

What do you have against Indonesians and the country in general? All you have done is to try and push someone to the Philippines (where the diving is subpar) and away from Indonesia.

There is not a single post of yours in this thread that is helpful in any way whatsoever.

It is NOT wrong because there are few places like this in Bali which is packed with tourists. Even then it is no where as seedy as Kata Beach in Phuket.

You do not know much about Thailand and even less about Indonesia! LOL.

It is wrong when speaking about Tulamben and Amed which is the area being discussed here. Ubud and Canggu are for the tourists and packed full of them. You do not get the real Balinese experience there but I challenge you to come to Amed/Tulamben. This is where you will find the real Bali who want to teach you about their culture.

 

[Centrals]

1. I have nothing against the country. Pulau Weh offers the best value for money in this country but how often you hear people mentioning it? Indonesia diving is better than Philippines? Only in certain areas.
2. Where did I say that tourist could not find tranquility in Bali?