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Wow. So freaking sad. What can one say? Just so sad.
Bira, Sulawesi
- Thread starter matts1w
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I'm just back from Bira. I have a bunch of courses to teach over the next few days but I'll try to add detail as soon as I can. Basically, I didn't see the best of the operation as things are still trying to sorted out after Chris passed away in mid-June and Kate, his partner that ran the shop, left to return to her home shortly thereafter. Also, their boat was in for repairs most of the week so all but our last day was done from a small fishing boat. That said, Rich and Rahman are trying hard to pick up the pieces and I greatly enjoyed the diving there. They are both good people. It's not for everyone but if you want to go to a place that most people haven't been to, Bira is it.
Rahman has a lot of experience in the waters around Bira but isn't quite a Lembeh-style guide. He'll get you to and around the divesites safely, find some critters but you also need to have good eyes yourself. We made it to closer sites around Cape Bira (CB and Fish Market), Kanbing Island (East Wall & Mola Mola Point) and Luikang (Shark Point & Mr. Ramli's) because of boat issues and and I only got to do 8 dives during the week. I don't think I saaw the best but I saw sharks (black tip, white tip and one grey reef close enough to touch) on just about every dive. Other bigger critters included a marbled ray, Napolean, tuna, a school of bumpheads, clown trigger, cuttlefish, lots of lobsters and decent schools of bat fish and baracudda.
I enjoyed the macro better, particularly at Mr. Ramli's. Finds included so many orangutan crabs that they are easy to spot yourself, nudi's, tiny boxer crabs, several pygmy seahorses (Denise), marble shrimp, mantis shrimp, a day-old rockmover wrasse, ambon shrimps, longhorn cowfish and razorfish.
Currents can be wicked. Bira is not for brand new divers, despite the fact Bira is a tiny backpacker haven that attracts a lot of people with their temp cert cards from Bali.
Finally, the main drawback was the 4 - 5 hour ride from Makassar on Indonesian roads. It's survivable but be prepared. Also, Bira is out on the edge of nowhere. It's 50km past the last traffic light. There is currently one place in town with wi-fi and internet works very slowly for an hour or two every few days. On weekends, the place gets very lively with poeple from Makassar getting away but weekdays are quiet at the three or four restaurants except for Warung Bamboo. It's connection to the diveshop keeps this small place full and fun every night.
Dives with rental gear start at about US$33 with discounts for more than 4 dives, more than 10 dives, your own gear and for dive pros. Accommodations can be found between US$5 and $100 (The Amatoa Resort). One guy diving with us had an A/C room in a small, clean "resort" for $10/day. I didn't see it but he was happy.
In summary, based on the little I saw, if I was travelling from distance and had the money, I would head to Komodo, Rajah Ampat, Sipadan, Pulau and Lembeh before going to Bira. If I was a well travelled diver and looking for the next big thing, Bira should definitely be on my bucket list. If you are in the region and looking for excellent and inexpensive diving, Bira would definitely be near the very top of my list, It would also be good to tack on to a trip to other trips in Indonesia. Experienced backpacking divers will love it.
Rahman has a lot of experience in the waters around Bira but isn't quite a Lembeh-style guide. He'll get you to and around the divesites safely, find some critters but you also need to have good eyes yourself. We made it to closer sites around Cape Bira (CB and Fish Market), Kanbing Island (East Wall & Mola Mola Point) and Luikang (Shark Point & Mr. Ramli's) because of boat issues and and I only got to do 8 dives during the week. I don't think I saaw the best but I saw sharks (black tip, white tip and one grey reef close enough to touch) on just about every dive. Other bigger critters included a marbled ray, Napolean, tuna, a school of bumpheads, clown trigger, cuttlefish, lots of lobsters and decent schools of bat fish and baracudda.
I enjoyed the macro better, particularly at Mr. Ramli's. Finds included so many orangutan crabs that they are easy to spot yourself, nudi's, tiny boxer crabs, several pygmy seahorses (Denise), marble shrimp, mantis shrimp, a day-old rockmover wrasse, ambon shrimps, longhorn cowfish and razorfish.
Currents can be wicked. Bira is not for brand new divers, despite the fact Bira is a tiny backpacker haven that attracts a lot of people with their temp cert cards from Bali.
Finally, the main drawback was the 4 - 5 hour ride from Makassar on Indonesian roads. It's survivable but be prepared. Also, Bira is out on the edge of nowhere. It's 50km past the last traffic light. There is currently one place in town with wi-fi and internet works very slowly for an hour or two every few days. On weekends, the place gets very lively with poeple from Makassar getting away but weekdays are quiet at the three or four restaurants except for Warung Bamboo. It's connection to the diveshop keeps this small place full and fun every night.
Dives with rental gear start at about US$33 with discounts for more than 4 dives, more than 10 dives, your own gear and for dive pros. Accommodations can be found between US$5 and $100 (The Amatoa Resort). One guy diving with us had an A/C room in a small, clean "resort" for $10/day. I didn't see it but he was happy.
In summary, based on the little I saw, if I was travelling from distance and had the money, I would head to Komodo, Rajah Ampat, Sipadan, Pulau and Lembeh before going to Bira. If I was a well travelled diver and looking for the next big thing, Bira should definitely be on my bucket list. If you are in the region and looking for excellent and inexpensive diving, Bira would definitely be near the very top of my list, It would also be good to tack on to a trip to other trips in Indonesia. Experienced backpacking divers will love it.
Some more thoughts on diving at Bira:
The seasons for diving there can be year-round but rougher seas from December to February mean you can only reach some coastal dive sites. In August & September the colder waters (24-26C) come in from the south and usually give better chance at seeing larger critters. Apparently hammerheads, threshers, bulls, mantas and other large fish have been spotted during these months but the grey reef shark and marble ray were the big things we saw. There were definitely plenty of white tip and black tip sharks on every dive.
The walls around Kambing & Liukang are pretty impressive and vertical. There are little hiding places all over them for small critters. Pygmy seahorses are findable. My favorite site though was the shallow sandy bottom at Mr. Ramli's. Hunting for macro there is fun.
Don't dive at the Fish Market within 5 days of the full moon. One of the divers was very keen to get there so the guide took the group of four of us since we are all very experienced. I've been in bad currents and heavy seas before but this dive was crazy. I spent most of the dive hanging on to the coral and watching everyone's bubbles going up, down, sideways and whipping around and around. When we went to the safety stop, we all were bouncing between 2 and 15 meters far too rapidly. Kicking upward hard at 13m and watching your bubbles go down and your dive computer register 13.1m... 13.2m.... 13.3m can be scary for anyone. At the surface, we spent 15minthes (it seemed like a lot longer) bobbing and searching for the boat and each other. Waves were breaking over our head and we we could see land and the occassional boat most times we got up a few meters on the bigger waves. I can't say it was too much fun but we survived.
I believe that the nearest chamber is in Makassar - dive safe & conservative.
The dive shop arranged a huge discount for us at the Amatoa Resort but must be booked in advance. It's right up against the sea, has only 7 rooms, ~30 staff, A/C, sometimes warm showers, a salt water infinity pool and it's a 5 minute walk from the dive shop. Some cabins have outside baths. During the week, there were only middle-aged couples enjoying a tiny piece of paradise. During the weekend, the rooms were full of large families from Makassar with screaming kids playing at the pool at 6:00am. If you get the best cabin down at the edge of the cliff at the shore, expect people on the weekend to walk up and down your private balcony to pose for selfies and be surprised when they reach the end and realize that they are looking right into your shower.
The seasons for diving there can be year-round but rougher seas from December to February mean you can only reach some coastal dive sites. In August & September the colder waters (24-26C) come in from the south and usually give better chance at seeing larger critters. Apparently hammerheads, threshers, bulls, mantas and other large fish have been spotted during these months but the grey reef shark and marble ray were the big things we saw. There were definitely plenty of white tip and black tip sharks on every dive.
The walls around Kambing & Liukang are pretty impressive and vertical. There are little hiding places all over them for small critters. Pygmy seahorses are findable. My favorite site though was the shallow sandy bottom at Mr. Ramli's. Hunting for macro there is fun.
Don't dive at the Fish Market within 5 days of the full moon. One of the divers was very keen to get there so the guide took the group of four of us since we are all very experienced. I've been in bad currents and heavy seas before but this dive was crazy. I spent most of the dive hanging on to the coral and watching everyone's bubbles going up, down, sideways and whipping around and around. When we went to the safety stop, we all were bouncing between 2 and 15 meters far too rapidly. Kicking upward hard at 13m and watching your bubbles go down and your dive computer register 13.1m... 13.2m.... 13.3m can be scary for anyone. At the surface, we spent 15minthes (it seemed like a lot longer) bobbing and searching for the boat and each other. Waves were breaking over our head and we we could see land and the occassional boat most times we got up a few meters on the bigger waves. I can't say it was too much fun but we survived.
I believe that the nearest chamber is in Makassar - dive safe & conservative.
The dive shop arranged a huge discount for us at the Amatoa Resort but must be booked in advance. It's right up against the sea, has only 7 rooms, ~30 staff, A/C, sometimes warm showers, a salt water infinity pool and it's a 5 minute walk from the dive shop. Some cabins have outside baths. During the week, there were only middle-aged couples enjoying a tiny piece of paradise. During the weekend, the rooms were full of large families from Makassar with screaming kids playing at the pool at 6:00am. If you get the best cabin down at the edge of the cliff at the shore, expect people on the weekend to walk up and down your private balcony to pose for selfies and be surprised when they reach the end and realize that they are looking right into your shower.
CarcharodonCarcharias
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Dude, tks for the detailed report.
Sounds like it has potential if it weren't for the fact that it is a trek to get to Bira.
Sounds like it has potential if it weren't for the fact that it is a trek to get to Bira.
Dim
Registered
Hi Zippsy,
Thanks for the report, it sounds like a great place. I have been in Sulawesi before (2 years ago), but we skipped Bira (not knowing about the diving there).
But it sounds like a good idea for our november trip. Hopefully the diveshop will be up and running again.
Rgds
Dimitri
Thanks for the report, it sounds like a great place. I have been in Sulawesi before (2 years ago), but we skipped Bira (not knowing about the diving there).
But it sounds like a good idea for our november trip. Hopefully the diveshop will be up and running again.
Rgds
Dimitri
R.I.P Chris. I was in email contact with him and he seemed like a nice chap. Their website has some great offers on at the moment and I am considering travelling there soon. Air Asia have a 'free seats sale' on too so could be a good time to search. 
Anyone got any update on Bira? I see the Bira dive camp website is looking pretty slick, but wondering what the dive operation is like.
I'm heading to Makassar on friday for work, but have the weekend free before working Monday. Is Bira the best option from Makassar?
I'm heading to Makassar on friday for work, but have the weekend free before working Monday. Is Bira the best option from Makassar?
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