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.