bunaken/ lembeh/wakatobi

[Midget]

What is it that you want to compare ... diving or lodging? )

Yes, I wanted to compare diving.

I don't understand your point ... if it's all about the diving, you can choose a budget operation in the Wakatobi area, and have great diving ...

Thanks. I haven't researched any budget options to dive there. Maybe in 2 years!

 

[Quero]

I went to Wakatobi before there were any other dive centers, resorts, or liveaboards there. It was a smaller place back then. Before Wakatobi had the airstrip built on the neighboring island, it took days to get there, and the itinerary was complex. There was no electicity before Wakatobi brought in the technology, and the locals had no idea that eco-tourism would, or even could, earn them more money than illegal fishing could.

I give a lot of props to Wakatobi, not only for supporting ecologically sustainable tourism, but also for modernizing life for the locals with more money for schools and health initiatives as well as providing job opportunities.

And yes, I'd go back, and pay the rates
• for the convenience of a flight there (a couple of hours from Bali) as opposed to all kinds of boats, vans, and buses (30+ hours from Bali)
• for the great dive center (Nitrox on demand, camera room, etc.)
• for the very professional dive staff (at a place that remote I want to have every confidence that the dive staff is up to standards in terms of rescue, first aid, O2 provision, etc.)

What I'm saying is that it's not really just all about the diving, and it's not about being high-maintenance. There's an entire infrastructure that needs to be in place not only for comfort, but also for safety.

 

[CajunDiva]

We just bit the bullet and booked a 17-night dive trip that will be split between Bunaken and Lembeh with TwoFish Divers. We can hardly wait until October!

We are looking for a bit of guidance about tipping in this area of the world. Is tipping expected/accepted and if so...what is the norm?

 

[xariatay]

We just bit the bullet and booked a 17-night dive trip that will be split between Bunaken and Lembeh with TwoFish Divers. We can hardly wait until October!

We are looking for a bit of guidance about tipping in this area of the world. Is tipping expected/accepted and if so...what is the norm?

We always tip (our guides).

 

[CajunDiva]

We always tip (our guides).

We do too. Can you give me an idea of what (how much) is expected in that region?

 

[xariatay]

US$1-$2 a dive (depending on the price of each dive, if it is expensive, then we tip less :blush, per trip ~US$30 - $60 (depending on the number of days - $5 a day for the pair of us?) & the quality of the guides & the guide-to-guests ratio (more guests = less tip :blush...
But that is just us... :blush:
The recommendation from an upscale resort was 15% of the diving costs, to be shared by the crew...

 

[Luko]

US$1-$2 a dive (depending on the price of each dive, if it is expensive, then we tip less :blush, per trip ~US$30 - $60 (depending on the number of days - $5 a day for the pair of us?)

Same-same for me... I would say somewhere like 4-5 USD/day in Indonesia for the guide, a little more in Malaysia.

The recommendation from an upscale resort was 15% of the diving costs, to be shared by the crew...

NO WAY?!?
This is north-american standards why should it applied to SE-Asia???? I would be interested about what regional divers (not speaking about the gringos owning the dive shops) think about that.

 

[cjibber]

We just bit the bullet and booked a 17-night dive trip that will be split between Bunaken and Lembeh with TwoFish Divers. We can hardly wait until October!

We are looking for a bit of guidance about tipping in this area of the world. Is tipping expected/accepted and if so...what is the norm?

We have stayed at Two Fishes at Lembeh a couple of times. The last time we gave our guide enough money to go and buy 6 bottles of palm wine. I can not remember how much it cost but it was not a huge amount of money. Six bottles was enough for most of the guides (and a lot of the guests) to have a few drinks and was a very enjoyable way of ending our stay there.

 

[xariatay]

Same-same for me... I would say somewhere like 4-5 USD/day in Indonesia for the guide, a little more in Malaysia.


NO WAY?!?
This is north-american standards why should it applied to SE-Asia???? I would be interested about what regional divers (not speaking about the gringos owning the dive shops) think about that.

BUT I think many of the guests of this upscale resort can afford the 15%... Sorry to say that my pocket & I are not that deep yet... :shocked2: Anyway, it is only a recommendation & they discourage individual tipping...

 

[funscuba]

Personally, I never tip. Reason is because I am always on budget, and do think that it's more a western way of thanking more for a service when you actually already paid for the full service. If you start to tip to these people, there's a risk they might start to judge you on how much they get tips, especially for future travellers.
So giving as much tips as in western countries is also a bad idea, 'cause at first their salaries isn't the same as us, so tips should be far less than some westerners pay. And in the end their smiles will be based on just your generous tips, which for us is a small sum, but for them is really a lot, don't forget it. I am not discouraging people to do so, but future customers should be a bit aware of the impact it could provoc on them.
Again this is just me !

BUT I think many of the guests of this upscale resort can afford the 15%... Sorry to say that my pocket & I are not that deep yet... :shocked2: Anyway, it is only a recommendation & they discourage individual tipping...