Dive Trek Oct-Dec 2023 Group

[Fishcandy]

I would like to start planning an epic dive trip with a group of 10-12 people.

Focus of the group is budget travel, not luxury.
Renting places in Indonesia' with epic shore diving.i researched, a few years ago places to rent daily. Some had very good home reefs.
I need to revisit that option again.

Also, finding resorts, backpacker type resorts, off the beaten path, that offer unreal diving without the fluff.

Two months in Indonesia then a month to be determined, in another country.

Maybe throw in a 7day LOB in misool area.

I've committed 15k usd to this epic trek, 3 three months diving and travel. Locations to be determined

These dates Oct-Dec gives us about a solid year to plan this trip.

So who would be interested in a trip like this?

Light weight travel
Backpacking type travel
Shoestring accommodations
Adventure with a preliminary plan, that will change in route obviously as we go.

Lots of research to do on the route.

Any suggestions will be appreciated

Who's in for a once in a lifetime trek through dive paradise?

 

[Indah]

Not suggestions but some questions instead.
Shoestring accommodation...but scuba diving as well? Lightweight travel means renting equipment in "shoestring" dive centers? There is not such a thing as good and safe diving which is offered at much lower prices than offered by other dive centers. Simply because the costs for tanks, compressor maintenance, filters and energy or more or less internationally the same and much more expensive at far away places. 15K includes all tickets and 7 days LOB ? What is backpacking type travel in Indonesia? Travel by public transport with a group of 10?
May I politely ask how long you stayed and traveled in Indonesia before? Do you have any idea of the situation after (more or less) the pandemic?
1 example, our Divers Lodge Lembeh. For a group of 12 the price per day, per person, full board with 3 dives daily, including rental equipment would be IDR 2.770.000 (USD 179,-). And this is about the lowest price you can find around here for a comparable service of 2 guests per guide, max 6 guests on one boat. Well maintained compressors, boats and 4-stroke engines.

 

[drrich2]

Also, finding resorts, backpacker type resorts, off the beaten path, that offer unreal diving without the fluff.

Not what I'm looking for; I, too, have a few questions that may be of interest to your potential travel mates.

'Backpacker' and 'no fluff' mean different things to different people. Getting by with a ceiling fan and mosquito nets and no air conditioning (despite the heat and humidity) might seem like a given, but what toiletry setups that aren't what you're used to back home? Indonesian Bathroom Hygiene Practices

TravelForYourLife.com has a Your Best Guide to Diving in Raja Ampat; drop down to this section:

"The cheaper option – homestays
Raja Ampat homestays are the cheapest accommodation available on the islands and in most of the islands the only accommodation available. Raja Ampat homestays are not cheap as similar accommodation is elsewhere in Indonesia or South East Asia. And they don´t provide hotel-style amenities and services either. They are also not traditional homestays where you stay together with a Papuan family. But you will stay close by. Choose homestays if you´re on a budget, don´t mind very simple living conditions and sleeping mattresses on the floor. Most of the families have zero experience in hospitality and even if they are the friendliest people I´ve ever met, you have to be prepared that things that we take for granted, like bedsheets, toilet paper, AC, doors that lock and running water for showers, is not something that they are aware of. Meaning you won´t get any. Bathrooms, usually a bucket and not actually a toilet, are more often than not shared with everyone. If you´re not prepared for all this, homestays in Raja Ampat isn´t for you."

It then gives a couple of examples.

I've never been, I don't know the article author, and I suppose it could be way off and I wouldn't know it. But anyone headed to Indonesia for a low budget experience might want to check into this and find out.

Richard.

 

[Centrals]

Home Stay in Raja with couple of dive is in excess of US$100.00 per day.
Overland travelling in the country is easy and low cost but diving isn't.

Oct - Dec.
Backpacker paradise: Thailand.
Overland travel to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam is an adventure on its own. It also saving time and money to extend the visa(30 days for visa on arrival).
Relative cheap diving in the country: Koh Lipe, Phi Phi and Tao(toward end of the season for the east coast).
There is direct ferry from Koh Lipe to Langkawi in Malaysia(west coast). Diving season in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia is towards end of Oct as the sea is getting rough.

15k is more than enough for 3 months in those 4 - 5 countries.
Check the weather pattern. Rain could be a problem in certain areas.

It is epic indeed for 10-12 peoples.
Good luck and wishing you guys have tons of fun.

 

[drrich2]

If this goes according to plan, I hope you'll write us a detailed trip report, and I imagine it'll be of interest to a subset of the dive travel public who like lengthy stays and immersing themselves in local culture (I think of those people who insist they are 'travelers,' not tourists).

Whatever you come up with, I'd look for a more traditional, shorter stay but higher amenity trip and compare dive counts and other details. This would help me better understand the trade-offs made, either way.

@Ken Kurtis just posted an excellent report from a multi-site trip with a variety of diving for what sounds like an excellent price. It wasn't what you describe, but it shows how someone can hit a variety of places and types of diving while keeping the hassles of roaming reasonable.

Do you have any idea what part of Indonesia you're considering, at least on a preliminary basis? When I saw your post I thought of Raja Ampat, but you just said Indonesia - for all I know, you might be thinking about the Bali area.

I would like to start planning an epic dive trip with a group of 10-12 people.

Two months in Indonesia then a month to be determined, in another country.

Maybe throw in a 7day LOB in misool area.

I've committed 15k usd to this epic trek, 3 three months diving and travel. Locations to be determined

Have you done something like this before? I ask because the odds of a group of here-to-fore strangers roughing it in a hot, humid foreign country for 3 months straight sounds like a recipe for interpersonal conflict. If you already have a core group of friends experienced traveling with each other, that might be another story.

I enjoy learning about peoples' decision processes, plans and trips. I hope this works out for you, as it'd be something I haven't seen yet.

 

[tursiops]

Have you done something like this before? I ask because the odds of a group of here-to-fore strangers roughing it in a hot, humid foreign country for 3 months straight sounds like a recipe for interpersonal conflict. If you already have a core group of friends experienced traveling with each other, that might be another story.

LOL. Lord of the Flies comes to mind....

 

[Centrals]

1. Why would anyone need a sleeping bag travelling in Indonesia? Mossie net is far more practical and it is provided in the Home Stay.
2. Why would anyone want to bring stove/fuel/cooking utensil to a Home Stay where full board is provided? Food is dirt cheap in any city/town or along tourist trails.
3. Freeze dried food! Rats(plenty) really appreciated that.
This is absolutely MADNESS.

I do not think the op has any backpacking experiences in this part of the world.

 

[Indah]

Small detail, are you fluent in Bahasa Indonesia? If not, forget the whole plan.

 

[Indah]

Here the real adventurer: Where's Tomba?

 

[Centrals]

Small detail, are you fluent in Bahasa Indonesia? If not, forget the whole plan.

English is more than adequate to travel in whole SE Asia.
Indonesia did not give me any problem at all. Bali - Lombok - Sumbawa - Flores - Sulawesi - Kalimantan - Java. Not a bit.