Easy to reach Pacific reef destinations

[bassplayer]

Bali is not in Pacific, but it’s in Indonesia. You can fly to Denpasar from many international airports.

I just came back from a liveaboard 12-21 August 2024 trip Bali-Komodo-Bali on Mermaid 1.

I flew on Eva Air Houston-Taipei-Denpasar.

what would you say about that route vs a trip that just stays in Komodo?

 

[Dan]

what would you say about that route vs a trip that just stays in Komodo?

You will miss diving with Whalesharks in Saleh Bay & in Bubbles (volcanic gas coming from black sand) with all kinds of weird fishes & creatures in Sangeang. Night diving in Bonto is also incredible! Plus diving in Moyo, Satonda & Banta. I’m putting together my trip video. I’ll post it here when it’s done, hopefully by next week.

Diving in Manta Alley, South Komodo last year was incredible though. This year the visibility was pretty bad though.

Here’s Manta Alley in August 2023



Here’s Saleh Bay in August 2022

 

[Centrals]

You will miss diving with Whalesharks in Saleh Bay & in Bubbles (volcanic gas coming from black sand) with all kinds of weird fishes & creatures in Sangeang. Night diving in Bonto is also incredible! Plus diving in Moyo, Satonda & Banta. I’m putting together my trip video. I’ll post it here when it’s done, hopefully by next week.

No place is the same!!
Komodo Dragon is one thing that is unique.
I have been to Cocos Island(Costa Rica) and the travelling was brutal!! Never ever again, spent more time in the air/land/sea than the actual diving. Tour guide does not have the luxury to say NO!!!
Getting there is half the fun!!! But there is limit to it.

Best thing too see the whalesahrk is the reaction of the fellow divers during/after the dive.
Bubbles from the ocean floor!!!!! I had seen it few times when diving in Puerto Galera(Chicken Feather Island), no big deal unless you had never seen it before.

Trip Report - Scuba Junkies' KLM Eliya

I recently had a 6D/5N LoB with Scuba Junkies’ KLM Eliya in Komodo. As this is a fairly new boat and not much info about it can be found online, I am giving below my opinion about it, hoping to help fellow divers make a more informed choice. Keep in mind that I generally find it difficult to...

scubaboard.com

 

[Dan]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Maldives yet. I don't know what flights look like from Ohio but from DC on Emirates it was 2 flights with a short layover. Liveaboards departing out of Male will send their dhoni to pick you up literally at the airport and you'll be on the liveaboard in less than 10 minutes.

There are other itineraries of course that may involve another domestic flight.

Last year I flew from Houston to Frankfurt with United (since I have lots of frequent flyer miles from United) and Condor from Frankfurt to Male.

 

[Dan]

Raja Ampat is certainly possible if nothing goes wrong. The first part of my journey, CLE to LAX or DFW or another major airport is not a major concern. I am having issues with the best airline in Indonesia's website, but suppose they have 3 flights a week between Jakarta and Sorong. If mine gets cancelled, that doesn't necessarily put me on the next flight. The next flight might be almost full and there is a whole flight of cancelled passengers trying to get seats on the next few flights. So I might be schedule to fly Monday, Monday is cancelled, Wednesday is full, and I get bumped to Friday or even the next Monday. Better odds spending my money on lottery tickets, and if I win mega-millions, I can quit my job so I have enough time to plan this properly.

Since Cleveland is closer to New York than to Los Angeles, your better route is going eastward. Get a domestic flight from CLE to JFK / LGA then Singapore Airlines from JFK to CGK as shown, below for $1,516 roundtrip (in fact that’s what I have bought for my 3rd trip to Indonesia this year in December. I’ll use my United frequent flyer miles to fly from IAH to LGA).

 

[Centrals]

LOL.
Still kept the picture of the boarding pass from Feb 2025!!
Board pass is readily replaceable at the airport.
Everything in my travelling is disposable except passport and credit card.
I do not live in the past!!!!
"Living in the past" is an album by Jethro Tull years ago.

 

[bvbellomo]

25 years ago, I went snorkeling in the Bahamas and fell in love with the underwater world. This trip was followed by 1) Scuba Certification, 2) A huge reef aquarium, 3) A crappy marriage and divorce, 4) finally getting to take scuba vacations.

One of the highlights for me is seeing so many of the reef-tank animals I've watched over the past quarter-century in small boxes actually in the wild. I've really only experienced that in the Red Sea. Big stuff is great too, and Socorro is on my list - but only for a future trip or if I can't figure out the logistics to farther destinations.

Galapagos has been a consideration since before my first dive trip. Ecuador is one of the most beautiful places I've been above water on Earth, and I would certainly enjoy a few more days there on land. The reality is with logistics, if I want to see Ecuador for both land and sea, flying out on 2 twice makes the most sense. And factoring in money, visibility and water temperature, Socorro, Maldives or other places with similar large pelagics are more appealing.

 

[Centrals]

Reef tank animals does not limit to pelagic there are small stuffs to admire.
Bunaken + Lembeh.
No need to worry about any Indonesian airlines, you are well taken of care by Scoot from Singapore.

 

[beldridg]

Basically, you want what you can't have.

You want to live where there isn't a major airline hub (that adds two add'l flights and connections round-trip) and you want to fly literally 1/2 way around the world without any hassles or time loss to see beautiful fish and reefs in pristine, remote Pacific island locations. AFAIK, that option doesn't exist.

There is no sliver bullet to getting from Cleveland to Bali or Raja Amat, or anywhere else in that part of the world really. You are going to burn 3-4+ days total in round-trip travel to get there.

I've never been to Tubbataha (no wrecks), but I'm guessing that is 3 flights from CLE with a date-line change outbound and a 10-12 hour boat crossing plus the usual inefficiencies of layovers and schedules.

I'm not trying to be harsh, but that "is what it is."

I love wreck diving and I love Bikini Atoll, but it involves at least 3 flights including an overnight in Oahu and a 24+ hour boat crossing. Would I like to be able to get there in 1-2days? Of course, but I don't own a G700.

- brett

 

[bvbellomo]

Basically, you want what you can't have.

You want to live where there isn't a major airline hub (that adds two add'l flights and connections round-trip) and you want to fly literally 1/2 way around the world without any hassles or time loss to see beautiful fish and reefs in pristine, remote Pacific island locations. AFAIK, that option doesn't exist.

There is no sliver bullet to getting from Cleveland to Bali or Raja Amat, or anywhere else in that part of the world really. You are going to burn 3-4+ days total in round-trip travel to get there.

I've never been to Tubbataha (no wrecks), but I'm guessing that is 3 flights from CLE with a date-line change outbound and a 10-12 hour boat crossing plus the usual inefficiencies of layovers and schedules.

I'm not trying to be harsh, but that "is what it is."

I love wreck diving and I love Bikini Atoll, but it involves at least 3 flights including an overnight in Oahu and a 24+ hour boat crossing. Would I like to be able to get there in 1-2days? Of course, but I don't own a G700.

- brett

As I already said, I am not looking for Raja-Ampat quality dives in Nebraska. I understand none of these places are easy to get to, but asking which are the easiest, along with possible suggestions of places I haven't thought about much. Of everything so far, Dan's suggestion of Mermaid makes the most sense.