Indonesia dive locations..what are the nice land-based resorts...

[jagfish]

Considering a springtime trip to Indonesia. I'd like to see some big stuff: sharks, rays, dinosaurs, etc. I hear that Indonesia is the place and know absolutely nothing.

Any good locations/resorts to start with? Land-based resort with short boat rides and shore-based diving.

Any other suggestions for locations in Asia for the above would also be appreciated.

Many thanks...Jim

 

[dive_lover88]

Manado?

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

Theres plenty of great resorts in Indonesia that offer small stuff: KBR in Lembeh is one of the best resorts I've been to and offers mind-blowing critter diving (and very short boat rides), ditto northern Bali is good (and has interesting topside cultural attractions) and Wakatobi is also meant to be a nice resort. But I'm not sure about where to go for big stuff: possibly Komodo?

Bunaken (Manado) touts itself as big walls and big fish but in a week of diving there you are lucky to see 1 or 2 sharks. Sipadan across in Malaysia is better. If you want guaranteed big stuff than Palau in Micronesia is hard to beat.

Sorry I cant help much - I’m interested in hearing an answer as well... For dinosaurs - thats easy: come up here to Mongolia.

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[jagfish]

Theres plenty of great resorts in Indonesia that offer small stuff: KBR in Lembeh is one of the best resorts I've been to and offers mind-blowing critter diving (and very short boat rides), ditto northern Bali is good (and has interesting topside cultural attractions) and Wakatobi is also meant to be a nice resort. But I'm not sure about where to go for big stuff: possibly Komodo?

Bunaken (Manado) touts itself as big walls and big fish but in a week of diving there you are lucky to see 1 or 2 sharks. Sipadan across in Malaysia is better. If you want guaranteed big stuff than Palau in Micronesia is hard to beat.

Sorry I cant help much - I’m interested in hearing an answer as well... For dinosaurs - thats easy: come up here to Mongolia.

Cheers,
Rohan.

Sipadan...:14:

 

[TSandM]

KBR on the Lembeh Straits is an absolutely beautiful resort, with a superb dive operation, short boat rides, and waters full of amazingly weird and wonderful creatures, but it's not a place for big fish. Tasik Ria, where we stayed when we dove Bunaken, is also a very pleasant resort (food's not as good as KBR, nor are you as pampered), but the boat ride to the actual dive sites is much longer, and you spend the day on the boat. The walls are magnificent, but again, not much in pelagics, and we saw a handful of sharks and a couple of turtles. Mostly reef fish and macro stuff.

 

[jagfish]

Thanks for that...I thought I remembered people telling me Indonesia was where the monsters are. Maybe they meant Komodo livaboards.

Perhaps across the way in Malaysia is better for pelagics...

 

[DontLieToMe]

Sharks and rays (i.e., Manta Rays). Generally Indonesia is not the place for these creatures. There is the possibility of Manta Rays at a location in Southern Komodo but if that is the goal I would go elsewhere. As other posts have mentioned Lembeh is good for small creatures and Bunaken for its wall. I prefer Gangga Island Resort which sits in the middle and provides good access to diving at Bangka Island and the Northern Sulawesi coast. Manado the starting point for all three is easy to get to from Singapore - 3 hours flight on SilkAir. You could also plan a stay in one, two, or all three areas of Northern Sulawesi.

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

Hey Don't Lie to Me - I looked at Gangaa Island: looks like a great
luxury resort, but do they run trips to lembeh/bunaken from Gangaa Island, or only explore the islands around gangaa?

If you do komodo then you may get some slightly larger stuff, and you will get dinosaurs (komodo dragons).

Layang Layang off western malaysia that has HH schools some months. Ditto Yonaguni Island (western japan).

Coral Sea, Fiji, Cuba, and Galapagos Islands are all good for big stuff

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[Zippsy]

Gangga Resort also runs trips to Lembeh & Bunakan but not every day. The nearby diving is also very good and the difference in travel time makes it well worth the difference in diving. Stay a week and go to all three places. If you are strickly after macro though and you are with harder-core divers, staying at Lembeh would be better.

 

[Quero]

You can see mantas off Nusa Peninda near Bali, and Mola Mola off Nusa Lembongan/Nusa Penida. The boat rides for Molas are short if you stay on Lembongan, but going to the mantas requires a longish ride as it's on the opposite side of the island. Molas are seasonal(August to November, more or less).