Indonesia/Malaysia for beginners?

[Gustavera]

Hi to all,

I'm heading to Indonesia and Malaysia this September and spending 2 months (if not more) over there. I'm planning on skipping the Bali frenzy and head further southeast to Lombok, Flores and hopefully to Sulawesi and Banda Islands.

I was wondering if anyone could help me out in regards of the best places to get comfortable with the conditions and also do some courses in that area; I'm currently a OWD and with just a few dives experience but looking to go DM in the near future. I've heard the Gilis in Lombok are a good place to develop even though it's crowed with tourists; any suggestions are highly appreciated!!!

Thank you in advance.

Stay safe,

Gustavo

 

[scubadiveilat]

In that area you'll have no problem.

Allocate a dive centre there. Start with a couple of guided dives to get familiar with the place. Inform the people your level and experience. As you start diving you'll meet people around and develop the diving.

If seeking to conduct a course there I am sure you'll find help quickly. If your looking to do the course elsewhere. In form me I may be able to assist.

Meanwhile have fun and dive frequently. Practice makes perfect!!

 

[vixtor]

I spent some time in Tioman this spring. The island is beautiful and pretty savage - very small isolated villages, and jungle surrounding everything. Great visibility compared to my others Asia trips, and some huge&intact coral fields.

It is the place to spend at least 2-3 weeks if you really enjoy diving and nothing else..

 

[Tortuga68]

I enjoyed Tioman, but I was already getting a little bored with the diving after a week of going to the same 3-4 sites

Bali is quite relaxed once you get away from Denpassar - Tulamben & the USAT Liberty should definitely be on your To Do list

 

[Wisnu]

what time you'll be travelling. Remember some location such Tioman is not year around.
I personally love Bali, particularly Tulamben area, offer almost everything and suitable for all level.
Lombok is nice place, great ambient if you like party but not the best diving in Indonesia.
Other choice is North Sulawesi, you have the choice of nice wall diving, drift diving and the mecca of muck diving at Lembeh - or bangka islands, combination of both world.
Just click the link on my signatures - to get the idea of what you will get there... but sorry from the kids eyes.

 

[highdesert]

Bali has some excellent diving. October is a prime month for weather there, and the busy tourist season is over. You can land in Bali and get out of the Kuta/Denpasar zoo in an hour, and then you're in a little bit of paradise on Earth.

 

[scubafied]

As mentioned, if you get away from Kuta/Denpasar you can avoid most of the frenzy. I have been in Sanur, Bali for a little over 3 months (DM & Instructor program) and have 3 months left in my stay (for MSDT) and have enjoyed every minute of it. The DM program I did was 2 months long and involved getting up at 6am, getting home at 6-7pm and diving 6 days a week. It left little to no time to experience anything hectic other than the daily schedule I was following. The good thing about Bali and probably the reason I chose it over a lot of other places is that there is a huge diversity in dive sites. I've had the chance to do everything from wreck to drift to muck dives and have logged over 100 in the few months I've been here. It's definitely worth a second thought if your looking for variety.

 

[Quero]

Hi Gustavo!

Starting in September, I'd recommend heading to Malaysia's east coast right away, before the northeast monsoon winds start to blow. You can go up to the Perhentians and Redang for some nice easy diving and training, getting some experience to prepare you for some more challenging dives at other places. Starting in October, resorts and dive centers on Malaysia's east coast shut down, and it's time to move on. From there, I'd go to Bali for a while, specifically Tulamben. If you're up for it, you could also jump on a liveaboard to Komodo. The Manado area has year round diving, though some times of year it gets pretty windy. Malaysia's Sipadan area can also be dived year round. From November onwards, head up into the Andaman Sea. Destinations like Indonesia's Pulau Weh and tons of places in Thailand all the way from Koh Lipe on the Malaysia border up to Surin Island on the Burma border are lovely in winter.

 

[Gustavera]

Gee, that's a lot of info, thanks everyone. I was away for a couple of weeks and unable to use the internet, but I thank you all kindly for the tips.

Wisnu, regarding your commentary, you suggest North Sulawesi as a hotspot but I am wondering: is it a good place for beginners? I most definitely want to explore that area and that of Banda as well, but would not feel 100% comfortable doing so knowing that it has some demanding/challenging dives. Okay, overall I'm looking at around 3 months between Malaysia and Indo but I hope to be able to extend the visa so we can stay longer, funds allowing.

Quero, the suggestion of LiveAboard is great but unfortunately I don't have enough funds for it, but I keep wondering if it's easy enough to travel between, let's say, Flores --> Sulawesi --> Banda. My guidebook says they're long and exhausting boat journeys. Anyway, if you guys say I would be able to find a dive operator/school/training centre in Sulawesi or Banda, I'll plan my trip towards those places.

Thanks all again and hope to hear from you soon.

Regards, keep safe.

Gustavo

 

[Quero]

Gustavo, in fact, it is quite an "adventure" to travel cheaply between the islands in Indonesia. You'd want to fly.