Is Indonesia in January a Terrible Idea?

[Kate Rister]

My cousin is still in college and only available to dive December 28th-January 9th. We are really interested in Tulamben, Bunaken or Lembeh... I know it is the rainy season. Is this just a terrible time to go? It is a long, long flight for us, so I hate to waste our time. Thoughts? Would Marsa Alam be a better destination?

 

[Cali_diver]

Lembeh is awesome year around. Right now with the volcano situation in Bali I don't think I would plan anything for Tulamben. The great thing about Lembeh is you can get there without going through Bali or Jakarta! Singapore to Manado and you are there with no domestic flights!

 

[Kate Rister]

We thought about the volcano situation, but assumed it would be erupted and over with by then? If the volcano wasn't an issue, would Bali be alright to dive even with rainy season in full swing?

Do you have insight on Bunaken that time of year, so we could split our time up between there and Lembeh?

 

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

We thought about the volcano situation, but assumed it would be erupted and over with by then? If the volcano wasn't an issue, would Bali be alright to dive even with rainy season in full swing?

Do you have insight on Bunaken that time of year, so we could split our time up between there and Lembeh?

Raining season means bad vis, rough waves, and cold rain. Not sure if that is the optimal diving condition in Bali.

Manado is good for diving during the period of time you've mentioned. In fact, I've dived there almost at the exact same dates couple of years back. Diving was great. You will have no problem and issues. The vis at Bunaken was awesome (30m +) and the fauna just spectacular.

I'd suggest Manado for your proposed trip date.

 

[WetPup]

Depends what kind of diving you want to do in Bali. If you stick to Amed and Padangbai for muck, it doesn't really matter what the weather is doing. If you want to dive the wreck at Tulumben or head over to some of the other islands, then yes, the weather and viz is going to be of more concern. As others have said, Lembeh is good year round. I've been in January and while it was a bit windy and rainy, the diving was still great. Maybe not so ideal if you're looking to spend any time chilling poolside during surface intervals though.

 

[Indah]

Raining season means bad vis, rough waves, and cold rain. Not sure if that is the optimal diving condition in Bali.

Manado is good for diving during the period of time you've mentioned. In fact, I've dived there almost at the exact same dates couple of years back. Diving was great. You will have no problem and issues. The vis at Bunaken was awesome (30m +) and the fauna just spectacular.

I'd suggest Manado for your proposed trip date.

You have been very lucky. End of December and start of January is the peak of the rainy season in the Manado/Bunaken area. Often strong winds from the North-West to North-East can make the trip from the mainland and back very difficult because of the rough sea. Lembeh is much less effected and because it is protected by the mountains of the mainland. We often dive at the reefs at the South-East coast of Lembeh Island that time of year. Weda Resort would have been a great place for that period, but we are fully booked already.

 

[billt4sf]

I've been living here for the better part of a year and diving as much as I can.

Don't know about Lembeh in January. Just be aware that it is the muckiest of muck sites. There's little to see besides black sand and tiny critters. You need a LARGE camera or at least a magnifying glass. If that's your thing -- you'll love it. If it's not, you might decide to leave early like we did.

Bunaken had great walls with corals and lots of turtles. Bangka is also nearby, great coral reefs, there are several resorts.

There's a lot of trash in the water in both areas.

Dec 28 - Jan 9 is less than two weeks. I tell my friends not to come to Indo unless you have three weeks. 24 hrs to travel, 24 hours to recover...the same on the other end...now you're down to 10 days at most. Just think about whether that is worth the money, etc to you.

Contrariwise --- Indo has the best diving in the world. You might hate the Caribbean after diving Indo!

Have you considered Raja Ampat? A bit harder to get to, more expensive, but SUPERB diving. And many places are already booked-up for this year.

Bali has very good diving, though not as good as Raja Ampat or N. Sulawesi IMHO. Can't see why the rainy season should be a concern at all, at least not for Amed & Tulamben (those are dry regions of Bali). You can also station yourself in Padang Bai and take boat trips to see mantas and great coral.

Hope this helps. Now here comes the chorus of posts telling me how great Lembeh is.

- Bill

 

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

You have been very lucky. End of December and start of January is the peak of the rainy season in the Manado/Bunaken area. Often strong winds from the North-West to North-East can make the trip from the mainland and back very difficult because of the rough sea. Lembeh is much less effected and because it is protected by the mountains of the mainland. We often dive at the reefs at the South-East coast of Lembeh Island that time of year. Weda Resort would have been a great place for that period, but we are fully booked already.

Really? That is interesting. I was not aware of the swells. I was diving with folks from Tasik Ria and they told me that it is usually pretty nice to dive in Dec and Jan and that the shower/rain is not as bad as other part of the region. Maybe it was a marketing ploy. But it was a good trip. I've really enjoyed it and want to go back soon.

 

[Indah]

Friends of ours close their resort in Manado that time of the year because of their bad experiences with storms and waves. But indeed the weather is never predictable. We had a lot of rain last August here in Lembeh, which is supposed to be the driest time of the year.

 

[Kate Rister]

I've been living here for the better part of a year and diving as much as I can.

Don't know about Lembeh in January. Just be aware that it is the muckiest of muck sites. There's little to see besides black sand and tiny critters. You need a LARGE camera or at least a magnifying glass. If that's your thing -- you'll love it. If it's not, you might decide to leave early like we did.

Bunaken had great walls with corals and lots of turtles. Bangka is also nearby, great coral reefs, there are several resorts.

There's a lot of trash in the water in both areas.

Dec 28 - Jan 9 is less than two weeks. I tell my friends not to come to Indo unless you have three weeks. 24 hrs to travel, 24 hours to recover...the same on the other end...now you're down to 10 days at most. Just think about whether that is worth the money, etc to you.

Contrariwise --- Indo has the best diving in the world. You might hate the Caribbean after diving Indo!

Have you considered Raja Ampat? A bit harder to get to, more expensive, but SUPERB diving. And many places are already booked-up for this year.

Bali has very good diving, though not as good as Raja Ampat or N. Sulawesi IMHO. Can't see why the rainy season should be a concern at all, at least not for Amed & Tulamben (those are dry regions of Bali). You can also station yourself in Padang Bai and take boat trips to see mantas and great coral.

Hope this helps. Now here comes the chorus of posts telling me how great Lembeh is.

- Bill

I would LOVE to stay 3 weeks. However, I run my own business and honestly can't be gone that long at this point in my life. My cousin is still in college and can't miss classes or Christmas, so we are stuck with these dates. We have been heavily considering if the amount of travel is worth the return, especially in January!