Is Indonesia in January a Terrible Idea?

[Luko]

So I emailed a few dive resorts in Bunaken and they basically all advised against visiting in January Someone else suggested Similan/Surin from Khao Lak, but isn't that all overfished basically?

Then why not the Philippines (Cebu area : Moalboal, Alona), otherwise in Indonesia central Maluku region (Ambon, Saparua) is great too but I reckon a week is a bit short adding up with domestic flights, not even speaking about Raja Ampat.

 

[Miki Brunou]

No, not at all.

We experienced no truly hard currents, as the op picked sites to avoid that.
None of our dives were deep, as the top of the reef is where the most life is.
My girlfriend, Colleen, was having back issues at the time, and she often was calmly snorkeling the reef top during many of our dives, and could watch us very clearly from the reef top, which can be quite shallow.

Ok, that's good to hear. Glad to to know that's not an issue, unlike the rainy season which is apparently shutting most of the resorts down for January.

 

[Miki Brunou]

So I emailed a few dive resorts in Bunaken and they basically all advised against visiting in January

Have you any idea whether the same applies to February?

 

[Kate Rister]

Then why not the Philippines (Cebu area : Moalboal, Alona), otherwise in Indonesia central Maluku region (Ambon, Saparua) is great too but I reckon a week is a bit short adding up with domestic flights, not even speaking about Raja Ampat.

I will look into that. Any thoughts on Similan/Surin day trips from Khoa Lak? Is it true the area is bleached and overfished?

 

[Luko]

I will look into that. Any thoughts on Similan/Surin day trips from Khoa Lak? Is it true the area is bleached and overfished?

I stopped going to Thailand since 2010 because it was really bad then, not even speaking about the crowded beaches with mass market tourism.
If your idea of fun is riding a speedboat more than 3hrs per day then you might have a try, personally I did that twice to Similan and Koh Bon from Kao Lak then gave up.

 

[billt4sf]

Would you consider the best dive sites in Bunaken way too difficult for a beginner who has just completed her open water course?

In my limited experience there no, however (except for those on the mainland, which are all muck) they are all walls, which is a bit more challenging than reefs, because a new diver would have to monitor their depth continuously. On walls, you are always facing down, thus you naturally keep going down. For a rank new diver, I would look for reefs. And Raja Ampat is known for currents. Hell, all of Indo is known for currents (though you can find locations without currents).

TBH, for a rank new diver I would go as local as possible -- then spend the big bucks to come over here once she is more comfortable in the water.

If it were me, I would do the pool portion if the course at home, and the ocean part in a local (whatever that may mean) place where you can pick the instructor. Good instruction is worth a lot. "Well begun is half done" as they say.

- Bill

 

[Finn_Diver]

I will look into that. Any thoughts on Similan/Surin day trips from Khoa Lak? Is it true the area is bleached and overfished?

Richelieu Rock is a world class dive site. Ko Bon and Ko Tachai are very nice and lot of fish life. Also Boonsun wreck (dive site nick name "Fish soup") is very good, lot of fish and variety. If you rent a motorbike/scooter, you get in 10-30 minutes from main Khao Lak to very beautiful nature and empty gorgeous beaches.

 

[Miki Brunou]

In my limited experience there no, however (except for those on the mainland, which are all muck) they are all walls, which is a bit more challenging than reefs, because a new diver would have to monitor their depth continuously. On walls, you are always facing down, thus you naturally keep going down. For a rank new diver, I would look for reefs. And Raja Ampat is known for currents. Hell, all of Indo is known for currents (though you can find locations without currents).

TBH, for a rank new diver I would go as local as possible -- then spend the big bucks to come over here once she is more comfortable in the water.

If it were me, I would do the pool portion if the course at home, and the ocean part in a local (whatever that may mean) place where you can pick the instructor. Good instruction is worth a lot. "Well begun is half done" as they say.

Yeah, that makes sense. Unfortunately, "local" in our case means diving in the Baltic Sea, which is not exactly known for spectacular marine life nor good visibility. The guys from Two Fish Divers were pretty determined in providing my wife a good initiation for scuba diving. I'm sure she's not the first one doing her open water course in Bunaken. On the other hand, it would be really unfortunate if she would be struggling with the currents and buoyancy control so much that it would keep her from enjoying the whole thing. I did my open water course in Pulau Weh, Banda Aceh, where the currents were ripping at times. I actually thought that those conditions were just business as usual. But I did see a huge manta and a leopard shark on my fourth open water dive

 

[Dan]

Yeah, that makes sense. Unfortunately, "local" in our case means diving in the Baltic Sea, which is not exactly known for spectacular marine life nor good visibility. The guys from Two Fish Divers were pretty determined in providing my wife a good initiation for scuba diving. I'm sure she's not the first one doing her open water course in Bunaken. On the other hand, it would be really unfortunate if she would be struggling with the currents and buoyancy control so much that it would keep her from enjoying the whole thing. I did my open water course in Pulau Weh, Banda Aceh, where the currents were ripping at times. I actually thought that those conditions were just business as usual. But I did see a huge manta and a leopard shark on my fourth open water dive

Lucky you. I've been wanting to see leopard shark. Planned to see it during a liveaboard diving in Similan, but it keeps getting postponed for better diving locations (Komodo, Raja Ampat, Bunaken, Lembeh, Wakatobi, Alor, Bali, Maratua, etc.). May be I should go to Pulau Weh when I visit my relative in Medan.

 

[Miki Brunou]

Lucky you. I've been wanting to see leopard shark. Planned to see it during a liveaboard diving in Similan, but it keeps getting postponed for better diving locations (Komodo, Raja Ampat, Bunaken, Lembeh, Wakatobi, Alor, Bali, Maratua, etc.). May be I should go to Pulau Weh when I visit my relative in Medan.

It was a beauty alright. I can highly recommend diving with Rubiah Divers (Rubiah Tirta Dive Center - the 1st dive center in Aceh, Sumatera, Indonesia located in Pulau Weh owned by professional local diver since 1989. | the 1st dive center in Aceh, Sumatera, Indonesia located in Pulau Weh owned by professional local diver since 1989.) if you ever go there. There were hardly any tourists, and all the other divers I met on the island had a really respectful attitude towards marine life. Just the right kind of folks to get me even more excited about the wonders I'd just seen. It was definitely worth the gruelling bus ride from Medan to get there.