Just back from Indonesia

[Diving diane]

Great to see you had a good time and thx for the report. I'll be diving Padang Bai area for 3 days then going on a 10D Komodo liveaboard on Mermaid I at the end of Aug.

Any particular sites in Padang Bai (locally) that you recommend? Or not so worth it for afternoon / night dives? My plan is to do Tepekong/Mimpang and Crystal Bay/Manta Point/Penida 2 tanks in the mornings. How was the water temp?

How was the wifi at Puri Rai - was it stable and did you have it in the room or only in common areas? Puri Rai is much closer to the dive shop I booked with (Geko) but reviews rated wifi at a 5.6 or something like that so I'm currently booked into Bloo Lagoon but can still change.

How big of spiders are we talking in Alor Eco Divers? Any wifi? How was the shower - water hot, good pressure? Food is good?

What was the water temp at both Alor and Komodo? My friend just came back from a Komodo 10 day liveaboard on Indo Siren in July and said it was super cold 21-22C throughout the entire park. Online research seems to point to 27-28 in the north and 25-26 in the south... My friend dove drysuit w J2+xerotherm in Komodo lol and I'm planning to do the same but my husband only has a 5mm so I'm wondering if we'll need to get him a 7mm semi-dry somehow (impossible to find in SG!)

I've been wanting to go to Alor but have always been put off by 1) the need to fly Lion Air and have a full 2 days to connect, 2) mentions of cold waters and very cold thermoclines. But I recently bit the bullet on a custom drysuit (fourth element argnonaut and full range of J2/xerotherm/artic undergarments) and feel like I can probably handle down to 16C or so.

 

[Diving diane]

How did you find Padangbai diving? We will be in Bali (Benoa) for one day (cruise ship) and are keen AOW divers! Blue Lagoon was mentioned by a dive ship (AquaMarine) but the area seemed loaded with boats and snorkelers. Maybe this area is better for top of the water instead of diving? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Tippytoes12]

How did you find Padangbai diving? We will be in Bali (Benoa) for one day (cruise ship) and are keen AOW divers! Blue Lagoon was mentioned by a dive ship (AquaMarine) but the area seemed loaded with boats and snorkelers. Maybe this area is better for top of the water instead of diving? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Padang Bai is an excellent area for diving, we always include a few days there. Blu Lagoon is good, and there are several great sharky sites, but the best of all is the Jetty that has superb macro. It’s fine for topside adventures, but don’t miss the diving. We dive with Absolute Scuba who have excellent local guides. I am sure that they would be happy to hear from you.

 

[jjmochi]

How did you find Padangbai diving? We will be in Bali (Benoa) for one day (cruise ship) and are keen AOW divers! Blue Lagoon was mentioned by a dive ship (AquaMarine) but the area seemed loaded with boats and snorkelers. Maybe this area is better for top of the water instead of diving? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Loved Jetty and Blue Lagoon, but did both as macro dives. I think for the prettiest reefs you're better off going to Penida, but the currents can be hard to manage if you're newer divers.

 

[diveUAE]

Waking up this thread as I plan some similar diving in June/July 2023. Komodo LOB followed by ~1wk Alor and then who knows but probably something around Bali.

Having just dove the Red Sea with a rental 5mm shorty I am 'sensitive' to the temps and want to make sure I get the right gear. The trip is a long way off but i may have to collect my gear soon as other travels will come into play. I was COLD on a couple sites where my computer registered 24C. I was OK in general where temps were 28C but I would have preferred to have my 5/3 full suit. I plan to take that and a 3mm vest and a hood on this trip. I tend to get chilly more than others (135lbs and not really any extra 'human' layering on my body). I am VERY curious about this 'heated vest' someone mentioned.

Also curious about the mosquitos in June in Alor. OP suggested they were out in force. I remember getting eaten alive my first trip to Lembeh. Would love to avoid that situation.

If you bring your full suit and a hood, I'm sure you'll be fine - a hooded west will give you more protection. Rental suits might be old and worn and not a proper fit like your own suit. We dived and stayed with Alor Eco divers and they do not rent suits, you need to bring your own - other dive centers may have rentals.

I was told it's not normal to have so many mosquitos in Alor in July - usually they're gone by June, but due to unusual rain fall they were still there. Even with lot of soffel (local brand mosquito guard, that usually works good for me) I (and our son) got eaten most nights - we're the mozzie magnets of the family, husband and daughter got maybe 3-4 during the week. I bought a "pen" you press against the bite and press a button, it then warms/zaps the bite for like 5-10 seconds (hurts like h***), but then the itch is gone - very much worth it and totally recommend!! Still I'm dreaming of going back to Alor - the place was just magical for me/us.

Have fun planning and hope you have a great trip!