Light currents in Indonesia?

[Jake from Port A]

Hi divers ! My wife and I are looking for land based dive resort recommendations in Indonesia which aren't notorious for strong currents. We prefer boat diving rather than shore diving. We are both experienced divers but she has some arthritis which can be a problem in strong currents if she has to kick a lot to stay with the group. We dove 10 days in Aniloa last year and it was really perfect with only a couple of the sites having moderate current which basically turned into a drift dive. We are fine with that. For the majority of the dives we would like to take our time and look for small creatures rather than blazing down the entire dive. We are pretty low-key and wouldn't mind a spot that has a guided tour or two on land but we are also content just getting a massage after diving and hanging around the resort. We aren't looking for nightlife or bars. We are considering Puerto Galera for a couple of days and then back to Anilao but just wanted a couple of recommendations for other areas with similar conditions that we might not know about.Thanks!

 

[rmorgan]

Lembeh, if you want critters and mild currents. Wakatobi checks all your boxes.

 

[Luko]

For the majority of the dives we would like to take our time and look for small creatures rather than blazing down the entire dive. We are pretty low-key and wouldn't mind a spot that has a guided tour or two on land but we are also content just getting a massage after diving and hanging around the resort.

Sounds to me that Tulamben/Bali checks all your boxes : quiet place, cheap but comfortable bungalows, small creatures, good dedicated guides for long dives, balinese massages for 10USD, lots of private tours possible with a driver.

 

[Cali_diver]

Lembeh... or Tulamben but be aware that in Tulamben they don't have boat docks so you have to wade out to boats generally and this can be challenging if any swell in area. Lembeh resorts have boat docks so easy peasy. Both have amazing critter diving but you will see more cephalopods in Lembeh and probably more nudibranchs in Tulamben. Both locations offer great land based tours as well. You can fly internationally without domestic flights to both destinations but there are more options with Bali. I think Lembeh is only via Singapore to Manado but it also has an easy domestic flight if you want to pair with a Bali/Jakarta International flight.

 

[Redtwo]

Manado/bunaken ticks all the boxes i think

 

[Centrals]

Sounds to me that Tulamben/Bali checks all your boxes : quiet place, cheap but comfortable bungalows, small creatures, good dedicated guides for long dives, balinese massages for 10USD, lots of private tours possible with a driver.

No it doesn't.
Read #4 by @Cali_diver

@Jake from Port A
Manado via Singapore as suggested by @Cali_diver
You can easily dive 2-3 different areas without too much travelling.