Low budget options

[bvbellomo]

I think these are solid suggestions, though I would hold off on muck diving in Lembeh until you know that you have your buoyancy down. Muck diving in Lembeh is a lot of fine sandy bottom and if you don't have your buoyancy down, you will silt out the place for yourself, your dive buddy, and everyone around you. You will not be popular after that. I tend to find that newer divers generally don't appreciate muck diving until later, and even more so without a camera. Many new divers tend to like fish, wide angle reef, colors, density, etc., and the idea of combing a sandy bottom with little to no fish, a few coral heads looking for really small critters that some can't see without a magnifying glass doesn't appeal to many. With that said, if your buoyancy is down and all that sounds fascinating to you, I think it's a great place to try it.

My buoyancy is fine, but the idea of combing a sandy bottom with little to no fish, few coral heads and really small critters doesn't sound great at all. In the Bahamas, we spent too much time in my opinion on the seagrass beds. Not that there aren't cool critters to find, but it seems like every square foot of reef had as many cool critters as 1000 square feet of seagrass. If I want to see plain muck without stuff in it, Lake Erie is only a short drive away.

 

[bvbellomo]

Go to the Philippines instead. Not only is it cheaper than Indonesia, the diving is also still very good. Build your way up to Indonesia. There are some great direct or easy 1-stop flights to Manila or Cebu to get you into the country once you get to the west coast of the US.

The one exception might be to check out Bali where you can get some good topside time to explore and relax. There's some diving there but I'd say it is not a full representation of all that Indonesia has to offer. It's quite easy to fly to Bali as well.

I also think that the best places for diving in Indonesia are better saved for when you have more dive experience so that you can enjoy it more while not having to worry about the strong current (up, down, and regular), air consumption for yourself as it relates to bottom time and how it might affect others, buoyancy, etc. As you dive more and other places first, you will come to appreciate the beauty that is Komodo or Raja Ampat when you can compare it to other places you have been. Dive it first and you might get spoiled and will not want to go elsewhere after, or you will scoff at those places.

I am mainly deciding between Indonesia, Philippines and Red Sea. I posted this in Indonesia, since there are so many different possible trips, and everyone is talking about Philippines and Red Sea.

I really want to see Tubbataha, and I could do it towards the end of their season, but it seems better suited for a year when I don't have time pressure. I am not sold on the idea of a Philippines trip without Tubbataha.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I am mainly deciding between Indonesia, Philippines and Red Sea. I posted this in Indonesia, since there are so many different possible trips, and everyone is talking about Philippines and Red Sea.

I really want to see Tubbataha, and I could do it towards the end of their season, but it seems better suited for a year when I don't have time pressure. I am not sold on the idea of a Philippines trip without Tubbataha.

I agree with you re: Tubbataha. It is often held as the best diving in the Philippines and I think it would be a disservice to not go if you have the opportunity! Myself, and I'm sure others, are only mentioning the other places like Philippines and Red Sea because of something you said....

"Or is Indonesia something I should cross off my list until I have more time and money? I am mainly looking for fantastic and unspoiled reefs, colorful fish, etc. I can appreciate sharks, but the Caribbean has sharks. I don't really appreciate wrecks, but don't mind a wreck dive on an otherwise nice site."

It's not just a matter of time and money, but I also think you will appreciate it and love it even more if you have dived some other places such as the Red Sea or the Philippines first if you have been diving the Caribbean previously. I worry that if you dive Indo first then go to the Red Sea and Philippines, you might be a little disappointed or will find yourself comparing it back to Indo all the time. I dived Cozumel, Komodo, then the Great Barrier Reef, the Bahamas, then Raja Ampat, then the Philippines, then the Red Sea, Thailand, then Raja Ampat again. I did a little French Polynesia, Costa Rica, New Zealand in there as well. Each time, I've found myself going back to Indonesia and when I was in the GBR, I was disappointed. It was good diving, don't get me wrong, but I had just come from Komodo and it was so fresh. Philippines was good (including Tubbataha), but it wasn't Indo-good. Same with Red Sea. I kept comparing it to Indo - but I also accepted that it was different diving and I still enjoyed it. I appreciated Raja Ampat a lot more the 2nd time around because I had seen a lot more of other diving elsewhere between the first time and the second time I went.


As for the time and money aspect of it, I find overall Indonesia diving is more expensive than the Red Sea and Philippines, so I was also trying to suggest something a little more economical as well. In addition, time is of course a factor and the best parts of Indonesia are a bit more difficult to get to than some parts of the Philippines or the Red Sea.

That is where my thinking and posts are coming from.

 

[bvbellomo]

I am not faulting anyone for making suggestions, just point out that if I ask for Indo suggestions and everyone points me to other places, I probably shouldn't do Indo for this trip.

I am not going to different sites for "better" or "worse". If Indo is so much better, why not go there multiple times instead? I go to different sites for variety. If I do 1 Indo trip and a Red Sea trip the following year and the Philippines the year after, and am going to be disappointed, then why no just do Indo 2 or 3 times, then the Red Sea will be more impressive just for the variety.

I have been in the reef aquarium hobby 20 years and am an armature biologist, so I won't be too disappointed.

If I've learned one thing in life, it is not to take future opportunities for granted. I'd hate to put off Indo for years because it is so much better, and then have a life or health issue prevent me from ever going.

 

[Tribal]

If you go for the Red Sea you might want to look into ST. John/ Deep South LoB’s. It’s mostly easy dive spots with no current and it’s all about colourful reefs that you can’t reach with day boats.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I am not faulting anyone for making suggestions, just point out that if I ask for Indo suggestions and everyone points me to other places, I probably shouldn't do Indo for this trip.

I am not going to different sites for "better" or "worse". If Indo is so much better, why not go there multiple times instead? I go to different sites for variety. If I do 1 Indo trip and a Red Sea trip the following year and the Philippines the year after, and am going to be disappointed, then why no just do Indo 2 or 3 times, then the Red Sea will be more impressive just for the variety.

I have been in the reef aquarium hobby 20 years and am an armature biologist, so I won't be too disappointed.

If I've learned one thing in life, it is not to take future opportunities for granted. I'd hate to put off Indo for years because it is so much better, and then have a life or health issue prevent me from ever going.

If you have a $5K budget, you could do hang in Bali for a bit, maybe do some diving with day boats, also do a liveaboard in Komodo for a week, and include airfare, and be well within your budget.
Komodo is great and even if you can't travel until May, it's still good between May to October. It's a good representation of what Indonesia diving can be like, but I will be honest here, as well......While you can dive Komodo with 30 dives and join operators for day or liveaboard diving and they will not have minimum dive or experience requirements, in my experience, you won't be able to enjoy Komodo for all that it can be if the operator is skewing the dive site choice or timing of the dive on a particular site due to the experience of the divers, whether it is for you or the group collectively. Many people do dive it this way and it can be done. I'm saying it might not be ideal.

High/strong current means lots of mantas, fish, and action. Diving a particular site at a quieter time, or going to a dive site that is easier may not have the highlights or action that Komodo is known for. Strong currents generally make for poorer air consumption for everyone, including experience divers. It can and will affect people's bottom time but in the case of newer divers, all this can be distracting. You might end up being so focused on buoyancy, air consumption, fighting the current, etc., that you don't enjoy the dive for what it is and all there is to see. Upcurrent, downcurrent, drift...It's all there in Komodo.

I was on a day boat in between liveaboards in Komodo last month and I was grouped with the more experienced group. Take that as you will but one of the divers in our group of 4 got low on air on a stronger current dive and we had to bail on the dive at 38 minutes to start our safety stop when it should have been an hour dive. I'm sure it was frustrating for her but it also sucked for the rest of us when I still had 1400 PSI left.

I would also consider having your AOW and possibly your deep specialty before going. If the op (and they should be) is enforcing the OW limit, 60 feet limits will be an issue in places in Indo where the diving is "the best". Know that diving in Indonesia on liveaboards does not extend the same "freedom" that you would get diving on some liveaboards in the Caribbean. You are required to be in a group of 4 to 1 guide and they do not allow you to dive on your own with your buddy or do your own dive plan. Effectively, everyone affects everyone else and it is usually down to the lowest denominator on air consumption and experience.

I've been to Komodo 2X and Raja Ampat 2X and I feel that way about both places. They are my 2 favorite places to dive. It's very good. I've had pretty strong current in both places, some dives requiring a reef hook. I hope I'm not coming across as trying to rain on your parade but am trying to give you as much information as possible so that you can make an informed decision that you feel comfortable with and have a great time thinking you spent your time and money well.

 

[bvbellomo]

Lots of people try to push newer divers away from currents, but I don't see a problem for me. I've only done 1 dive with substantial current (Washing Machine in the Bahamas) but it was one of my favorites. We covered so much more ground and got to see so much more than other dives. I do see how it could be problematic, and wouldn't recommend it as a very first dive, but I didn't find it particularly challenging, intimidating or dangerous - just a little more important to listen and follow directions. Of course, bigger currents could be bigger problems.

I am a 200 lbs male, and while my air consumption improved over the 30 dives on my trip, it isn't great compared to 120lbs females. I had one as a dive partner that surfaced with around 1600 psi after a full hour, I was still over 800, and only went up because the other divers went sooner, and I bet many went below the 500psi we were asked to return with.

I have a much harder time NOT moving. My air consumption compared to others is a lot better the more active we are. I am in great cardiovascular shape even if I am less experienced, which pays off more the more everyone exerts themselves. But our dive master could hold perfectly still horizontally 6 inches from an interesting animal, while I tend to start flapping my arms like a bird unless I have some momentum.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I have a much harder time NOT moving. My air consumption compared to others is a lot better the more active we are. I am in great cardiovascular shape even if I am less experienced, which pays off more the more everyone exerts themselves. But our dive master could hold perfectly still horizontally 6 inches from an interesting animal, while I tend to start flapping my arms like a bird unless I have some momentum.

It sounds like you are carrying too much weight if you need momentum or if you have to use your hands or fins to maintain a particular depth. If you remove some weight, you should be able to hover like the divemaster you mentioned which will also help you use even less air.

 

[bvbellomo]

I carry 10lbs with a full wetsuit and aluminum tank in saltwater - I am not overweighted. Trim is different, I have (and prefer) integrated weights, but might do better with this specific problem with a weight belt putting everything in the middle. The divemaster I mentioned recommended "crunching down like a sit up" which does help, but while he moves and stays stationary with the grace of a humming bird, I flop around like a fish out of water. I have gotten (and will continue to get) better, but my point is swimming against current is not an air disadvantage for me vs better divers, at least compared to trying to stay still.

I do not "HAVE TO" use my hands for anything except my GoPro. 40 years of at least occasional swimming, never with fins, makes using my hands instinctive. I have to think about not using my hands or I will.

 

[WetPup]

Indo sucks. Try Thailand