Maratua or Bandaneira?

[Madacub]

Currently in R4 and am thinking of visiting either Maratua or Bandaneira in the first couple of weeks of September.

Anyone visited both and which would you recommend?

I have been to Maratua a couple of times. It's a bit of a slog to get to. Plenty of turtles, big creatures, and it is famous for a massive (really massive) school of barracuda, at which site the current is pretty ripping. You can stay at the west side, easier to get to Sangalaki (mantas, although I have not had good luck there) and lake Kakaban, which is a freshwater lake that used to have stingless jellyfish in great numbers, but these days they are very much reduced (I would not really recommend it now).

Come to think of it, the massive school of barracuda are not that prevalent anymore either. If you stay at Nabucco, that's more on the east side, very close to the barracuda site, which is the traditional draw at Maratua, where you can go only at specific times based on the tides. There is also a sister resort to Nabucco in the same area, it is newer and a bit further away from the barracuda site,

It's worth going to if you have the time. I remember some really neat rays there (cowtail and blotched).

Bandaneira. Do you know how you will get there? My understanding is that there is no air service and the ferry (from Ambon) is unreliable, schedule wise. But there are a couple of dive operations there. I have not been there, but the last time I was at Ambon, I met a couple who had just come back from a few days there, and they had liked it.

R4 has an amazing mixture of big, small and coral. Fantastic variety. I enjoyed Maratua, but I've been there only twice, whereas I've been to R4 about 5-6 times.

Hope this helps.

 

[scubajunky17]

I have been to Maratua a couple of times. It's a bit of a slog to get to. Plenty of turtles, big creatures, and it is famous for a massive (really massive) school of barracuda, at which site the current is pretty ripping. You can stay at the west side, easier to get to Sangalaki (mantas, although I have not had good luck there) and lake Kakaban, which is a freshwater lake that used to have stingless jellyfish in great numbers, but these days they are very much reduced (I would not really recommend it now).

Come to think of it, the massive school of barracuda are not that prevalent anymore either. If you stay at Nabucco, that's more on the east side, very close to the barracuda site, which is the traditional draw at Maratua, where you can go only at specific times based on the tides. There is also a sister resort to Nabucco in the same area, it is newer and a bit further away from the barracuda site,

It's worth going to if you have the time. I remember some really neat rays there (cowtail and blotched).

Bandaneira. Do you know how you will get there? My understanding is that there is no air service and the ferry (from Ambon) is unreliable, schedule wise. But there are a couple of dive operations there. I have not been there, but the last time I was at Ambon, I met a couple who had just come back from a few days there, and they had liked it.

R4 has an amazing mixture of big, small and coral. Fantastic variety. I enjoyed Maratua, but I've been there only twice, whereas I've been to R4 about 5-6 times.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for your information.
Very helpful, I'm into big schools and big stuff. I love R4, fourth time here. Been here three weeks already and just considering a visit somewhere else for a change but don't want to be disappointed either. Thanks again.

 

[scubajunky17]

I have been to Maratua a couple of times. It's a bit of a slog to get to. Plenty of turtles, big creatures, and it is famous for a massive (really massive) school of barracuda, at which site the current is pretty ripping. You can stay at the west side, easier to get to Sangalaki (mantas, although I have not had good luck there) and lake Kakaban, which is a freshwater lake that used to have stingless jellyfish in great numbers, but these days they are very much reduced (I would not really recommend it now).

Come to think of it, the massive school of barracuda are not that prevalent anymore either. If you stay at Nabucco, that's more on the east side, very close to the barracuda site, which is the traditional draw at Maratua, where you can go only at specific times based on the tides. There is also a sister resort to Nabucco in the same area, it is newer and a bit further away from the barracuda site,

It's worth going to if you have the time. I remember some really neat rays there (cowtail and blotched).

Bandaneira. Do you know how you will get there? My understanding is that there is no air service and the ferry (from Ambon) is unreliable, schedule wise. But there are a couple of dive operations there. I have not been there, but the last time I was at Ambon, I met a couple who had just come back from a few days there, and they had liked it.

R4 has an amazing mixture of big, small and coral. Fantastic variety. I enjoyed Maratua, but I've been there only twice, whereas I've been to R4 about 5-6 times.

Hope this helps.

Have you been to Misool?

 

[Madacub]

Yes I have, but only via LOBs, not resort based. To tell you the truth, I prefer the north at R4, just because I've had very good luck with the mantas up north, Manta Sandy, Manta Ridge.

 

[scubajunky17]

I'm into big schools of fish and big stuff.
R4 Dampier straights is hard to beat in that respect.

 

[cetacean]

Currently in R4 and am thinking of visiting either Maratua or Bandaneira in the first couple of weeks of September.

Anyone visited both and which would you recommend?

@scubajunky17

Having dived both areas a number of times, I can provide some comparisons.

Raja Ampat (as you are already aware) is the diversity hotspot for Indonesia, so wherever else you go, you'll likely end up with a less diversity that what you're currently experiencing (but other diving areas can make up for this in other ways...)

So here are a couple fo things to consider:
- Sangalaki likely had the largest population of turles vs. anywhere else in Indonesia. They nest on the Sangalaki (and are now protected), so the surrounding waters are teeming with juvenile turtles, mating turtles, and nesting turtles - depending on the month, etc.

- Had a (somewhat) long discussion (here) about the mantas that are either still hanging around Sangalaki or that are completely gone. A friend came back about 3 months and experienced ~35 mantas a few days before a full moon, others have been competely skunked and not seen any. YMMV. Youtube videos of people diving Sangalaki in the last year show quite a few mantas around if your lucky (or time it right).

- They also now see whale sharks somewhat frequently in the area...

- Along with the relatively large schools of fish at Derawan, they are no occasionally sighting thresher sharks.

- The jelly fish lake on Kakaban is still there, and the jellies are as well. This lake is massive, and makes Palau seem small/tame by comparison.

Completely subjective comment: we found Sangalaki and the surrounding area to have significantly more diversity in nudibranchs than R4, but that may just be what we found...

 

[cetacean]

Yes I have, but only via LOBs, not resort based. To tell you the truth, I prefer the north at R4, just because I've had very good luck with the mantas up north, Manta Sandy, Manta Ridge.

@Madacub

Sangalaki (when the mantas are there) make both Manta Sandy and Manta Ridge "barren" in comparison.

Not unusual to find 30+ mantas feeding at the surface.

 

[scubajunky17]

Thanks for your input.
Appreciate your time.
I'm not hugely into turtles but I do love mantas and big schools. Have you dived Bandaneira?

 

[cetacean]

@scubajunky17

I have dived the Banda area, as part an extended travel/study trip from Darwin, up through Banda, and then on to R4, and then over the Bird's Head Peninsula to Cenderawasih. Great trip, but for this itinerary, diving Banda was okay, not as good as the rest of the trip.

If you are looking for "big stuff" it's easier to dive from Alor to find them, or better yet, a liveaboard that has a Banda Sea itinerary.

 

[scubajunky17]

@scubajunky17

I have dived the Banda area, as part an extended travel/study trip from Darwin, up through Banda, and then on to R4, and then over the Bird's Head Peninsula to Cenderawasih. Great trip, but for this itinerary, diving Banda was okay, not as good as the rest of the trip.

If you are looking for "big stuff" it's easier to dive from Alor to find them, or better yet, a liveaboard that has a Banda Sea itinerary.

Thanks for that, so bigger stuff and bigger schools in Alor ?