Ushuaia:
Hi there,
I have a couple of days free in Jakarta shortly and thinking of taking my bubble-blowing gear along.... Anyone dived the islands off the coast? One suggestion has been Alam Kotok. Sounds pretty cool.
Two days only and will be flying out at the end, so second day needs to be dive-free. So must stay local to Jakarta.
Any advice warmly welcomed!
Cheers and thanks in advance.
U.
I am going to Kotok on Saturday for the day. Kotok is in genereral in much better shape than it was a few years ago, although I heard that an oil spill from a tanker may have affected it recently. I can let you know on Sunday.
When its good, visibility is seven to ten meters, and you have to possibility of spotting most types of Indonesian marine life, from sharks to lionfish, turtles, etc. Sloping coral to a sand bottom at 20 meters. Follow the rope from the pier down to the sand and you will find a large coral bommie, and may or may not catch a glimps of the resident 2 meter moray eel. The follow the rope beyond the bommie across the san a few meters and you will find the smallest, most pitiful wooden wreck you have ever seen. Not by any means the best diving in Indonesia, but a real reef close to home, and an entertaining night dive if you get the chance to stay over.
By the way, they offer guide services and you can take a little boat out to dive neighboring islands, but when I go for the day I normally just rent a tank and jump off the pier, usually solo, but sometimes with my wife. That maximises my bottom time, is cheaper, and I find the life as good or better than that in other nearby locations.
Rental gear is available, although I normally take my own. Snorkling off the dock is good for kids, and the bungalows are okay. Makes a nice easy weekend for Jakarta folks. For day trips, I catch a taxi to the port (20 minutes), then an hour and twenty minutes on the boat, in the water by 9:30 and on the boat heading back at three. Last time I did three dives. Was on the island for six hours and spent four and a half underwater. This time I plan just two (numbers 99 and 100) then a beer to celebrate.
Cheers, Tim