Tofo, BDE or?

[diveUAE]

Hi everyone

Need some help and guidance again.

Looking to do some diving in August this year (Eid, so 10th-18th or so), just not sure, where to go? Totally we'll have 10 days - could maybe stretch a day or 2. Will be traveling from UAE. Looking for variety (big and small, I love muck diving, husband not so much), healthy corals and clear water.

First idea was doing BDE in red sea - but then I read it may be too hot to see any sharks? We did Sinai Classic August last year, and the viz was amazing, corals were beautiful but after 6 dives we were all bored by just seeing small fish - nothing big or interesting at all:-/ Is BDE much better for diversity? - Also getting to Marsa Alam from UAE is next to impossible, and Hurghada is only slightly better, so really considering pushing the trip a couple of years for when we live in Denmark - where flight are frequent and cheap….

More research showed me Mozambique/Tofo should also be good? Have anyone been in August? Is it worth the travel (ironically it's faster than going to Hurghada) How are the corals? Fish life? Anything interesting?

Was also thinking of Maldives, our trip in 2013 was a bit disappointing (not good value for money), but was thinking if we maybe do a liveaboard down south?

Anywhere else I should be taking a look at? (Already ruled out Mexico and Truk Lagoon, as we can't go through USA, due to a dive trip to Sudan) Komodo we're doing in 2020...

TIA

 

[LiveaboardCom]

Hi there,

If you're thinking of the Maldives southern atolls, you can find summary of the atolls and the diving here to see if it meets your interests: Southern Atolls liveaboard diving.

I'd also suggest looking north, at Baa atoll. There is a good mixture of small and large marine life, coral reefs, pinnacles etc. You'd be visiting during the season for huge manta aggregations at Hanifaru Bay and there are more whale sharks than other times of year: Baa Atoll scuba diving.

If you have time to go further afield I'd suggest Cenderwasih bay in Indonesia. It's best known for the chance to swim with whale sharks that are accustomed to divers but there are also plenty of WWII wrecks, sharks, turtles, fish and critters. The Pearl of Papua has a 7-night safari and the Calico Jack has an 11-night safari there in August.

Finally, have you looked at diving Oman? You might find the Daymaniyat Islands interesting and also accessible.

Thanks,

Kathryn

 

[diveUAE]

Thank you very much! Had never heard about Cenderawasih before - it does look amazing! Only problem is finding a LOB for our dates - pearl of Papua is slightly too early and Calico Jack too late
(and on a side note West Papua is for some reason on the Danish “do not travel there” list, so we also have to find an alternative insurance as our current Danish one will not cover us:-/)

Have been to Oman many times, plan to do Khasab in June Eid al fitr

 

[yippy]

I've been to Tofo. It doesn't have the same type of soft corals you are used to seeing in the Maldives and the Red Sea nor even in Komodo. I have covered pretty much many places in Indonesia and just returned from Raja Ampat last August. For Tofo, if you don't see the big stuff, there is pretty much nothing to see. Due to its location, the corals are hard and uncolourful. The reef are very short. There are surge even down at 25m and you still get currents at the same time. The dive experience is completely different. The viz is very hit and miss. I was there in August and the viz was less than 5m. The guides are not great in my opinion. If you are used to guides pointing things out to you then you won't get that in Tofo. The dives are very short about 45 mins top from descending to surface in total! So you don't really have long bottom time at all. For someone like me who can be on a 12l tank and back up with 100 bar left after 45mins, it is not good value for money either. The only positive thing about Tofo is August is the humpback migration and you can see them everywhere. Saying that the waves are huge so snorkelling with the humpback can seems a bit dangerous (as I can hardly see anything right in front of me apart from the waves) and not everyday they can launch their boats. Boat launching is hard work, every divers have to muck in as we need to push the RIB into the swell. If you are used to diving off a big boat and a RIB in the maldives (but get into it from the big boat) then you will find yourself working very hard just to get your 2 dives in. August is their low season so if a dive centre doesn't have enough divers, they will not launch and you will be stuck or they will bring you to sites that are not very appealing. Or you will find divers who don't do diving every day either. From my observation there are more inexperience divers (just OW certified or less than 10 dives or those used to diving in no currents locations eg Thailand) during August when I was there. Reefs that are near the shore are not great. The ones that are great are the outer reefs where you might see the big stuff but again, with super poor viz you might not. If you really want to go to Tofo, make sure you check the lunar moon. Avoid spring tide and dive after the full moon. Hopefully you will get better diving conditions. If it is too windy, they cancel the dive too. It is very windy in August. Over there you are really diving on the wild side. You need to have more time just to wait around for a reasonable condition to dive especially in August.#

You can head further north to dive in Vilanculous. Better viz and corals are nicer BUT again it is no where comparable to what I have seen in Indonesia. Limited operator and again they operate similarly to those in Tofo. Not worth $140 for 2 tanks. I just snorkelled and have seen patches that are bleached and also over fishing. Overall I find diving there is poor value for money.

I am planning to dive BDE this summer and 9 out of 10 friends said summer is the time to see the sharks but you have to go deep. Every one have seen hammerheads so far.

Komodo will be fantastic. My favourite but currents can be very strong. You won't get to see many big stuff in Komodo. Manta - yes. Beautiful reefs and school of fishes - yes. The 3Cs are the best sites. Alternatively you can go to Raja Ampat. Even in August, everything is still there except Manta. Lots and lots of fishes and turtles the length of me! 1.63m !!!! The fishes are huge! I am not talking about (tiny) reef fishes.

Another suggestion which I am also looking into is diving in Costa Rica over at the Bats Island. Again diving in the Pacific coast is a different experience - but August is the Bull sharks season hence I am considering this and BDE.

 

[diveUAE]

Thank you so much for your detailed response - I was kind of thinking diving Tofo would be like you describe (even though most reports I have read says it's great, all the videos I've found on youtube are showing small/not very many fish and corals like we're used to here in the UAE) We've put Mozambique on our list for coming years and will be going to Indonesia, still waiting for confirmation from our preferred boat, and if that does not come through we'll do RA or Cendrawasih bay.

 

[Christian]

Tofo is good for whalesharks and Mantas, but the diversity and coral is not that impressive. Big schools of smallish fish and big groupers. My experience is also that operators keep divers on pretty tight leash and I also had to cut dives early all the time. Was a long time since I visited but at least back then most visitors where backpacker OW type of guests and not a lot of experienced divers. You're danish right? Here's a piece I shot (my wife wrote) for a Swedish travel mag.

narfjarranclean

• Christian
• Sep 6, 2008

BDE is a great trip and sometimes spectacular if you get some shark action. Getting too crowded once again and Brothers has been (are?) closed due to a couple of shark incidents this fall. It's normally the most interesting spot in the Egyptian Red Sea inmo with beatiful soft coral, a couple of wrecks and always a great opportunity to see some sharks. Summer the best time for overall shark action with a chance to see quite a few spieces like hammerheads, silkies, threasher shark, owt:s and off course grey and white tip reef sharks. Current much more critical than temperature for sharks to move up in the water column. Every year seems to be different now, but inme and 'anecdotal evidence', hammerheads move around in the Red Sea. So the schools that can be seen in the central Red Sea sites like Jumna shoal, Masamirit, Sanganeb North and Sha ab Rumi in spring, split up and go North as the water heats up: to Elphinstone, Dedalus, Brothers and in August, you can see them in the Tiran Strait. Would love to see a tagging program in the Red Sea (paging Bojanovsky).

 

[diveUAE]

Nice! It does look good Yes, I'm Danish.

We're now booked on KLM Sunshine for a 10 day LOB from Pagimana-Sahaung. Diving Togian Islands, Una Una, Gorontalo, Buyat, Lembeh and Bangka Island. Has anyone done the trip? Or sailed with KLM Sunshine?
I chose it, because it looks like not many boats are doing this, so we're hoping to avoid the crowds - and get some awesome diving.

 

[yippy]

Thank you so much for your detailed response - I was kind of thinking diving Tofo would be like you describe (even though most reports I have read says it's great, all the videos I've found on youtube are showing small/not very many fish and corals like we're used to here in the UAE) We've put Mozambique on our list for coming years and will be going to Indonesia, still waiting for confirmation from our preferred boat, and if that does not come through we'll do RA or Cendrawasih bay.

@diveUAE I will say All your choices listed above, anyone will beat Tofu hands down especially if you are short of time because you are really at the mercy of the weather conditions there.

I never dive in any of the locations you listed on KLM Sunshine however I do know friends who have dive in all those places. It really depends what you are into. Lembeh is muck diving. If you are into muck diving then Lembeh is very good. I am not into macro and muck diving or little diversity thus I never venture out there. In short, general views from my friends are that those dive sites are only ok for them. However it is all personal preference. If you want lots of aquarium type diving, and beautiful corals and/or big fish actions then it will have to be Komodo, RA and Cenderawasih. Alternatively, you can check out the liveaboard that goes to the Forgotten Islands which is off Bandan Islands and diving in Alor. You may be able to find liveaboards that combine the 2 locations.

Not many people I know have dive in Alor. When I was there, often (pretty much every day), we are the only divers! The reefs are nice and remote.

 

[Christian]

Nice! It does look good Yes, I'm Danish.

We're now booked on KLM Sunshine for a 10 day LOB from Pagimana-Sahaung. Diving Togian Islands, Una Una, Gorontalo, Buyat, Lembeh and Bangka Island. Has anyone done the trip? Or sailed with KLM Sunshine?
I chose it, because it looks like not many boats are doing this, so we're hoping to avoid the crowds - and get some awesome diving.

No experience from that boat or route. Banka nice and colorful ... small stuff. Lembeh as you know world class critter diving on volcanic sand. No corals. Don’t know what to expect from Tongean islands. Should be interesting as you get further North towards Ulu in the Sulawesi Sea. I really liked the diving off East Kalimantan in the Sulawesi Sea. A pain to get to though.