Trip Report - Wakatobi, not up to the hype!

[cdiver2]

With you 100%

Travelling to Wakatobi can be complicated and lengthy. Overnight in Bali is necessary, and we should have planned more than 2 days there, so much more to see. Charter flight to Wakatobi was long, hot and miserable. Once at resort, bags etc are looked after for you. Dive gear set up at docks a little crowded, but well organized in numbered bins for staff to carry to and from boats.

Everything here is run with typical Swiss precision, but I found it far too regimented. I felt as if I was in the army, with everything scheduled down to the exact minute. Only thing seemed flexible was the 60 min bottom times. I was averaging 70 mins per dive, and no one said anything to me, they seemed glad I was enjoying my dives. Great shore dives.

DM's left a lot to be desired. They seem only to go through the motions and didn't really enjoy themselves. Our DM refused to show us around on dives or point out critters for us. After speaking to his supervisor, he improved for one day, but soon returned to his previous behaviour.

Dives were nice, but I have done many better dives without travelling so far! This was a very expensive trip, but I never felt I got my money's worth. Fish life was varied but got very boring after first few dives. Nothing much different from each site.

The senior staff at Wakatobi was very aloof, and unfriendly, too business like. Other staff helpful and hardworking, but did not seem very happy to me. Island staff clearly treated poorly compared to European and N American staff. Food was great, but buffet style. A glass of wine at dinner was $8, which is outrageous.

Happy hour (20% off) was 4:30-5:30 pm, but return time from 3rd dive was about usually after 4:30 every day, so no one got cleaned up in time to go to bar and take advantage of it!

The other "scam" at Wakatobi, (and they seem to treat it like their dirty little secret), was no fresh water for rinsing gear!! Even on the last day we were repeatedly reminded that "rinsing gear upon returning home is strongly recommended". Then we figured out why, they were filling the "rinse tanks" with salt water! When confronted with this, a staff member denied it, but was later observed emptying the tanks, and refilling them with REAL fresh water to clean off the resort owned gear used by DM's. I then tried to rinse my gear in an outdoor shower, and was ordered to stop by a DM, because it was "not allowed". Everyone in my group then took their gear to our cabins and rinsed in our showers. Most of us had a 4 day journey to get home, and were not going to see a hotel room with water for over 24 hours, so it was critical to get the salt off our gear before packing to leave. Be warned.

Staff reminded us excessively about tipping before we left. Check out was a wasted evening lined up awaiting our turn to meet with account person to settle our bill. We waited in line for two hours on our last evening, when we should have been enjoying ourselves. Cabins were nice, but A/C didn't work very well. Breeze from the ocean helped though.

Yes, Wakatobi is nice, dives are nice, food was nice. However, none of it lived up to the hype, and it’s a long way to travel for the mediocre. Many in our group left feeling like we'd travelled a long way for nothing. Same or better diving is available closer to home (and lest costly). If I want to do similar diving in the future, I will go back to Fiji.

 

[billymac60]

Thanks for the report.

Our gang has been considering Wakatobi, but I have been very skeptical. For the time and money invested in Wakatobi, the experience should be just this side of heaven. This is not the first questionable review I've heard.

Will probably scratch Wakatobi off the list, at least for the time being.

Thanks !!

 

[Henrik_at_Wakatobi]

Greetings Rick,

Sorry to hear that you don't feel like you got your expectations met with us. We certainly strive to provide people with exceptional value for money and feel very sad when someone feels that we did not succeed.

One thing I can tell you right off the bat - we do NOT fill our rinse tanks with salt water. Not idea where that came from...but I am certainly curious to know. As you may have seen we even have separate rinse tanks for big cameras, small cameras and two for suits. We take rinsing gear very seriously and work very hard to provide clean, fresh water even in these tanks. In fact, the whole resort has drinking quality water, even in the showers. Just don’t drink the water used for the toilets, we have a separate system for that

And, when it came to your comments about our staff...well, not sure what to say at it saddens me that you somehow wasn’t able to get a feel for how wonderful they are. We have such a tight knit and passionate team - who throughout the year get SUCH positive comments from our guests from around the world. In fact, in our guest reviews we time and time again hear how people were just floored by the kindness and genuine service spirit among the Wakatobi staff. For the record we go out of our way (way more so than most companies) to treat ALL our staff (whom we consider part of our nowadays very large family) exceptionally well (and that of course includes our local staff). Oh, and did I mention the 6 figures USD we voluntarily spend every year on the communities around the resort?

That said, I know how a very small incident can impact the experience of a resort visitor. Not long ago I saw a note between two of our staff saying: (...She was affected by an instructor walking by while she was getting ready to go in the water and not say anything to her...).

So here was a guest getting ready to go diving who, to anyone walking by, appeared busy with what she was doing. Yet she was negatively impacted by a dive instructor walking by without addressing her. Who knows, maybe the dive instructor was lost in thought and didn't even see her? Of course this instructor normally would be encourage to address the guest...the point being how such a seemingly innocent mistake can adjust the mood of the other person. I don't know what such exchanges, or lack thereof, took place between you and our staff but I'd like to hear personally from you so that I can provide some input to my colleagues if need be.

The air charter...is using an Indonesian plane that we do not own. We sometimes wish we did as there are details that we would like to improve for our guests. That said, it’s still a small miracle that it’s there in the first place. Remember, the airstrip that you flew into was built by us (a small group of young entrepreneurs, not a huge multinational) and the local community using own funds and plenty of hard labor. Most of it was built by hand – solely to provide guests like you the chance to arrive in one of the most remote diving locations in the world in relative comfort....in only a few hours. Remember, it used to take 36 –48 hrs to access this area by other means. Actually, it still does unless you use this charter...AND were you to go over Sulawesi using local flight options and boats it then still costs MORE than our charter!

As for bottom times – ALL our dives are 70 minutes. So you...doing 70 minute dives certainly wasn’t an issue

The wine...a factor of being so remote. Then again, as some members of this forum already have pointed out, it costs that much - and often much more - even here in the US (and that's without them having to fly the precious little drops in by private charter). We wish we could give it away but..that's not possible..and just like Mike said, compared to most other places in the world it's quite reasonable. I am sure they gave you plenty of “free” wine on your first class international flight– but then again that little joy costs more than an entire vacation in Wakatobi, and it’s over in one day!

Our aim is that all our guests have an absolutely fantastic time in Wakatobi and we are sorry if you didn't. If you'd like to speak with one of the principals directly I'm available at any time to hear your feedback (I'll PM you my cell#). We wish to ensure that guests in the future have an even better time than you did and it’s by listening to our guests that we make that possible.

Oh, and the "hype" that you refer to is a movement created by people who have visited Wakatobi Dive Resort over the years and who have fallen in love with the people, the reefs and the overall experience. Our marketing material can only do a small fraction of the PR job that our guests do themselves:

"Wakatobi has been an absolutely magical experience. Everything was taken care of by your wonderful staff from the moment I had decided to come. The personal attention from the staffs in all areas made this feel like a vacation that enabled me to really relax and unwind. The diving has been superb and it has been an absolute pleasure and delight to meet lots of new critters. It is usually only once a year I get away to dive and your experienced dive staff made me feel comfortable in their knowledge and expertise in knowing their way around. Wakatobi will definitely be my first choice for my next diving vacation. This place is beautiful. I have physically relaxed and emotionally healed in many ways. I have had the time of my life. Thank you."
Kathy Fisher
January 2010

"We can not say enough good things about the resort, your staffs are the hardest working we have ever seen and the dive guides do a great job all around."
Jim Webb and Gail Mathis
December 2009

"Wakatobi is on the far side of the world, but a special place with outstanding diving and service."
Kathy Krucker
December 2009

"Unparalleled service matched with the best diving I ever experienced makes Wakatobi a world class dive destination that divers must add to their log book."
Jack Katz
December 2009

"All staff is attentive to every detail, now I am spoiled. If you are looking for the ultimate in service, look no further! Makes traveling 22 hours worth it."
Julia Redwine
December 2009

"Without a doubt the best and most helpful, attentive staff on any of our dive trips! We have been to many places around the world, including liveaboards and these are number 1 in our book. "
Shawn Heffernan
December 2009

"If I had to put a title on my vacation it would be 'Pampered in Paradise'. The dive team and boat crew made the dive experience wonderful and relaxing. The dining experience was equally enjoyable; it was like eating in a gourmet restaurant every night! Could not ask for more for a vacation of a lifetime."
Karla Lauenstein
December 2009

"I lost my job of 29 years over this vacation and it was so absolutely worth it. I am thrilled to be here and it has been worth every moment."
Dana Sterbens
December 2009

"The F&B team was the best i have seen at any resort and the food was the best I have ever had in any dive resort. Everyone is thrilled and raving about the food. I am amazed you guys can pull this off - we are in the middle of nowhere and you guys make us feel like we are not, it is very impressive"
Berkley White
December 2009

"I don not think you can do anything to make this more personalized. The dive guides are great spotters, great at helping out, I was really impressed."
Myron Siciak
December 2009

"I had an excellent two weeks. This is the best dive resort I have visited. A truly 5-star dive resort with food & accommodations to match, world class in all respects."
Tom Fretz
December 2009

"As a return visitor, Wakatobi just gets better. It is evolving into a dive resort in a class of its own."
Vince Matulewich
December 2009

....guess they (and 99%+ of our guests) agree to disagree with you Rick

Again, I am happy to speak with you at anytime to learn about your experiences so that we can continue to improve the experiences of our guests. While we know that so many people have a wonderful time in Wakatobi it's by listening to our guests and taking their constructive feedback to heart that we can remain the favorite destination of so many divers!

 

[Diver Rick]

Henrik,

I appreciate your need to defend your operation; however I don’t want to end up in a pissing match that would go on forever.

Perhaps what Wakatobi suffers from is OVER hype. The slick DVD, lovely HD pictures online. If it was me, I would be LOWERING people’s expectations before they arrive, then it would seem all the more wonderful. I’m afraid that people have hyped the Wakatobi experience so well, that someone like me comes along expecting the ultimate, and getting something less seems like such a let down. I’m fine with even mediocre some times, but at these prices, and the distance travelled, I’m afraid my advice stands: “There is better diving for less money elsewhere”.

The sole purpose of my trip report was to share how *my* trip went and suggest that what I expected and what I got, might be different. - If $8 a glass is okay for wine, all things considered, okay. No problem. People should know ahead though. Enough about that. The charter flight to the island. Sure it was okay by local standards, and better than nothing! I was just letting people what to expect.

As for the salty rinse water, with all due respect, I stood there and watched it happen. I tested (tasted) the water coming from the hose, it was salt water. I called over several people to check for themselves, who verified this. (These were not the camera tanks, but all the tanks for gear along the side of the building.) It was no mistake either, because the staff standing there confirmed it! I even watched later as they re-filled two of the tanks with fresh water and began rinsing the DM’s gear for them in it. Also confirmed when one of the DM’s came over and kicked me from the rinsing shower, where I was cleaning my gear. When I told her why, she said “too bad, we don’t waste fresh water just to rinse gear.” So we all took ours back to our room and wasted the fresh water from our showers.

Why else was your staff constantly (at each meal on the last dive day), reminding everyone to "also rinse their gear when they get home". Why would that be necessary if the rinse tanks had fresh water? Anyone knows that even 24 hrs later can be too late to get salt off gear. Once it has cristalized in small places its there forever. So for many of us with a four or five day journey home, stop overs etc. FULL and thorough gear rinsing was mandatory before packing up.

Regarding staff and the locals. You should be very proud of your involvement with the locals, and Wakatobi’s contributions to local development and the environment is well known. I can only say I got this vibe about a difference how staff from the local area seemed to be treated compared to other European & North American staff. If my perception of this was wrong, then I apologize.

And yes, the staff was generally outstanding, we were well looked after, if I ever gave an impression otherwise, then again, I would apologize. However, two things remain, most of the DM’s I observed were a little cranky, and any enthusiasm appeared to be contrived. Most in our group felt the same way. Ours was downright incompetent. Our boat was very disapointed to constantly hear other boats talk about seeing being shown this and that after every dive, and our DM just swam on his own about 50 feet away the whole week. As I said, we spoke to someone about this the first day, things improved for one day after that, then returned to the previous behavior the next day.

And the way were we were treated to finalize our bills at the end is horrible! Lining people up like cattle to wait in a hot, non-air conditioned room, for our “audience” with the accountant is the worse check out experience I have ever had in over 20 years of international dive travel. We wasted two hours of our last night waiting in line, when we should have been relaxing with our friends.

Quoting to us a whole list of positive reviews in your message does strike me as a bit desperate, or at least unnecessary.

I’m sure you get more positive comments than negative ones. I tried to be objective, and suggesting that Wakatobi, in my opinion, may not be up to its hype, that’s all. I’m not surprised you feel differently.

 

[Henrik_at_Wakatobi]

Hi Rick,

I agree with you - we certainly don't want to be having an overly long exchange online. It's just that we DO care about people's input and wish to keep an open dialogue with our guests whom we value very much.

My intent was to not sound defensive, but that's not easily done and I'm sorry if I came across that way As for the positive testimonials...well, I guess I just wanted to give readers both sides, and yes I'm passionate about spreading the word - the positive word - about Wakatobi as ultimate I believe that our operation there is the best thing for the area's marine life, and communities.

Following your post I have done some digging and turns out that on the trip that you are referring to we had technical problems with our desalination system and the water used for the suits that day had traces of salt in it that normally would not be present. Guess the mistake on our side was to not explain this properly at the time.

 

[Shasta_man]

Just a note to Henrik that it was nice to see a reasoned positively toned response, rather than the usual vitrolic responses. And to clarify, never having been there, I can't make any judgements on Ricks comments.

 

[Diver Rick]

Shasta man, I agree, Henrik's response was 100% class, and a nice change from what we sometimes see from other operators who read negative comments on here!

The resort itself was classy too and I *did* have a nice time. My message was, as stated, that I didn't think it was up to the hype, and wanted people to be as fully informed as possible before making their dive plans, and know what they might expect. I think this is especially important for such an expensive trip.

I feel vindicated that Henrik has acknowledged the use of salt water for rinsing, it was that one single issue that was the turning point in formulating my overall opinion of them.

I remain very suspicious that it was a one time failure, and not regular practice because Henrik stated it was the case on "my week" there. However, I've never mentioned when I was there, and he does not know my full name. I might take back that supsicion should he correctly identifies my week there! It is also the only explanation before us for all the harping from staff, "don't forget to thoroughly rinse yuor gear when you get home". Again, to prevent permanent salt crystals in your gear, it must be rinsed off before it ever dries at all.

 

[highdesert]

Wakatobi utilizes more than one water system. The water used to flush the toilets is brackish ... shallow well water pumped out of a limestone island at sea level. By definition, brackish means that it is going to have some salt content. I have no clue which water they put in the rinse tanks, but I know when we were there it was clear and sweet, probably almost drinkable.

 

[Henrik_at_Wakatobi]

Rick,

If I'm not mistaken you were with us on Trip 15 2009

 

[ncchuck]

This appears to be a good honest attempt by everyone to give their opinions and explanations. This discussion is a breath of fresh air compared to some on the Bonaire side of things.
I have considered Wakitobi many times but have never gone because of the cost. My expectations too would be sky high. I think I see more advertizing for this place than any other. I've been to Bali, Komodo, Lembeh and Raja Ampat and I had few expectation and was blown away with the service as well as diving in such remote parts of the world.
I have certainly not ruled out Wakitobi but my expectations are probably more realistic now. It's probably silly but I appreciate the information about the cost of wine since that's what I typically drink. I would not be drinking it there however.
For what it's worth, I've been diving in many parts of the world but I can easily say that the people of Indonsia (Bali, , Komodo, Lembeh, Raja Ampat) are the friendliest and most gentle people I've ever met.