Wakatobi Resort: land based vs Pelagian

[FishCity]

Hello. We were at Wakatobi in 2017, second half of September. We had planned to return but covid messed that up. We are snorkelers, not divers.
At the time we were booking on Pelagian
As time has worn on I am becoming a bit concerned about our aging bodies (early 70s) and lack of in-water time since early 2020.
My spouse is still keen on Pelagian to get to new places; I am wondering if staying in land might be a wiser choice. Those boats are easy to get on and off of!
Can people who have been on Pelagian offer any feedback?
Thanks.

 

[rmorgan]

We did a week of each. Pelagian is a good boat, well-managed and not many divers. The dives off Buton Island were good—some muck and an incredibly-rich pier—but I can’t visualize it as a snorkeling trip (although I know they do snorkeling itineraries). For divers, the night dives from Pelagian (on offer every night) are terrific. But the house reef alone is so rich, we’ve booked a two-week return, land-based, because we felt we didn’t have enough time. You might, if you haven’t, look at the incredible (free) e-books by Pam and Wayne Osborne, which can be downloaded from the resort website-she only snorkels, and her book of house-reef images might make a believer of Mrs. FishCity.

 

[FishCity]

How strenuous are the Pelagian logistics? Are there good tender ladders for those such as myself with low center of mass and less upper body strength? I don't want to be hauled into a RIB like a gaffed tuna, lol.

 

[rmorgan]

Believe me, you're squarely in their target demographic. Pelagian doesn't have a dive deck, per se; partial promenades port and starboard have short ladders which you go down to board the RIBs, which have fixed, but folding, ladders which go below the surface and have sturdy rails for reboarding. Those side decks are narrow, maybe 30", and you're expected to doff your skins, wetsuits, etc. there to keep the large stern area as dry as possible, and to hang them for drying. That space is fairly small and can be a bit crowded for two or three minutes, but you'll quickly find a rhythm. I'm pretty sure the dinghy ladders have flat rungs.

 

[rmorgan]

@FishCity, I came across this article about Pelagian in this month’s Divelog magazine, DIVELOG JUNE 406