Wakatobi Resort

[SunPeaks Peter]

My wife and I are starting to plan a dive trip to Indonesia for Mar/April of 2013. After coming to the realization that Raja Ampat is too difficult and too many flights to get to, we have pretty much decided on Wakatobi Resort and Pelagian. We will be travelling from the west coast of Canada
I have a couple of questions.
First, is there any difference between mid-March and mid-April in terms of weather, diving etc.?
Secondly, if you had 10 nights in Wakatobi, would you split the trip with 5 nts. Pelagian/ 5 nts. Wakatobi Resort, or 7 and 3 respectively?
I look forward to any thoughts you may have concerning these questions as well as any other comments concerning our trip.

Thank you.

 

[highdesert]

I have never been aboard the Pelagian, but based on the reports of those who were aboard while we were at the resort, and all the reports I've read in the five years since then, if I went back, I'd do 10 days at the resort again, and none aboard the Pelagian.

 

[beaverdivers]

We have had clients booked at both WAKATOBI and on the Pelagian.

Both are excellent.

I believe it is a personal preference. If you like the easy of liv-a-board diving, then do both. Yet, diving off WAKATOBI doesn't get any easier as far as land based!

As far as time of year, I'd have to check, my guess is your window is so close that it won't matter.

We have a group going in late Oct. I feel that is the best time of year.

PM me for specifics

 

[Sideways]

We've just booked our first trip to Wakatobi, 10/12. In all the research I did I heard more folks say, after experiencing both the resort and the Pelagian, that if they were to do it again they would skip the pelagian and spend more time at the resort.

 

[scorpiofish]

We've been on both. While the Pelagian is a nice boat, the diving isn't as good as the resort. One advantage is 10 people vs. up to 50 at the resort.

I was disappointed with the Pelagian.

Mid-March is still the rainy season. Mid-April would be a transition month with likely better weather. The resort used to be closed January through March.

 

[SunPeaks Peter]

Thanks for all of your replies. Wow. Where do we go from here? We were on a liveaboard in Thailand last year and absolutely loved the idea of a "dive holiday" with its structure and concentration on diving. We are afraid that if we stay entirely at a resort we wouldn't do as many dives. Would it be different being at a resort that is dedicated to diving? The negative comments about The Pelagian poses another question. If the choice was between the Wakatobi Resort and another liveaboard, which would you choose? Is the resort that high end and the diving that good, that a liveaboard would not compare?
As far as the time of year, being in Canada we like to escape the winter, but, it appears we should avoid March at the least. It seems that October is similar to April being a transition month and I can't imagine being in the warmth and then returning to have the whole winter to get through.

Thanks again.

 

[Darnold9999]

I have made this choice. Thought about the resort and decided to do the liveaboard. The research I did pointed to better diving on the liveaboard in Raj Ampat over both Wakatobi and their liveaboard. Which does not say that either choice is a bad one. The only downside to diving this area of the world is that it spoils you for diving anywhere else.

I prefer the liveaboard experience over a resort as the diving is just easier. Everything is right there and you generally get to try more and varied sites. No long trips by small boat to get to any site. I have tried resort diving where the diving was the sole reason for the resort and it was also excellent. Spent 4 days at Lembeh in a resort and have booked a week there following the liveaboard trip in April. The up side was that the room is about 10 times the size of the one on the boat and there is no engine running all night long. Down side was the the morning trips to the dive site take 15 - 30 minutes and you stay out on the small boat between dives. Much prefer the liveaboard where you go back to the boat between dives. Generally the food is better on land. By the end of a 10 day trip you are getting to the bottom of the "fresh" food on the boat where a land based resort generally has better access to some kind of local market. You can also go back to the same site as many times as you want on a land based resort. A liveaboard is generally moving every day. Once the boat moves you will not be back to that site.

While it does take a bit more to get to Sorong it is not a huge amount more. Fly YVR - Jakarta (lots of choices) then Sorong overnight in Jakarta to recover from jetlag. Price is pretty close to what you will pay to get to Wakatobi. I am flying China Airlines late March and the price to get to Sorong is about what I would have had to pay just to get to DPS.

My take on Raj Ampat boats: Damai is excellent if $ is no object, huge rooms and only 8 guests on each trip and service is excellent. Paradise Dancer is a cut above most other boats in terms of amenities and room size. I have been on both and would recommend either but both are pricy. There are other boats that get good reviews as well that are not quite as expensive as those two. Just booked 12 days on Ondina. Friends did Arenui last year and loved it.

Don't know if any of this helps but thought I would add my 2 cents.

 

[scorpiofish]

If the choice was between the Wakatobi Resort and another liveaboard, which would you choose? Is the resort that high end and the diving that good, that a liveaboard would not compare?

As far as the time of year, being in Canada we like to escape the winter, but, it appears we should avoid March at the least. It seems that October is similar to April being a transition month and I can't imagine being in the warmth and then returning to have the whole winter to get through.

Thanks again.

Well, I never quite approach it that way. I choose the destination, e.g. Wakatobi, Raja, Komodo, Lembeh etc. Then time of year. Then dive op. Sometimes time of year is the first step, then location.

If all things are equal, then we prefer a land based operator. But all things are rarely equal. This is why we end up on liveaboards more often than not.

First, you need to prioritize. Let's say time of year is #1. Let's say it is March. This would be good for Raja Ampat. Raja Ampat is best done by boat. Pick a liveaboard. Another option is Komodo, although it is hard to find liveaboards doing Komodo in March simply because they are all in Raja. Other options in Indonesia suffer from the typical rainy season downside, although I know many people who take adavantage of discounts during this time of year.

Let's say April is your month. Less rainy, but the rainy season can't read a calendar, so you never know. This opens up many other possibilities. It's also the time that boats relocate from Raja to Komodo or North Sulawesi, so there are lots of transitional itineraries.

About the ease and quantity of diving. It's always easier from a liveaboard. Typically I gear up in the tender and never touch my gear during a trip, although dive resorts aren't that much more effort. Wakatobi schedules 3 boat dives per day and 1 night dive per 7 day trip (2 for a 10 day IIRC). If you shore dive, it doesn't matter and you can shore night dive any night. The liveaboards I have been on sometimes only schedule 3 dives a day, too. Much depends on the itinerary. If you move around a lot (the whole point of a liveaboard), 3 day dives is about all you can get. If you are parked, it is possible to schedule 4 plus night dive, but I've seen both scenarios. So, it is quite possible not to get in any more dives on a liveaboard than at a land based resort. It doesn't hurt to ask.

Lembeh has great land based resorts. No liveaboard has had long term success operating there. Raja Ampat, even if you love Sorido Bay or Misool Eco Resort, is best done by liveaboard. I wouldn't do it any other way.

Set your priorities. Pick your spot. They will all satisfy and keep you coming back to Indonesia. Sadly, we are only going once this year.