Wakatobi Wannabe with a twist

[ikepharm]

Boy am I Confused..
I'm booked for a trip to Wakatobi in Sept. Management has just announced a partnership with the Pelagian. The offer is. I have a choice between Pelagian or Resort. Same rate and a possibility of more and larger critters. HELP.. WHAT A QUANDARY. Does anybody know about the Pelagian? Would it be worth the switch? I looked at amount of diving off the boat and it seems a bit short in numbers, I was thinking about 50 dives during the 11 day stay at the resort ( probably more that I sould do ). Anyway if anybody has some info I would appreciate it.

Thanks
Ike

 

[scubashooter]

The diving around the Tukang Besi is better than the sites around Wakatobi. Esp near Kakabia area. Is it worth the money to go there? Not to me, but then again I like places like Maumere and Rajah Ampat more. Coral biodiversity is behind Papau Barat. WR itself has improved over the years but management still the same. Biased towards VIP customers for diving (and I was with the VIP group and was embarassed!!). The Pelagian was one of the nicer boats when it first came out just 4 years ago newly refurbished. But lack of maintenance has shown even last year.
The macro off the walls is very good (only because there's nothing much off the walls). Last Nov, I did a special trip around the Tukang Besi area and there were small signs of recovery of the pelagic population but in some areas only. However indicator species like the potato cod were not as common.

 

[Wayan]

[The Pelagian was one of the nicer boats when it first came out just 4 years ago newly refurbished. But lack of maintenance has shown even last year.
.[/QUOTE]

Just though you would be interested that the Pelagian has a new owner. Completed a failry extensive refit in January 2005 in Singapore. Saw the boat a couple of months ago in Raja Empat and it looked great. They have certainly done a lot of work on it since last year.

http://pelagian.wakatobi.com/pel_homepage.htm

As for where the better diving is Komodo or Raja Empat. Both are equally excellent in their own right. It just depends on what you want to see. Reefs and corals are exellent in both locations. Raja Empat is a huge location and differs on what can been seen depending on where your operator takes you, (North to Islands of Fam, Waigeo, Wayag or South to Kofiau, Misool). Types of life and corals differ in North and South as well. Lots of new sites yet to be discovered.

I think a liveaboard based of wakatobi could be good as it can offer more comfort for the sites further away from the resort.

Wayan

 

[DontLieToMe]

I was on the Pelagian several times last year. It needed a lot of work and not just some paint.

I would be very careful in going with the Pelagian at this point. They are planning on "exploring" new sites in the "Greater Wakatobi" area. To me that means wait until they set up some good itineraries and do not pay to let them explore at your expense.

 

[RSdiver]

Matthew Heddrick is theowner of the Pelagian and I first dove with him in 1996 on his original boat. He is a safety conscious person and an excellent skipper, I wouldn't hesitate to dive with him or his crew.

I was dissappointed at the variety of diving at Wakatobi 2 years ago when I attended and couldn't stand to go back for 10 days of diving their very limited dive sites (4 basic areas only). The resort is a bit overstated in their website and brochures and I wouldn't go again.

A liveaboard is the way to go, more variety, more diving, superior flexibility.

 

[DontLieToMe]

Matthew Heddrick no longer owns the Pelagian. He signed papers three weeks ago selling it to WDR. In fact, Dear Matt exited the dive business in a most ungraceful manner. He closed the Asia Pacific (Pelagian) website, shutdown his email, and crept off into the night without a single email to his guests, agents, or whomever. Good luck to anyone trying to get their deposits or trip payments back from Matt. WDR cancelled the entire 2005 program and substitued trips in the "Greater Wakatobi" area. A "slight" change.

By the way, I was just on the Ocean Rover in N. Sulawesi. Great boat as usual. KBR also good.

 

[pigmyghostpipeturtle]

G-day. 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. The Pelagian is a fantastic boat, but if you want to do 5 dives a day the resort may be a better option as there are 4 dives offered a day on the Pelagian, and 3 boat dives with unlimited (only limited by you and buddy) on the Wakatobi house reef, (which is still one of the best sites I've ever dived) at the resort.
In short they will both be good dive trips. Just depends if you like to stay on boats or not. Like I stated, the Pealgian is a world class vessel and there is no shortage of good diving around the resort.
Hope this helps.


.

Boy am I Confused..
I'm booked for a trip to Wakatobi in Sept. Management has just announced a partnership with the Pelagian. The offer is. I have a choice between Pelagian or Resort. Same rate and a possibility of more and larger critters. HELP.. WHAT A QUANDARY. Does anybody know about the Pelagian? Would it be worth the switch? I looked at amount of diving off the boat and it seems a bit short in numbers, I was thinking about 50 dives during the 11 day stay at the resort ( probably more that I sould do ). Anyway if anybody has some info I would appreciate it.

Thanks
Ike

 

[ikepharm]

G-day. 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. The Pelagian is a fantastic boat, but if you want to do 5 dives a day the resort may be a better option as there are 4 dives offered a day on the Pelagian, and 3 boat dives with unlimited (only limited by you and buddy) on the Wakatobi house reef, (which is still one of the best sites I've ever dived) at the resort.
In short they will both be good dive trips. Just depends if you like to stay on boats or not. Like I stated, the Pealgian is a world class vessel and there is no shortage of good diving around the resort.
Hope this helps.


.

G-day to you,
Thanks for your input on the WR and Pelagian question. I noticed that that you are from NZ. My wife and I spent 3 weeks touring South Island in May and were amazed at the natural beauty of your Country. But back to diving. I have a booking for the Golden Dawn in Nov '06 at Eastern Fields. The dive couple joining me may have some Mal de Mer problems. Do you know if the Passage from Port Moresby to Dive sites are bumpy? Actually, would you be familiar with the dive area and like to share some info?

Thanks for your time,

Ike