promocop
Contributor
Anyone been? Report?
Wakatobi
- Thread starter promocop
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You might want to search in the Indonesia forum. There are some trip reports and other info.
Indonesia - ScubaBoard
Indonesia - ScubaBoard
OP
promocop
Contributor
Thanks found it. There is always such a divergent set if views at these various locals. I'm going to go anyway and make my own opinion
fairybasslet
Contributor
If a photo is worth 1,000 words, take a look at my profile photo. It was taken on a boat in Wakatobi. Pure joy.
I really loved the place. My trip leader had been there before and requested certain guides for us. That might have made the difference. Our guides were wonderful.
I really like the way the place is run, like a well-oiled machine, and the diving is incredible.
I really loved the place. My trip leader had been there before and requested certain guides for us. That might have made the difference. Our guides were wonderful.
I really like the way the place is run, like a well-oiled machine, and the diving is incredible.
OP
promocop
Contributor
That's what I have heard. Looking forward to it the guys at Backscatter photo are putting this trip on and they seem to know what they are doing. BTW how deep are the dives?
Deepest dive I remembered was maybe 90 FSW for a while. Most no more that 75. Almost never a need for a safety stop, since there's beautiful diving at 10-15 feet too. Great diving, great resort. You'll love it! Don't forget to tip a large Bintang at sunset out at the end of the pier.
Enjoy!
My trip report ... http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/indonesia/211366-wakatobi-observations.html
Enjoy!
My trip report ... http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/indonesia/211366-wakatobi-observations.html
Travelnsj
Contributor
I was there in 07 a trip report is posted somewhere. I found the dive operation to be one of the best.....But the diving.....well many other places in Indonesia that are better like East Timor, Bali, Lembeh, Raja Ampat etc.
Hi Here is my trip report on the trip-n-tour website. It was on the caradonna website also for about 2 years. There are 4 pics of typical wakatobi reef scenes.
Wakatobi Trip Report
The Wakatobi experience starts with staff meeting you at your airplane upon arrival in Bali to assist with Indonesian customs and immigration. We scheduled a few days in Bali to see some of the island before continuing on to Wakatobi. The island of Bali is beautiful and full of friendly people and bears no resemblance to the negative news reports published in our media and on TV (which are mostly from distant areas of the country and not Bali). Hindu is the main religion in Bali and the island is deeply spiritual. Tours to the interior show how stunning Bali is.
Departing Bali for Wakatobi, we met our representative at the domestic airport terminal where uniformed Wakatobi staff assisted us with our baggage and check-in. Coffee, tea, cold drinks as well as pastries were served while we met our fellow adventurers. The flight was on a private chartered aircraft to Wakatobi's own airstrip. The flight was very scenic taking us right over some of the reefs we were about to dive and the surrounding islands. Upon arrival, the staff met us at the plane and transferred us to the resort. While the baggage was being delivered to our bungalows, we received a briefing on dive procedures and the resort amenities, then were invited to help ourselves to the famous house reef.
The house reef encompasses 6 different dive sites and is four miles long. From seagrass beds to walls to muck diving the house reef is fantastic. Three seventy-five minute boat dives as well as unlimited shore diving on the house reef are offered daily. Large comfortable dive boats make diving easy. All gear is in numbered bins and loaded aboard the dive boat by the staff. Reefs around Wakatobi all come to the surface so safety stops are not done in mid-water, but on the reef still searching for critters. Some sites are walls, some are pinnacles and some are sloping reefs so a variety of sites can be done. There are forty named sites ranging from two minutes to fifty minutes from the resort. Dive-guides are highly knowledgeable on the fish as well as the coral species. The fish and coral variety is amazing and even the guides are still finding new creatures and species they have not seen on Wakatobi reefs. Where in the world can guides with two years experience at a location say that?
Diversity in marine species is what Wakatobi diving is all about. Walls are covered with soft and hard corals and fish of every shape and size from the tiniest pygmy seahorse to tuna and every species in between. For photographers, a large camera room with charging stations as well as a large camera table are on each diveboat. The only problem is deciding which lens to use as most sites are suitable for either macro, wide angle or standard lenses.
The collaborative reef conservation program between Wakatobi and the surrounding local communities has provided benefits for all parties. The reef management practices have protected the area from destructive fishing and the communities have learned how to protect the reefs for future generations. This includes the wider Tukang Besi area in addition to Wakatobi.
Between dives, our meals were prepared by Balinese trained chefs. Mealtime did much more than just satisfy our hunger… it was more like dining in a five star restaurant. From international cuisine to local cuisine – every meal was delicious. Pastry chefs created the finest deserts and dietary requests were easily accommodated.
Bungalows are in four categories including garden, beach, premium beach and the exclusive cliff villas. Each bungalow is very comfortable with hand crafted thatch roofs and has air-conditioning as well as ceiling fans with ensuite bathrooms. The staff to guest ratio is 3/1 so the service was outstanding (similar to what you would experience in the world’s best resorts) and our every need was attended to promptly and with a warm Indonesian smile and thank you from the staff. Island tours to the village were a wonderful way of seeing daily Indonesian life. On our trip there was a wedding dance the night before the ceremony and the resort guests were all invited. Friendly but shy is the best way to describe the villagers. Our experience at Wakatobi was altogether excellent and I would highly recommend it for divers and adventurers of all levels.
Dave W.
Wakatobi Trip Report
The Wakatobi experience starts with staff meeting you at your airplane upon arrival in Bali to assist with Indonesian customs and immigration. We scheduled a few days in Bali to see some of the island before continuing on to Wakatobi. The island of Bali is beautiful and full of friendly people and bears no resemblance to the negative news reports published in our media and on TV (which are mostly from distant areas of the country and not Bali). Hindu is the main religion in Bali and the island is deeply spiritual. Tours to the interior show how stunning Bali is.
Departing Bali for Wakatobi, we met our representative at the domestic airport terminal where uniformed Wakatobi staff assisted us with our baggage and check-in. Coffee, tea, cold drinks as well as pastries were served while we met our fellow adventurers. The flight was on a private chartered aircraft to Wakatobi's own airstrip. The flight was very scenic taking us right over some of the reefs we were about to dive and the surrounding islands. Upon arrival, the staff met us at the plane and transferred us to the resort. While the baggage was being delivered to our bungalows, we received a briefing on dive procedures and the resort amenities, then were invited to help ourselves to the famous house reef.
The house reef encompasses 6 different dive sites and is four miles long. From seagrass beds to walls to muck diving the house reef is fantastic. Three seventy-five minute boat dives as well as unlimited shore diving on the house reef are offered daily. Large comfortable dive boats make diving easy. All gear is in numbered bins and loaded aboard the dive boat by the staff. Reefs around Wakatobi all come to the surface so safety stops are not done in mid-water, but on the reef still searching for critters. Some sites are walls, some are pinnacles and some are sloping reefs so a variety of sites can be done. There are forty named sites ranging from two minutes to fifty minutes from the resort. Dive-guides are highly knowledgeable on the fish as well as the coral species. The fish and coral variety is amazing and even the guides are still finding new creatures and species they have not seen on Wakatobi reefs. Where in the world can guides with two years experience at a location say that?
Diversity in marine species is what Wakatobi diving is all about. Walls are covered with soft and hard corals and fish of every shape and size from the tiniest pygmy seahorse to tuna and every species in between. For photographers, a large camera room with charging stations as well as a large camera table are on each diveboat. The only problem is deciding which lens to use as most sites are suitable for either macro, wide angle or standard lenses.
The collaborative reef conservation program between Wakatobi and the surrounding local communities has provided benefits for all parties. The reef management practices have protected the area from destructive fishing and the communities have learned how to protect the reefs for future generations. This includes the wider Tukang Besi area in addition to Wakatobi.
Between dives, our meals were prepared by Balinese trained chefs. Mealtime did much more than just satisfy our hunger… it was more like dining in a five star restaurant. From international cuisine to local cuisine – every meal was delicious. Pastry chefs created the finest deserts and dietary requests were easily accommodated.
Bungalows are in four categories including garden, beach, premium beach and the exclusive cliff villas. Each bungalow is very comfortable with hand crafted thatch roofs and has air-conditioning as well as ceiling fans with ensuite bathrooms. The staff to guest ratio is 3/1 so the service was outstanding (similar to what you would experience in the world’s best resorts) and our every need was attended to promptly and with a warm Indonesian smile and thank you from the staff. Island tours to the village were a wonderful way of seeing daily Indonesian life. On our trip there was a wedding dance the night before the ceremony and the resort guests were all invited. Friendly but shy is the best way to describe the villagers. Our experience at Wakatobi was altogether excellent and I would highly recommend it for divers and adventurers of all levels.
Dave W.
OP
promocop
Contributor
Thank you. That was the finest report i have ever read. Most excellent. I'm going in November!
Weeksd has it essentially right, although he sounds a bit like a promotional blurb. 
We went to Wakatobi a couple of years back and did the Pelagian livaboard part. It was also very well run and the diving was excellent. I saw a frogfish that week, for the first and only time. The charter flight is interesting. It's hotter than you-know-what meeting the plane and the plane itself looks like it used to be in service in some Eastern block country prior to hard(er) times. The poor flight attendants are all wearing those polyester outfits and heavy makeup and look miserable. All the emergency info is printed in some non-western script. The bathroom is....not good. Hopefully in the last couple of years they have fixed that up some. How hard can in be to buy a new stainless steel toilet seat? Maybe you can get one on e-bay for that plane..... Having said that, that is the most adventurous it gets. After that, it's pretty luxe. The food is good, the equipment is good, and they have good guides, mostly European with good English. The other divers are diverse. We were on with other couples who were mostly 30-40s and experienced divers. I'd recommend you use nitrox for the week. There is lots of diving but none of it is really deep, so it is perfect. About half of the guests were European and everybody spoke English well. My buddy's regulator had an issue and they were able to fix it before the next dive on the boat. If the flight from the US wasn't so dang long, we'd go back. The segment in Bali was nice, too. We stayed at an Oberoi that was totally SWANK. Best massage I have ever had was there. Let me know if you are intersted in pictures or more info. I would be happy to discuss with you before you go.
We went to Wakatobi a couple of years back and did the Pelagian livaboard part. It was also very well run and the diving was excellent. I saw a frogfish that week, for the first and only time. The charter flight is interesting. It's hotter than you-know-what meeting the plane and the plane itself looks like it used to be in service in some Eastern block country prior to hard(er) times. The poor flight attendants are all wearing those polyester outfits and heavy makeup and look miserable. All the emergency info is printed in some non-western script. The bathroom is....not good. Hopefully in the last couple of years they have fixed that up some. How hard can in be to buy a new stainless steel toilet seat? Maybe you can get one on e-bay for that plane..... Having said that, that is the most adventurous it gets. After that, it's pretty luxe. The food is good, the equipment is good, and they have good guides, mostly European with good English. The other divers are diverse. We were on with other couples who were mostly 30-40s and experienced divers. I'd recommend you use nitrox for the week. There is lots of diving but none of it is really deep, so it is perfect. About half of the guests were European and everybody spoke English well. My buddy's regulator had an issue and they were able to fix it before the next dive on the boat. If the flight from the US wasn't so dang long, we'd go back. The segment in Bali was nice, too. We stayed at an Oberoi that was totally SWANK. Best massage I have ever had was there. Let me know if you are intersted in pictures or more info. I would be happy to discuss with you before you go.Similar threads
