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.