Been to Tulamben, Lembeh, NL where to dive next?

[calliejlong]

Hi, I have been diving twice in Bali and absolutely love the area around Talumben. Also, just did a trip to Lembeh and while I enjoyed my diving - I didn't feel like it was top-notch macro like my diving in Anilao. Not sure if it was the dive company we used or the diving. Anyways, I am going back to Bali to take my son there surfing. While there we usually like to spend about 1 week diving. What area should we go to next? We love macro/muck diving. Not really into the big stuff, corals, etc. Different nudibranchs are our favorite thing to see. Here are some places that I have heard about: Menjangan, Komodo, Raja Ampat, Alor, and even PNG? I am even thinking of possibly just going back to either Anilao or some other place in the Philippines that we haven't been to. Any ideas? Would love to hear any/all comments. Thanks in advance!

 

[AlMitch]

I would be interested to know who you dived with in Lembeh?? I have not been to Anilao but from most reports people reckon Lembeh is slightly better. I've been to Lembeh 3 times and it is one of my favourite places to go.

So just to get your itinerary clear, from what I read you seem to be planning a week or so of surfing in Bali (which is amazing by the way, as I'm sure you know) and then you want to head off somewhere for a week of diving.
Did I get that right?

If you look at a map many of the places you listed are quite far from Bali and will take at least a days travel there then a day back, so that would eat into your diving days. Scratch PNG off the list as you would have to fly to Oz then back up. Anilao I suppose is possible but again it would take the whole day.
If I were you I would head over to Komodo and do a week live-aboard. There are lots of options, from budget all the way up to luxury. And there are regular cheap flights that hop from Bali to Labuan Bajo, which is the gateway to the dragons.
Komodo has everything, from mantas, to tiny rare nudi's, not to mention dragons.

Depending on what time of year you are planning Alor and RA could also be options but would require more travel time.

Menjangan is a small island off of NW Bali that offers big fan corals and pretty walls but not much else. If you are staying in Bali then you could do a few days in Padang Bai to see the Rinopius then a few days in Tulamben and then head up to Secret bay. That would give you all the muck magic Bali has to offer.

 

[WetPup]

Within Indonesia? Ambon if you want muck diving.

Or Milne Bay in PNG if you have the time.

 

[calliejlong]

Almitch - I dove with NAD in Lembeh. Wasn't real sure that our dive guide was on his A-game. We had an amazing dive guide in Anilao so that might have spoiled us. We really didn't see many different nudibranchs in Lembeh like we did in Anilao.

You got it correct...one week surfing in Bali (my son had a wonderful time surfing there back in October) and one week diving somewhere.

This past trip to Bali. I did dive off Padang Bai and was lucky enough to see the rhinopias. However, the company that I used in Padang Bai really gave me a bad impression. They promised me by emails to take me to macro sites and then when I got there they told me that they were going to take me to see large creatures like sharks, etc. I had to argue to finally get to do a macro dive on my second day there. The whole experience was very disappointing. At that point I was sorry that I didn't go through the extra effort to return back to Talumben area for diving instead. Part of that decision was because I was staying in Canguu (so my son could surf and I could go diving) and it was a lot of driving time to go diving each day.

I don't mind taking some time to get to another destination - that really won't be an issue. I guess the reason that I mentioned Anilao is that it would sort of be on the way towards going back home for me. Bali has a straight flight going to Manila that I could possibly take and then I only have about 7 hours straight to get back home in Hawaii.

Komodo sounds intriguing (especially since you mentioned tiny rare nudis). Can it only be done via liveaboard? Just curious. Do you know anything about Alor? I would be going there in October.

Also, I don't mind if its not muck diving but really love the macro critters. Hope this helps everyone.

 

[dirtfarmer]

I can't imagine a NAD wouldn't have a top notch guide but? Ambon has great critter action but your son might be bored to death.
For Macro in Komodo the Mermaid liveaboards leaving from Bali include some great muck sites, but they also have lots of high current big animal dives in the schedule also, I really loved thosr trips. There are also other liveaboards that ply Komodos waters and day boats from Laban Bajo. There is also a new resort in Komodo Scuba Junkies which I stayed with for 10 days on the first leg of the trip I'm currently on. My guide was great at spotting macro.
I can't recall the name of the operation but they run a special charter trip that specializes in macro off Sangegang and Summbua and the trip is known as a nudi lovers trip.

 

[kimi666]

Hi, if you want to try other than Tulamben area and Padang Bai in Bali, try these:
Puri Jati, Secret bay and Pemuteran jetty.
You can base yourself in Pemuteran. Secret bay 30min and Puri Jati 45mins away with car.
All three are good macro sites.
If you visit Padang bai again try Geko Dive, they are great!
Tulamben area +Seraya+ Amed are worth to visit again and again

In the Philippines for macro/muck. Other than Anilao and if you have time:

Romblon island, fantastic for rare nudis and other macro, but time consuming to get there.
Sogod bay, great , but also time consuming to get.
Sabang, quite near Anilao, some great marco sites.
Dauin, not great for nudis, but has plenty other macro stuff.

Haven´t tryed Alor yet, but goin in May. What i understood there is good muck, healthy corals and can see big stuff too. And sometimes strong currents.

Happy dives!

 

[AlMitch]

Ye I'm also really surprised that you had a less than stellar experience from NAD. But I suppose everyone has an off day.
Ambon should definitely be on your list and if you stay at Dive into Ambon it opens up both the muck and blue water dives.

 

[calliejlong]

From what I am hearing so far its between Ambon and Komodo. I don't think I have enough days to actually do a liveaboard in Komodo so it would have to be land based. Any other comments about either location? Nudis are on the top of my list, a rhinopias would be great too and we love all different kinds of frogfish. Also, I am assuming that both locations are safe for a mother and her son to travel to and curious about malaria risks...if anyone has thoughts about that. Thanks again!

 

[Luko]

I am a big fan of nudis too however I wouldn't say AMbon is on top of my list for nudis, neither is Komodo from a resort.
I a sorry for your Lembeh experience but I reckon that the best spots for nudis are Bali, Lembeh and Anilao.
Alor is good too but not in July-August, I couldl list Panglao/Balicasag as well which I found excellent for specific nudis llike Okenia Nakamatoensisi/Kondoi, haven't been to Romblon but from the reports I had it's a prime site for Cyerce sp. and Meliibe Colemani nudis.
None of those areas are really risky for Malaria.

 

[calliejlong]

Luko,

If I could get enough time to do a liveaboard is Komodo area - is it really worth it then for nudis? I will be on this trip in October. Is Alor good at that time and is it worth it for nudis? I will have to look at Romblon. I never heard of that area before. Curious...do you even think I would be better off giving Lembeh another chance? Maybe going to a different resort? It wasn't a horrible experience at NAD. We still very much enjoyed the diving and our dive guide was good. I was just disappointed with the amount of nudibranchs we saw and a few other things stood out that I wasn't sure about. I still have good things to say about NAD. Thanks for your insight.