Best Diving in Indonesia?

[scubajunky17]

What about land based in Komodo? Scuba Junkies has a great land based resort there.
I prefer Komodo over Central Raja cause it has more macro and I think better soft coral habitats.

Central Raja being the Dampier Straights?

 

[dirtfarmer]

Central Raja being the Dampier Straights?

Yup pretty much.

 

[scubajunky17]

Do you know of any better diving than there in Raja Ampat?

 

[dirtfarmer]

Do you know of any better diving than there in Raja Ampat?

Sure Misool as you said before, but that point is moot as it's not the season now. Misool has some of the best sites I've ever had the pleasure of diving, and can be mind blowing.
I'll explain a bit about my obsevations of difference between Dampier and say Central Komodo where SJ is located. It's about topography; soft corals are highly competitive so prefer vertical habitats, Central Komodo has more vertical topography than Dampier in general, Dampier reefs are thick with hard coral as they tend to be flat. Many Central Komodo reefs are more vertical, for example Batu Bulong or one of my other faves 3 Sisters which is 3 sumbmerged ridges. The vertical topography means more mix of soft coral and hard corals, since the competition is less as the water column has more surface area of habitat to carry food. It also means less competition for sunlight.
Also Central Komodo has some excellent macro sites as well as more macro on reef sites, than I saw in Dampier. I love macro and Komodo can be excellent with the right guide. I've had the pleasure of shooting photos of a Rhinopia while Mantas circled overhead on Mawan.

And I'm not even including South Komodo which has even more great sites, both reef, macro, and manta. If I was in your position I would be sitting in Labuan Bajo hunting down last minute LOB's to the South and Central.

 

[scubajunky17]

I love Komodo and have done two liveaboards there already, I think R4 just beats it tbh in general, also I think parts of Komodo are off the table in August, not sure which part though.

 

[paolobl65]

Do you know of any better diving than there in Raja Ampat?

Hello ,
I was two times in Triton Bay and I like it a little bit more than Raja Ampat .
More soft coral and biomass and more macro stuff .
But visibility sometime are really not good , for this reason better to plan to stay there at least two weeks and stay in resort ( Triton Bay divers ) so they can select the better dive spot depending on the condition , and better to avoid liveaboard ( also because liveaboard dive over there just few times in the year and usually dont know so much the dive spots and the right time to dive the spot ) .
Avoid the edge of the season ( october and april ) .
Hope this can help .

 

[Struth Ruth]

Alor was my fave Indonesian dive spot, then RA and Komodo until I did Una Una Island in Togian Islands in June. Absolute loved the diving, the corals so healthy and huge, fish everywhere, it was fantastic. Not much macro if you’re into that but I semi live in Tulamben so I get best macro there.

I stayed at Pristine Paradise which was relaxed, and luckily not full when I was there. We had long dives and Sri was an awesome guide so if you go ask for her. I’m just a fun photographer not fancy but some videos on my IG scubadiverinparadise

 

[scubajunky17]

Have heard of that place before but never heard it compared to R4