Best diving locations in Indonesia for unexperienced divers

[Quero]

Hi Yannick

What are the best dive locations in Indonesia for unexperienced divers? ...Diving is not the only activity we want to employ, but can function as a guide to decide on our travelling locations. We have vistited Bali and Sumatra before, so we want don't want to visit these islands again.

I have read a lot about Bunaken, but I'm still unsure whether it's a good location for beginning divers. The same goes for the Lembeh strait. If I understand it correctly, Lembeh strait is mainly focused on muck diving.

Bunaken is fine for inexperienced divers, though there's not much to do on the island besides play in the water. Lembeh is not typically a good choice for brand-new divers because it demands excellent buoyancy due to the silty bottom. Save that one for later. On Manado side you actually can do some exploration and see the tarsier monkeys and other wildlife if that's of interest, but there isn't much of what you'd call nightlife, if that's what you're looking for.

Other locations that I have in mind are Komodo, Flores, Lombok, or other places on Sulawesi.

Many of those places are known for wicked currents. New divers are best advised to avoid these kinds of situations until they've got more experience. My advice would be to dive around Bali and then hop on a plane to Labuan Bajo to visit the Komodo park for the dragons. It's really doable.

The whole trip is actually still open, so any suggestions would be welcome. Our main interest would be to see the bigger animals in the sea (macro-diving?). My girlfriend definitely wants to see turtles and would like to see some sharks. If it's possible I would like to see some whale-sharks, however I don't know if that's possible since we can only go to a depth of 18 metres.

The coolest big stuff you are likely to see are manta rays, and there are lots of places you can dive with them. For example, at Nusa Penida there's a manta cleaning station in shallow, protected water (called variously Manta Point or Manta Point 2, on the southwest side of the island), and you could go there by speedboat from Bali as a daytrip. Other areas on/near Bali that are easy are the Gilis (near) and Tulamben or Menjangan on Bali.

 

[instructorinasia]

Hey I think a Bunaken / Lembeh combo would be good for you. People say there is current in Lembeh - there very rarely is!! OK it is more focused on 'muck' diving but we also have coral sites as well. I have taught many people to learn to dive in Lembeh and they loved the muck diving alot! I think Komodo maybe too advanced for such new divers - crazy currents!

 

[YW]

The way it looks now we will visit Bunaken first and explore the island of Sulawesi. We're thinking about spending around 5 or 6 days in Bunaken and maybe log around 1 dive a day. Is 6 days too much to spend on Bunaken since there is not much to do besides diving? Afterwards we're planning on going to Lombok and Gili's and find some nice diving locations where we can spot some turtles and sharks. I think we'll spend around 8 days on Lombok and around 4/5 days on the Gili's. Is the diving in Lombok purely focused around the Gili's or are there any other nice dive-sites? And do you guys have any recommendations regarding diving schools, both in Bunaken as in Lombok/Gili's?

 

[Mantra]

If you are already based in the Big Durian, why wait? Have you tried a day trip into Palau Seribu? There are several nice dive sites an hour by speedboat from Ancol marina. The islands close in are ruined, but once you are a decent way out into Jakarta bay the water clears right up. Have you considered joining a Jakarta dive club? Some of those islands are seriously gorgeous.

It's not set up as a dive resort, but if you are after some glamping and great snorkelling, I can highly recommend the Eco huts on Palau macan there also.

You have great suggestions on places to go. I just wanted to point out you can dive not far from Jakarta too. One way to get your skills up before your trip if you have weekends off.

 

[YW]

Yeah, I'm still planning a trip to Pulau Seribu. I'll probably go around May since the the raining season definitely has to be over by then and my weekends are pretty packed so far. Thanks for the advice. I was still in doubt whether to go to Macan or Tidung. I'll definitely do some research on the Eco Huts.

 

[lilylily]

You could catch a flight to the Philippines. Donsol has a well run whale shark interaction centre. It's not diving (snorkel only), but you are going to see the big stuff. I made a stop there last April and it was busy but well worth it (try to avoid the weekends). Afterward, went on a live aboard from Palawan to Tubbataha Reef National Park and while diving, saw one- but that was the exception, not the rule.

 

[neve]

Let's go by distance from Jakarta:

2 hours flight: Bali has everything you want as a beginner: a wreck in Tulamben, fantastic wall diving in Menjangan, underwater temple in Pemuteran, manta rays and mola-mola in Nusa Penida. Most ofthe sites in Nusa Penida is a bit more advanced, but depending on how comfortable you are in the water, the dive centre might take you to the less challenging sites. Plus there's plenty to do after diving: see the majestic temples, water palace, Ubud (art village), Lake Kintamani, whitewater rafting, learn to surf, the list is endless.

There are Gili islands in Bali and Gili islands in Lombok. Be careful, the Gilis in Bali are not for beginners!

3.5 hours flight: Bunaken is an island off Manado, about 30 mins by speedboat. The diving is very good, but don't expect big fish action. You might get lucky sometimes, but it's not the norm. If you stay on the island of Bunaken, there's nothing to do at night. Manado, however, is a city and there's stuff to do on land. I wouldn't recommend Lembeh for beginners (selfishly because most newbies' buoyancy are not that great yet, and will stir up the sandy bottom and ruin it for everyone else) but if you do go to Lembeh, stop by Tangkoko national park to see the smallest primates in the world: Tarsier monkeys.

3.5 hours flight via Bali: Komodo islands. The diving is much better than Bunaken, and here you will get to see big fish, or at least big lizards. I was just there in May, there were eagle rays, big tunas, barracudas, sharks. Not all the sites are challenging, so you can tell the guide to pick easier sites. You can do a land-based trip which is really good, 3 dives and you're back in the hotel, chilling in the pool with a beer at 3.30pm D Scuba Club can arrange the trip. Topside, there's not much to do but the food is fantastic... try MadeInItaly (authentic Italian food in the boondocks, who woulda thunk )

5.5 hours flight via Makassar: Rajah Ampat. Go if you have plenty of cash to spare. Liveaboards are the best way to dive the area, and the cheaper ones charge USD200/day. But it's the world's best diving and richest biodiversity, worth every penny. I've been there twice and I would go again in a heartbeat. There are MANY sites, and plenty of easy sites for beginners. Above water, the rock islands of Misool and Wayag are probably the most wonderful sight in the world.

Happy diving!