Best Indonesian Quicky (limited time)

[Luko]

Though I love Bali, the diving there is not very good.

Imagine Alor is close to diving in East Timor, but would be interested. I'd love to go to Raja Ampat but it seems impossible to do without at least 9-10 days. I tried to get to the Bandas once from Ambon, but that was a nightmare – always bad weather for the flight and never made it out of Ambon.

Bali diving, not very good???? you must be kidding! Sorry but the regular Indo divers will smile reading this statement.

...and btw Alor is closing in December until march.

 

[jake11]

I agree with Mike! We did this route and were diving by 8:30 am day of arrival!

Did you end up diving when you were in Ambon? Its a quick and easy trip to Ambon from Jakarta and Maluku Divers is located only 5 minutes from the airport, there is also Dive into Ambon on the East side of the island. Fly out of Jkt at midnight and arrive into Ambon at 7am.. easy

 

[Madacub]

Gajah, I would recommend you give Bali another chance. Especially given your lack of time. Consider flying directly to Bali, do your diving then head to CGK.

I've been to Weda in Halmahera and to Walea in the Togians. Plan on a full day to get there from GGK for either. As Luko and Gun mentioned, there is diving on Ternate, I saw some shore divers exiting the water when I was driving through the town on the way to Weda. But the operators may be difficult to find.

In Raja Ampat, another land resort to consider in Raja Ampat Dive Lodge.

In Ambon I dived with Dive Into Ambon and can recommend them, as well as the diving in Ambon. But same as Lembeh, the waters are full of trash, not a big deal.

Gorontalo diving is okay, the operator, Miguel's Diving was good in 2012. Probably still good if the manager Rantje is still there.

I guess you have to decide: How much do you want to dive in a new place vs getting an extra day or two of diving in a place easier to get to?!

In my opinion, your best choices are either Bali or Ambon. I've dived 4-5 times in Bali, only once in Ambon, so I may go for Ambon for myself, but if you haven't had a good diving trip in Bali, I recommend that for you, simply because you can fly in there directly and have several flights a day to CGK when you are done. I don't know how many daily flights between Ambon and CGK.

I'll echo what others have said, Bali diving is Good!

Hope this helps.

ps: When you say, "It's easy to fly into Ternate" from CGK, I'll note that I got delayed for hours transiting through Manado on my way to Ternate from CGK.

 

[charlier]

+1 for Luko. He is on the mark about Bali. Alor is best in April and onwards, in particular during a full moon.

 

[matts1w]

And why does December limit choices BTW? Rainy seasons vary all over, you'd think December would be a high season in some areas, as I know it is in RA.

Only that a lot of the off-the-beaten-track areas around Sulawesi, Kalimantan, and Lombok may shut things down December-February as things really are slow. Heck, I was at one of the big time resorts in Lembeh the first week of last January and was the only guest most of the trip.

I am going to parrot everyone here and suggest Bali, too. I am very stoked with Bali muck diving lately. In fact, I cannot wait to get back in a few weeks. Ya have to admit, it is good to have these kind of problems. We are very fortunate.

 

[gajahduduk]

OK, where in Bali then? My impression of Bali was based on a couple of dives in the 1990s. Even then the reefs were damaged and visibility was so-so at best, and the diversity was rather limited by archipelagic standards. I recall I was diving in a pretty touristy area better for surfers, on the east coast not too far from Kuta. So yes, it's not hard to believe it wasn't a great spot. But I can't imagine anything as spectacular as Sulawesi or the Malukus or NTT (let alone what I've heard about RA).

 

[matts1w]

Make reservations somewhere in Lembongan. I have enjoyed at Two Fish, as Laurent and his crew are good people. There are a number of other great places you can find trough past threads on ScubaBoard. Book a cheap hotel somewhere between the airport and Sanur: just a clean place to crash and get a shower. Book in advance one of the first morning fast boats out of Sanur to Lembongan. They will fetch you at the hotel and take you to the harbor. After a 35 minute boat ride you will be on Lembongan Island and seriously close to the Nusa Penida dive sites including a very solid chance to see Mantas along with awesome drift diving.

If you are more into muck, head to Badang Bai after booking in advance with Geko Divers. They can put you on great muck sites, as well as over to Nusa Penida for mantas, Crystal Bay etc... The jetty at Nusa Penida is maybe the best muck site in Bali.

Hope this helps.

 

[Luko]

OK, where in Bali then? My impression of Bali was based on a couple of dives in the 1990s. Even then the reefs were damaged and visibility was so-so at best, and the diversity was rather limited by archipelagic standards. I recall I was diving in a pretty touristy area better for surfers, on the east coast not too far from Kuta. So yes, it's not hard to believe it wasn't a great spot. But I can't imagine anything as spectacular as Sulawesi or the Malukus or NTT (let alone what I've heard about RA).

Everything in this gallery was shot in Bali within the last 4 years. FYI I dived almost everywhere in Indonesia and Bali still gets my vote for a combination of muck and big fish. Of course Raja Ampat, Komodo, Bangka, Alor or Ambon probably beat Bali each on a specific aspect but as an all arounder, Bali tops them with both macro and blue water diving, great viz (up to 40m in Nusa Penida) and some of the cheapest diving in the archipelago.

Basically I would favor 3 areas :
- Lembongan/Nusa Penida area, as Matt advised 2Fish is a fine operation. Best coral around Bali, pelagics like Manta rays, Molamola, sometimes thresher sharks...
- Tulamben for the Liberty wreck, great corals, muck diving comparable to North Sulawesi.
- Padang Bai for a combo of macro (on a par with Ambon for Rhinopias) and bue water, biggest fish schools on Gili Tepekong.

 

[Indah]

Good news is that nowadays there are two daily non-stop flights from Jakarta to Ternate (Garuda and Sriwijaya). So, no need for a transfer in Manado anymore. But coming from Manado there is an alternative way to get to Halmahera. From Manado to Kao (KAZ), also confusingly named Tobelo, although Tobelo is a 1 hours drive North of Kao, there is a daily flight with Wings (Lion Air group).Within the next few months both Sriwijaya and Garuda probably will fly Jakarta - Ternate - Kao. Anyway, this is what they announced.

 

[charlier]

Currently, I am driving by Padang Bai for a three day free diving trip with Apena Bali. It's wonderful, only carry on pack and little gear. Matts1w suggestions are good; Laurent at Two Fish on Lembongan. Also, contract Cedric at Geko Diving, Padang Bai. If conditions are good, Biaha can be a wonderful dive.