Diving in Makassar? any one?

[cansing]

Has any one ever tried to dive near the city of Makassar?

I will be going to the city for work, and intending to spend the weekend there for diving. Going through the websites, there seems to be very few dive operators in Makassar.

Did anyone dive near Makassar before? Please share your experience. It would be good if you can tell me roughly how much you spent as well... Since I am going there on a business trip, I cannot possibly bring along my dive gear, so I would be renting. How much should it costs?

Advice please!

 

[gelembung]

Hello I'm Patrick Hartono from Makassar Divers we're just open this september and start operating at the Christmas vacation on december prices list and more information will be uploading soon.

fell free to contact me for further information.

 

[Luko]

Has any one ever tried to dive near the city of Makassar?

I will be going to the city for work, and intending to spend the weekend there for diving. Going through the websites, there seems to be very few dive operators in Makassar.

Did anyone dive near Makassar before? Please share your experience. It would be good if you can tell me roughly how much you spent as well... Since I am going there on a business trip, I cannot possibly bring along my dive gear, so I would be renting. How much should it costs?

I have been diving in Makassar and the close Spermondes islands a while ago (2002)

There was a dutch/belgian run dive centre called Marlin Dive, I don't know whether they're still operating.
For the further islands, they were running a very good boat in the july/august season named MV Ciska, this boat was going to the outer Spermondes while in the other months it was hosting liveaboards to Selayar and Taka Bone Rate (the other side of South Sulawesi).
For the closest islands, they picked me up at my hotel in a small dive boat.

I just took two days diving :
in the closest islands (Samalona), you could hear very near dynamite bombing...I remember at one time I had my breath almost cut with the impact... that was really scary, we had to surface immediately. :shocked2:
A bit further, 40mn off Makassar, Keke island corals were very very good, nice nudibranches and small stuff but no big fish.

I didn't have time to go to Kapoposang far away (50km) from Makassar shores but the diving was supposed to be excellent there with lots of big fish and great viz. Should be nice.

 

[PygmySeahorse]

Just awaking this thread as I, too, am hoping to dive the Spermonde archipelago out of Makassar - but staying over on Kapoposang, poss. Samalona too. Does anyone happen to know if the resort on Kapoposang has dive facilities? Or a recommended dive shop in MKS? I see Patrick (above) hasn't been active in a while....

 

[PygmySeahorse]

I've got hold of Bubblemakers. The number on their website isn't monitored, but they do exist, and I have the number for the dive guide there. As far as I can see, Marlin Dive is no more, and nor is Makassar Divers.

 

[Mike Veitch]

I would suggest the drive down to Bira instead, the diving there is supposed to be pretty good although I have no first hand info

 

[Zippsy]

I don't know the islands west of Makassar but I did a report on Bira a while back and I do recommend it. Details are here: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/indonesia/458856-bira-sulawesi-2.html

 

[matts1w]

My experience has been if no one is diving there, especially in an area as easy to reach as Makassar, there is usually a pretty good reason why.

If I were determined to dive that weekend, I would hire a driver and make the five hour trip to Bira Friday after work.

 

[PygmySeahorse]

@Zippsy - I read your trip report already, but thank you for sharing. Appreciated.

@matts1w - My impression is - from people here who've dived it -- that there's pretty good diving out at Kapoposang, but it's hardish to get to and you have to find the people who run the resort to get it open so you can stay over. A lot of stuff has been dynamited around the residential islands (although dynamite never stops people raving about the Gilis), and, obviously, visibility is crap off Makassar.

I've heard Bira and Selayar are good, but I understand it's not the season for Selayar, and I'd rather do Bira-Selayar-Takabonerate as a sequence another time. Or Selayar-Takabonerate-Wakatobi if anyone still does that route.There's a second dive store in town. I will update you as to what gives. My theory is there's scores if not hundreds of these islands - Supermonde - so some of them must be good.

 

[PygmySeahorse]

I've found a second dive store, and it looks as though Indonesians will travel to dive Spermonde, so I'm optimistic diving will be good: it's owned by Ilham, who's been diving here for 40-odd years and is a NAUI deep instructor.

It's Makassar Diving Centre, next door to Kampoeng Popsa opposite Fort Rotterdam: numbers are 0411 3621 591 and Bu Irma's mobile 0812 4291 409.

Irma and the dive guide I met speak a bit of English but for anything complicated you might want to ask for one of the principals to call you back or just rock up to Kampoeng Popsa and do everything face to face.

One trip tomorrow, another overnight to Kapoposang Fri-Sat - on the off-chance anyone wants to join, PM me (or just show up of course). Lots of dynamite fishing on the inhabited islands, apparently, but some lovely-looking pictures from uninhabited ones.