Fiji v. Indonesia

[diverjen]

Thank you everyone for your responses - this definitely helps paint a clearer picture of both regions (and leg choices) in my mind. Also, I just need to gain more experience with current before hand so I can gauge what I will and won't be comfortable with and enjoy.

In terms of muck, we definitely want to give it a try but not sure if we should commit to Lembeh for a leg. We snorkeled for several years before turning to diving and LOVE finding small stuff. Hubby and I are always keeping eyes peeled for small things to point out to each other such as blennies and shrimp in the Caribbean. The first time I saw a Blenny, I was hooked. We have yet to see a sea horse, but will make a point on our next trip to find some. We saw some Nudi pics/vids at a dive presentation on the Philippines and were blown away. My only hesitation is that I want pretty coral, too - but it seems like that could be had on another leg of the trip.

 

[h20_kat]

Wingy - I was actually pretty surprised by how strong the currents were at Nusa Penida. On several days we had to try 3 different sites before we found one that the guides/captain were even okay with us diving. There was a lot of up and down as well. After my recent trip to Ambon I wonder if this could be due to tides/full moon? At Ambon there was actually 5 days where no night dives were available and a couple days where no afternoon dives were done due to the tides causing poor visibility. This was due to the full moon. The beginning of my 2 week trip was fine as was the end, but the middle part around the full moon was problematic.

I very badly want to go to Milne Bay but flight schedules/prices aren't good for when I have my holidays (as a teacher I have no choice of when to take them). The only option for me would be to go during mid-December to January when I get 6 weeks off and I think that is a bad time of year for diving PNG in general.

Most places in Fiji don't do shark baiting. However, in Beqa Lagoon the shark dives are quite famous and they do chum/feed them. They get all sorts of sharks - whitetip, blacktip, tawny nurse, grey reef, silvertip, lemon, bull and even tigers. I have done the dives there and they are incredible. But I totally understand and respect your viewpoint and I would much rather see sharks by pure luck.

---------- Post added June 10th, 2013 at 12:07 AM ----------

Jen - no matter where you go in Indonesia (muck or corals) you will see lots of nudis and likely some seahorses. If it's muck you will tend to see the bigger seahorses, but on the corals you will see pygmy seahorses. If your eyes are good enough to find them!

 

[Wingy]

Thanks for that Kat - I lecture so im pretty much bound to semester and term breaks but have a fair bit of leave up my sleeve and can luckily lecture via electronic means if need be (as in heres your project you need to do your research because im still in tahiti :cool2. PNG in Jan/Dec is not the best time although under the sea its all the same other than some trippy thermoclines and haloclines around the river mouths. I guess im not the person to comment on currents as a friend who I referred to a dive site in F.Polynesia just emailed me and said.."You said a current not a subsea bullet train''.

Jen have you thought about combining Bunaken with Lembeh - that way you get both corals and muck - and if you do look at that option Id definitely throw in a couple of days at Bangka.

 

[h20_kat]

Wingy - I wish I could teach from a beach! Unfortunately high school doesn't quite work that way.

I might do some more investigating into PNG in Dec-Jan. I sure would like to go diving there... so many amazing places to go!

Subsea bullet train is about right for F. Polynesia! When I was in Lembongan/Penida it was almost as bad as that on some dives. The sharks in F. Polynesia are sure worth it though.

Jen - I was about to suggest the exact same thing as Wingy. A lot of the resorts in Lembeh also have a resort in Bunaken so transferring between them is really easy. It just takes a few hours which can be done in the afternoon after your morning dives. You could go to Lembeh and when tired/bored of the muck just head over to the other side for the corals. I did that last year - but started in Bunaken as I wanted to save the best (the muck!) for last. I timed it badly though as 2 days after I left Bunaken they saw a baby whale shark!

 

[diverjen]

Thank you both for your additional replies. I will definitely look more in to that itinerary!

 

[OnTheSpot]

Lots of good advice and info there. I have to say I love both places but for very different reasons....

Fiji is all South Pacific charm, lovely people and very nice diving (in the right places). Taveuni and Kadavu are both very good and the dive sites you get to visit from a liveaboard are sometimes excellent with gorgeous reefs in amazing condition. You can see loads of sharks without any feeding going on. The Viti Levu Pacific Harbour shark dive is all about the feed. You see some massive sharks and groupers here but yes it is a feed. And we all have opinions on that.

Indonesia is top notch because of its diversity. Komodo, Raja Ampat, North Sulawesi, Bali etc all so different. As a country it is surely the best place in the world because of all this variety. You could dive only Indonesia every year and not get bored for a long time. Lembeh for me was, and remains, one of my favourite places on earth. Absolutely incredible. By the way, Diverjen you can combine the muck diving of Lembeh with a few days in Bunaken and that way get your reefs, walls, sunlight fix and then have your mind blown at Lembeh. Bastianos have resorts in both places and they are just over and hours drive apart (and a little boat journey): Bastianos Bunaken Diving Resort, Sulawesi There is some truth in what was said about that 'normally' it takes experienced divers who have had their fill of schools. sharks and mantas to appreciate the incredible critters of Lembeh, but it ain't necessarily so. Check out some Lembeh diving videos on Youtube.

Either way I think you are zeroing in on a lovely diving holiday. Enjoy!

 

[dive the basin]

I have not been to either one for diving. But in about 13 days, myself and my wife and friends will leave Texas for Taveuni, Fiji. I will be happy to report what I have found about Fiji when I return. I have been told that there is Internet, but all satellite based and is expensive. I will also be happy to post pictures for you as well.
Troy

 

[cbm32]

Naigani is fantastic diving and free wifi down by the restaurant/bar/office. I am going this fall if you wanna tag along Jen

 

[dive the basin]

Good evening all. We are now in Taveuni, Fiji and the diving has been absolutely gorgeous. Paradise Taveuni is a great place to stay. Rainbow Reef is gorgeous and it just does not get better. We flew Air Pacific, which is now Fiji Air to Taveuni out of Los Angeles, CA. We had a 9 hour layover in Nadi so we got a day room. Here is the problem we ran into. We traveled in a group of 30. We used Caradonna Worldwide Services for this trip and they coordinated with Fiji Air to get all of our luggage to Taveuni. We hhad to fly Pacific Sun, which is a smaller puddle-jumper of Fiji Air and they could not get our luggage to Taveuni until Thursday, which by then would be our last day of diving, and after Fiji Air guaranteed Caradonna to get our luggage and dive bags to Taveuni. Well Fiji Air lied. It cost us an extra $400 each for 30 people to charter a plane to get the luggage to Taveuni, and then charter again to get it back to Nadi, and most of us have travel insurance and will get the expense back to Nadi and then back to Los Angeles. Alan and Terri with Paradise and their staff are great. The diving was beautiful. But Fiji Air are liars and I would not trust them.
Troy

 

[Heg]

Im on a personal crusade to boycott any operator who baits for shark dives, im happy enough to take my chances on having sharks show up rather than demand they cater to my whims.

Couldn't agree more. It has been one reason we have never dived in Beqa.