Indonesian dive trip with family

[JONATHAN A]

Hi guys

I have read lots of useful threads here and am beginning to form an idea but would to hear other suggestions/guidance from those more experienced in this region

We are going to attempt a dive trip next year (my wife and I are well dived) with our 12 year old son. Previously we got round the family holiday with dives by doing the Maldives (can highly recommend Constance Moofushi if anyone needs ideas)…we take turns to dive/entertain our son….now we’d like to be a bit more adventurous and go further east. Whilst we don't intend introducing our son to diving until he's older , he does like snorkelling so we would like somewhere with a good house reef and/or snorkel trips.

We are looking at a 15 day trip with maybe 10 days diving and 4/5 days exploring. Ideally we'd love to dive Komodo again and from my brief research I'm drawn to Kalimaya dive resort and/or Komodo dive resort which both appeal (if anyone has any experience of either of these I'd love to hear - or if there are possibly more suitable venues for us as a family do please mention). Is April a decent time to go or would October be far better ?
We all love mantas and would like to stay somewhere that gives us a good chance of seeing them and are also thinking about trying to stop off in Saleh Bay to do the whale shark snorkel either before or after the dive trip. Obviously we will also be looking to spend a day on land looking for the Komodo dragons too.

Appreciate any thoughts/opinions anyone might have

Thanks

 

[chris.schneider]

Hi
To our experience travelling with kids in indonesia is great because the locals love kids. Infrastructure might be limited sometimes though.
This march we spent 10 really nice days with our 6year old daugther and 2 year old son at Kuda Laut Resort on Siladen Island in Bunaken Marine Park, North Sulawesi. It was rain season so we had some rain usually around noon, but still nice and warm overall. Great Macro diving, and big schools of Dolphins nearby. Great snorkeling just in front of the hotel.
Chris

 

[JONATHAN A]

Hi
To our experience travelling with kids in indonesia is great because the locals love kids. Infrastructure might be limited sometimes though.
This march we spent 10 really nice days with our 6year old daugther and 2 year old son at Kuda Laut Resort on Siladen Island in Bunaken Marine Park, North Sulawesi. It was rain season so we had some rain usually around noon, but still nice and warm overall. Great Macro diving, and big schools of Dolphins nearby. Great snorkeling just in front of the hotel.
Chris

Thanks for the response Chris, I’ll have a look at Kuda Laut too

 

[cetacean]

@JONATHAN A

You mentioned you were looking at returning to the Komodo area... if you do look at other areas of Indonesia, I would recommend taking a good look at Wakatobi if you are traveling with kids.
We have taken our kids to Wakatobi both before they were diving and then after they got certified (our daughter did her first open water dive at Wakatobi). The snorkeling on the house reef is very good, with easy entry/exit right from the dock. In addition, this is where they do their intro to scuba experiences (where our daughter had her first scuba experience at age 12).

No mantas, and no whalesharks, however the reefs are very healthy and the resort is great (food, etc.)

 

[JONATHAN A]

@JONATHAN A

You mentioned you were looking at returning to the Komodo area... if you do look at other areas of Indonesia, I would recommend taking a good look at Wakatobi if you are traveling with kids.
We have taken our kids to Wakatobi both before they were diving and then after they got certified (our daughter did her first open water dive at Wakatobi). The snorkeling on the house reef is very good, with easy entry/exit right from the dock. In addition, this is where they do their intro to scuba experiences (where our daughter had her first scuba experience at age 12).

No mantas, and no whalesharks, however the reefs are very healthy and the resort is great (food, etc.)

Thanks, we had previously thought about Wakatobi and I wouldn’t rule it out as it looks amazing - but would love some big fish action if possible hence why I’m drawn towards Komodo…

 

[Luko]

Is April a decent time to go or would October be far better ?

October rather than April -which is the start of the season-.

there are possibly more suitable venues for us as a family do please mention)

Been staying at Kalimaya resort, not stayed at Komodo resort although 5 trips in Komodo.
I'm not sure I would recommend Kalimaya for families with a non diving kid/adult. Nice resort but the snorkeling is limited though, the house reef is better for macro findings than corals, not really what I'd call a beach. Also can be rough seas in this western open part of Komodo NP, less sheltered to seas, depending to how the season goes the access to Sangeang and Banta would be limited in April, easier in October.

East/Central Komodo NP is great for snorkeling though, I guess Komodo resort would be comfortable enough to accomodate your family. Karang Makassar and Mawan, the manta spots in Central Komodo are at close range.

You can also try Alor Divers in Alor, it's one more flight than Komodo/LBJ but definitely worth, I'm sure a non diver would love it, great beach very good house reef, good healthy food (french -which is the case for alor divers- or italian owned is often a guarantee on that aspect) . No mantas but very lively reefs. Sometimes a blue whale at surface in October, hammerheads around full moon but only for adults (30-40m deep in the current).

 

[chris.schneider]

October rather than April -which is the start of the season-.


Been staying at Kalimaya resort, not stayed at Komodo resort although 5 trips in Komodo.
I'm not sure I would recommend Kalimaya for families with a non diving kid/adult. Nice resort but the snorkeling is limited though, the house reef is better for macro findings than corals, not really what I'd call a beach. Also can be rough seas in this western open part of Komodo NP, less sheltered to seas, depending to how the season goes the access to Sangeang and Banta would be limited in April, easier in October.

East/Central Komodo NP is great for snorkeling though, I guess Komodo resort would be comfortable enough to accomodate your family. Karang Makassar and Mawan, the manta spots in Central Komodo are at close range.

You can also try Alor Divers in Alor, it's one more flight than Komodo/LBJ but definitely worth, I'm sure a non diver would love it, great beach very good house reef, good healthy food (french -which is the case for alor divers- or italian owned is often a guarantee on that aspect) . No mantas but very lively reefs. Sometimes a blue whale at surface in October, hammerheads around full moon but only for adults (30-40m deep in the current).

Agree, Alor is a really nice spot and lovely with kids, but long to get there
Chris

 

[JONATHAN A]

October rather than April -which is the start of the season-.


Been staying at Kalimaya resort, not stayed at Komodo resort although 5 trips in Komodo.
I'm not sure I would recommend Kalimaya for families with a non diving kid/adult. Nice resort but the snorkeling is limited though, the house reef is better for macro findings than corals, not really what I'd call a beach. Also can be rough seas in this western open part of Komodo NP, less sheltered to seas, depending to how the season goes the access to Sangeang and Banta would be limited in April, easier in October.

East/Central Komodo NP is great for snorkeling though, I guess Komodo resort would be comfortable enough to accomodate your family. Karang Makassar and Mawan, the manta spots in Central Komodo are at close range.

You can also try Alor Divers in Alor, it's one more flight than Komodo/LBJ but definitely worth, I'm sure a non diver would love it, great beach very good house reef, good healthy food (french -which is the case for alor divers- or italian owned is often a guarantee on that aspect) . No mantas but very lively reefs. Sometimes a blue whale at surface in October, hammerheads around full moon but only for adults (30-40m deep in the current).

Thankyou very much Luko, I had read your previous reports on Alor which were very interesting - I'm not sure if that's the best place for us just yet.

I'd like to try Kalimaya but your points about the reef/beach are making me reconsider it. Perhaps we aim for Komodo dive resort instead and see if we can access Saleh Bay for the whalesharks from there. There also appear to be a few dive operators out of Pulau Moyo at the top of Saleh Bay but info is limited - I don't suppose you have heard anything of that area ?

 

[cetacean]

@JONATHAN A

We spent a week diving Moyo a few years ago (before our kids were old enough to dive). One of the best (day) dive in the area is Angel Reef, which is good for healthy coral, turtles, and the occasional reef shark. A number of the LOBs that run trips from Bali to Komodo offer a couple of dives at this spot along the way.
We paid quite a bit more than you are likely willing to spend (we stayed at the Aman resort on the island).

We picked the resort for several reasons:
- we knew the DM (a friend of ours from years ago)
- we felt very safe leaving the kids at the resort while we went diving each morning
- the night dive along the sea wall is one of the best night dives in Indonesia (absolutely full of macro life, right off the dock)

Again, very expensive, but for us, it was worth it. One other thing, they now run excursions to the whale sharks in Saleh Bay from the Aman resort.

If you don't want to spend that much, you can get a boat in the Labuan Jambu village to take you to the whale sharks in Saleh. One thing to consider is (we've heard) they usually leave around 4AM to get there by 6AM, so it's an early morning trip.

 

[JONATHAN A]

Hi thanks for this, I had had a brief look at aman but as you said it looks super expensive - I might drop them a mail to check just how much it would be now. There are a number of operations for the whale shark trip but difficult working out who is good

@JONATHAN A

We spent a week diving Moyo a few years ago (before our kids were old enough to dive). One of the best (day) dive in the area is Angel Reef, which is good for healthy coral, turtles, and the occasional reef shark. A number of the LOBs that run trips from Bali to Komodo offer a couple of dives at this spot along the way.
We paid quite a bit more than you are likely willing to spend (we stayed at the Aman resort on the island).

We picked the resort for several reasons:
- we knew the DM (a friend of ours from years ago)
- we felt very safe leaving the kids at the resort while we went diving each morning
- the night dive along the sea wall is one of the best night dives in Indonesia (absolutely full of macro life, right off the dock)

Again, very expensive, but for us, it was worth it. One other thing, they now run excursions to the whale sharks in Saleh Bay from the Aman resort.

If you don't want to spend that much, you can get a boat in the Labuan Jambu village to take you to the whale sharks in Saleh. One thing to consider is (we've heard) they usually leave around 4AM to get there by 6AM, so it's an early morning tri