Immeriswas
Contributor
Hello and all the best for 2017,
After cancelling this trip in 2015 due to some serious health problems, we finally went to North and Central Halmahera, to explore the over- and underwaterworld. In Jailolo and Tobelo our first stops my wife had some sinusitis problems, so that I did only two dives of the coast in Tobelo beside some snorkeling trips.
The reefs around Tobelos islands ( we visited five different spots there) looked very promising from what we saw during the full day snorkel excursion with an outrigger motorcanoe.
So only two dives for me, but both were very special, in contrary to the two I did on Ternate, which were just ok.. The first one was at two underwater vulcanos - the first of this kind to me -in 26 and 30 meter.
Like a massive hot spring under water ! Fantastic sights of colorful softcorall and other marine life in the shimmering of the different temperature grades.
Unfortunatly my camera equipment is mainly for macro, but for the next trip ( maybe Alor and Milne bay ) a wide angel or fish eye lens and a second more powerful strobe is already on the list.
The second one was at an old pier on dark sand in about 3-8 meter - a typical muck dive - with 20 and more different species of nudibranches ! A variety I never had before on one dive. I called it " Nudi City ".
The diving in Tobelo with Yuz , a very experienced guide, was very relaxed with an simple outrigger, no nitrox but quite good rental BCD and regulator. Yuz told us, that there are only about 20 - 30 non Indonesian Divers , of the total of max. 200 a year !! Definatly not the most crowded area in the world.
Here some pictures
https://www.flickr.com/photos/129925047@N03/albums/72157674298275034
After 14 days landprogram, including one highlight of the whole trip : the overnight trek to Mt. Ibu, a very activ lava throwing vulcano, we reached Weda Resort.
It is at the end of a wide bay between East and Central Halmahera. The 7 huts are quite spacious and well equipted with a great camera table , enough plug ins, 25 hour electricity and all the comfort you need.
The food served in the open air ,on a hill situated, restaurant is plenty and full of variety. Beside breakfast, lunch and dinner there is even a little snack in the afternoon. Tea , coffee and water is free all day.
Beside the diving you should not miss the trip to the Halmahera bird of paradise impressive !! we watch him dancing nearly a full hour and pretty close. Here some picture from Weda surface.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/129925047@N03/albums/72157676552807101/with/31822989565/
The diving starts quite early with two boats ( one with toilet on board ) leaving for the two tank morning dive at 7.30. The boats are fast and quite comfortable for up to 8 divers, but normally they only took 6 people.
The first site was normaly 30 to 50 min away. There is no time limit , so that many dives were 70 to 90 min. After 60 to 90 min surface interval , most times on the boat on the way to the second spot closer to the resort, another long dive, so that at lunch arround 13.00 to 13.30 everybody was back . In the afternoon is the possibility of a third dive around 16.00 in a distance of 10 to 20 min to the resort.
The on request daily nightdive ( one of the guests went every day ) goes to 6 different spots about 15 to 30 min. away. It leaves at 18.00. Lunch will be ready for you after coming back at 20.00 to 20.30. Again no time limit for the dive, so that there were at 12m max. again dives between 75 to 90 min.
At the average housereef you can go diving on your own, when ever you want. It is quite ok for day and night snorkeling ( one of my favourate things to do after dinner ) with some surprises as sea cobra and critter.
At the time of our stay there were between 6 and 9 divers, which meant most of the time 2 boats leaving, because the group maximum was 4 divers to one guide.
The guides are trained and worked already quite a bit in Lembeh , where Rob the Dutch owner has a second resort. They were - as so far always in Indonesia - spotting even the tinies creatures and knew the 30 dive sites all very well.
The briefing is quite short - I missed more detailed dive site description and maybe a sketch, but I guess they now working on it , because some other guest had the same complains. The main question in the planning , which normally fullfilled the wishes of the divers, of the next day was : macro ore wide angle ?
There are slopes , steep walls and great macro sites with a lot of critters. Big fish is mostly seen at" shark mountain" , a pinacle ending 28m under the surface. The walls and slopes are nearly to 100 % intact and the quality close to RA with a lot of hard and soft coralls. The amount of fish is definatly smaller than in RA or the Maldives. My favourate sites were : " Corango mini and kecil ", "Elmos " and "Tanjung Ulli ". At " Mangroves" there are Mandarin fish at a very shallow coastal mangrove spot, which reminds me a bit at the scenery at" the passage" in RA without current.
My favorate muck places were " Airport " and " Gamaf ". Especially the night dives there ( 5 in total ) were all great with : different octopusses (normal, mimic, algee and pinoccio ) squid of different size and colour ( my first pygmi squid with 10mm ), hairy shrimp beside many other shrimps and crabs, nudis, rays, stargazer, frogfish, snake eels, sludges , seahorse, seapipes, seamoth, devil fish and other scorpion fishes, fireworms, flatworms, several bobbit worms etc.
Here some pictures about the underwaterworld in Weda as mentioned a bit on the macro side.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/129925047@N03/albums/72157678185779425
After cancelling this trip in 2015 due to some serious health problems, we finally went to North and Central Halmahera, to explore the over- and underwaterworld. In Jailolo and Tobelo our first stops my wife had some sinusitis problems, so that I did only two dives of the coast in Tobelo beside some snorkeling trips.
The reefs around Tobelos islands ( we visited five different spots there) looked very promising from what we saw during the full day snorkel excursion with an outrigger motorcanoe.
So only two dives for me, but both were very special, in contrary to the two I did on Ternate, which were just ok.. The first one was at two underwater vulcanos - the first of this kind to me -in 26 and 30 meter.
Like a massive hot spring under water ! Fantastic sights of colorful softcorall and other marine life in the shimmering of the different temperature grades.
Unfortunatly my camera equipment is mainly for macro, but for the next trip ( maybe Alor and Milne bay ) a wide angel or fish eye lens and a second more powerful strobe is already on the list.
The second one was at an old pier on dark sand in about 3-8 meter - a typical muck dive - with 20 and more different species of nudibranches ! A variety I never had before on one dive. I called it " Nudi City ".
The diving in Tobelo with Yuz , a very experienced guide, was very relaxed with an simple outrigger, no nitrox but quite good rental BCD and regulator. Yuz told us, that there are only about 20 - 30 non Indonesian Divers , of the total of max. 200 a year !! Definatly not the most crowded area in the world.
Here some pictures
https://www.flickr.com/photos/129925047@N03/albums/72157674298275034
After 14 days landprogram, including one highlight of the whole trip : the overnight trek to Mt. Ibu, a very activ lava throwing vulcano, we reached Weda Resort.
It is at the end of a wide bay between East and Central Halmahera. The 7 huts are quite spacious and well equipted with a great camera table , enough plug ins, 25 hour electricity and all the comfort you need.
The food served in the open air ,on a hill situated, restaurant is plenty and full of variety. Beside breakfast, lunch and dinner there is even a little snack in the afternoon. Tea , coffee and water is free all day.
Beside the diving you should not miss the trip to the Halmahera bird of paradise impressive !! we watch him dancing nearly a full hour and pretty close. Here some picture from Weda surface.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/129925047@N03/albums/72157676552807101/with/31822989565/
The diving starts quite early with two boats ( one with toilet on board ) leaving for the two tank morning dive at 7.30. The boats are fast and quite comfortable for up to 8 divers, but normally they only took 6 people.
The first site was normaly 30 to 50 min away. There is no time limit , so that many dives were 70 to 90 min. After 60 to 90 min surface interval , most times on the boat on the way to the second spot closer to the resort, another long dive, so that at lunch arround 13.00 to 13.30 everybody was back . In the afternoon is the possibility of a third dive around 16.00 in a distance of 10 to 20 min to the resort.
The on request daily nightdive ( one of the guests went every day ) goes to 6 different spots about 15 to 30 min. away. It leaves at 18.00. Lunch will be ready for you after coming back at 20.00 to 20.30. Again no time limit for the dive, so that there were at 12m max. again dives between 75 to 90 min.
At the average housereef you can go diving on your own, when ever you want. It is quite ok for day and night snorkeling ( one of my favourate things to do after dinner ) with some surprises as sea cobra and critter.
At the time of our stay there were between 6 and 9 divers, which meant most of the time 2 boats leaving, because the group maximum was 4 divers to one guide.
The guides are trained and worked already quite a bit in Lembeh , where Rob the Dutch owner has a second resort. They were - as so far always in Indonesia - spotting even the tinies creatures and knew the 30 dive sites all very well.
The briefing is quite short - I missed more detailed dive site description and maybe a sketch, but I guess they now working on it , because some other guest had the same complains. The main question in the planning , which normally fullfilled the wishes of the divers, of the next day was : macro ore wide angle ?
There are slopes , steep walls and great macro sites with a lot of critters. Big fish is mostly seen at" shark mountain" , a pinacle ending 28m under the surface. The walls and slopes are nearly to 100 % intact and the quality close to RA with a lot of hard and soft coralls. The amount of fish is definatly smaller than in RA or the Maldives. My favourate sites were : " Corango mini and kecil ", "Elmos " and "Tanjung Ulli ". At " Mangroves" there are Mandarin fish at a very shallow coastal mangrove spot, which reminds me a bit at the scenery at" the passage" in RA without current.
My favorate muck places were " Airport " and " Gamaf ". Especially the night dives there ( 5 in total ) were all great with : different octopusses (normal, mimic, algee and pinoccio ) squid of different size and colour ( my first pygmi squid with 10mm ), hairy shrimp beside many other shrimps and crabs, nudis, rays, stargazer, frogfish, snake eels, sludges , seahorse, seapipes, seamoth, devil fish and other scorpion fishes, fireworms, flatworms, several bobbit worms etc.
Here some pictures about the underwaterworld in Weda as mentioned a bit on the macro side.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/129925047@N03/albums/72157678185779425
