Best land based locations with short boat rides to dive sites?

[bballnut90]

I'm doing a 7 day liveaboard in Raja Ampat at the end of April and am planning to add on an additional week or 2 of travel in Indonesia in early May. I'm fine traveling to somewhere remote, but am hoping to stay land based in a location where dive sites are just a 5-10 minute boat ride away from shore. Love the ability to dive in the morning, come back for surface time, eat, and go out again. Any suggestions on locations to go in Indonesia or Malaysia? Open to reef/muck/pelagic diving.

Not as important, but I'd also love to dive in an area with a vibe similar to Sabang (Puerto Galera) or Roatan where there are several options for dive resorts, restaurants, etc. and doesn't feel overly crowded.

 

[living4experiences]

If your liveaboard starts and ends in Sorong, these resorts will provide transfers to and from Sorong after your liveaboard ends: Sorido Bay Resort, Raja Ampat Dive Lodge, Cove Eco Resort. They have specific days of the week for the free transfers, and if you deviate from their schedule, it's then a private transfer, which has a fee.

I stayed at Sorido Bay Resort November 2023 followed by a liveaboard, starting and ending in Sorong. Sorido Bay is a great resort. I'm doing a similar trip in 2025; liveaboard first, then RADL, then Cove Eco, all timed perfectly for the free transfers.

 

[Pressurehead]

additional week or 2 of travel in Indonesia in early May.

+1 , Sounds like a plan, already have some dates booked in May, keen to hear what others think.

 

[bballnut90]

If your liveaboard starts and ends in Sorong, these resorts will provide transfers to and from Sorong after your liveaboard ends: Sorido Bay Resort, Raja Ampat Dive Lodge, Cove Eco Resort. They have specific days of the week for the free transfers, and if you deviate from their schedule, it's then a private transfer, which has a fee.

I stayed at Sorido Bay Resort November 2023 followed by a liveaboard, starting and ending in Sorong. Sorido Bay is a great resort. I'm doing a similar trip in 2025; liveaboard first, then RADL, then Cove Eco, all timed perfectly for the free transfers.

Good idea on spending more time in Raja...probably a dumb question, but did it feel like overkill extending Raja for an additional week? And were the dive sites from the land based resorts different from the liveaboard spots?

 

[living4experiences]

Good idea on spending more time in Raja...probably a dumb question, but did it feel like overkill extending Raja for an additional week? And were the dive sites from the land based resorts different from the liveaboard spots?

It was a great choice! Definitely not overkill. Being my first time diving in Asia, I wanted a broad exposure to the diving. It's a long way to go from the U.S. for just a week. With the 30-day visa, I wanted to maximize my time there. With the travel and the diving, I spent 28 days in Indonesia.

The liveaboard went farther south, down to Misool, which was too far for the day boat ride from Sorido Bay (SB). SB is on Kri Island and literally around the corner from the world famous Cape Kri. The advantage of staying at a resort in the Dampier Strait is the proximity to some of the premium dive sites and the opportunity to dive Cape Kri more than once. It can often be undiveable (is that a word?) because of the currents and the timing of the tides. I was lucky to dive it three times. All three times differed greatly in the conditions but still a mind-blowing dive site with the biodiversity of marine life, as you'll find all over Raja Ampat (RA).

I only had a few overlaps in dive sites, but that's never an issue for me, because each site can vary from day to day in visibility, currents, and critters.

Keep in mind that the land-based resorts only have a few cottages/bungalows. SB has 7 cottages and are usually booked out a year in advance. However, May is the beginning of the slow season in RA, so there may be more room availability in May versus November, when I went. And it's only called slow season because the liveaboards leave the area to go to Komodo, and the rainy months are June and July.

It was the best diving I've ever done and I'm forever hooked on RA

 

[JustinJRL]

I agree your best option is probably to remain in Raja, where you'll find some of the best diving in Indonesia, since you are already there. There is enough variety to keep any diver busy for 2-3 weeks.

It is however remote and there isn't a "restaurant scene" or anything of that sort. You'll be at a resort, mostly isolated to your resort for meals.

North Sulawesi is the most common tie in to Raja. You can do lembeh for critters, though again there isn't much of a restaurant scene though it is less remote. Most dive ops are still "resort" based. I've never been to Bunaken but it seems like a lovely island with more resorts close together and a few restaurants, famous for wall dives. I'd love to visit but I personally would still rather stay in R.A.!

Another idea is Nusa Lembogan/Penida. Diving can be spectacular, and there are tons of hotels, restaurants, bars, on the two main beach areas. It's a great place to travel with a partner who doesn't dive for a few days. Dive sites are varied but it can be crowded at certain sites during summer months.

 

[JohnN]

I'm doing a 7 day liveaboard in Raja Ampat at the end of April and am planning to add on an additional week or 2 of travel in Indonesia in early May. I'm fine traveling to somewhere remote, but am hoping to stay land based in a location where dive sites are just a 5-10 minute boat ride away from shore. Love the ability to dive in the morning, come back for surface time, eat, and go out again. Any suggestions on locations to go in Indonesia or Malaysia? Open to reef/muck/pelagic diving.

Not as important, but I'd also love to dive in an area with a vibe similar to Sabang (Puerto Galera) or Roatan where there are several options for dive resorts, restaurants, etc. and doesn't feel overly crowded.

Absolutely Trident Bay. Fly to Kaimana and they will pick you up. Superb diving and you'll never see any other drivers

 

[matts1w]

When it comes to diving and having restaurants and things to do at night, Indonesia really is the land of compromise. The BEST diving in Indonesia means self-contained dive resorts and liveaboards. The only exception is diving Komodo and staying in Labuan Bajo, but this means LONG boat trips into the Komodo National Park and being gone from early morning to late afternoon every day.

Bali (Amed, Tulamben, Padang Bai, Candidasa, Nusa Lembongan) offers short boat trips and shore diving at your leisure as well as restaurants and very good, but not world-class, diving. I should say Bali offers world-class muck diving for photographers, but that isn't what most people are seeking.

The Gili Islands have a true party scene and a wealth of fun restaurants, but the diving is only ok. I LOVE Gili Air, but when I go there, diving isn't a priority at all.

Hmmmm...what else?

Ambon is maybe my very favorite diving in Indonesia. It is muck diving heaven. There are dive options in Ambon City, and one could get out and about, but this is not at all a tropical tourist destination. Its a small, kind of rough port city on the water which sees very little tourism.

I'll chime in again if anything else comes to mind.

 

[dumpsterpurrs]

As @matts1w mentioned, Tulamben/Amed and the Gilis have dive sites within 5-20 mins boat ride. I also like the diving in Pulau Weh, Perhentian, and Puerto Galera, all with nearby dive sites within 5-20 mins. They can run single tank boat trips or shore dives 3-5 times/day. Easy to decide how many dives to do as you go.

 

[JonnieB]

Sounds like an Amed, Bali, trip to me. There are dozens of dive sites up and down the Amed-Tulamben coast. Everything from wrecks, walls, muck/macro, drift, coral reefs. There is both extensive shore diving and the boat sites are 5-20 minute rides away. Amed itself is a totally chill scene of scuba and free divers and yoga practitioners. So many delicious and cheap restos I'm putting in weight daily. DM is you want specific stay and dive shop reccos.