diving south east asia.. where and when?

[hoani]

Hey guys,

I could really use some help.

I've decided to go diving in South East Asia, and I can't figure out where to go, or when.

how does diving it compare to the Maldives, the red sea, or the caribbean?

I have the option to go in December or in April. my favorite types of diving are wrecks, or big fish like sharks and mantas. I'd also want to try muck diving since it seems so different than anything I've done before. I'm an experienced technical deep diver.

I was debating diving Indonesia or the Philippines. there's so much information out there, but it seems to me that 2 spots stand out..
diving komodo
or Chuuk lagoon

what would you guys recommend for a week/10 day trip?
should I do resorts or liveaboards?

I appreciate your help!

 

[Wingy]

On those two which are standing out to you Chuuk is not in SEA its in Micronesia so costs will likely be more your deciding factor... Indonesia or Phillipines would both fit the bill for muck and critter diving (lembeh Indo) - sadly you are hard pressed to find big fish let alone sharks anywhere in asia now.

You might try Nusa Penida for mantas or Philippines for deep wrecks. Throw a dart at a map of the coral triangle and see where it takes you

 

[victor]

Depending where you are starting from a 1 week trip is a bit short, even 10 days is tight.
Starting from the west (USA or Europe) it will take about 24 hours to get to Komodo or Truck Lagoon. Going home then you have 24 hours before flying, depending on you dive profiles, to add to the travel time.
Thus you could loose 3 days out of 7 or 10.
My recommendation would be to see if you can get a longer vacation or connect with Easter/Christmas to get better value for you flight cost.

 

[hoani]

Depending where you are starting from a 1 week trip is a bit short, even 10 days is tight.
Starting from the west (USA or Europe) it will take about 24 hours to get to Komodo or Truck Lagoon. Going home then you have 24 hours before flying, depending on you dive profiles, to add to the travel time.
Thus you could loose 3 days out of 7 or 10.
My recommendation would be to see if you can get a longer vacation or connect with Easter/Christmas to get better value for you flight cost.

oh, I'll be there longer, so I only meant 7-10 days dedicated to diving.
Also, I'm currently living in the middle east, so it's not that far.

---------- Post added August 3rd, 2014 at 11:37 AM ----------

sadly you are hard pressed to find big fish let alone sharks anywhere in asia now.

I really thought about that dart thing..

Are you talking about this time a year? I thought south east Asia is one of the best places to find manta..
I'm looking into going either in December or April.. I could even postpone it until June.

If I'm taking a trip all the way there, I wouldn't really mind splurging a bit.
is the diving condition in the Philippines/Indonesia the same?

 

[Wingy]

Mantas are most of the year round at Manta Point - I was referring to big fish and particularly sharks having been fished out of Asian waters...although that is one of those how long is a piece of string questions, my idea of big fish may differ from yours. Ive had some really good manta dives in April and July and October, was in the Philippines at Sabang in dec/jan over the new year period and also enjoyed that. Diving conditions vary obviously from site to site and area to area but generally water temp is pretty consistent throughout asia. Currents at some spots - ie - Komodo can be more intense at certain times of the year. Have you thought about North Sulawesi? Muck diving heaven at Lembeh. Im a big fan of throw the dart lots of options open to you.

 

[Centrals]

...... my favorite types of diving are wrecks,....I'm an experienced technical deep diver.
.......
or Chuuk lagoon
what would you guys recommend for a week/10 day trip?

There is only one place that any wreck divers must visit at least once in a life time:
Chuuk/Truk.
Hurry up the wrecks are deteriorating fast(~70 yrs under water).
It won't be cheap and the flight is ridiculously expensive but you live once.
Indonesia and Philippines can wait. BTW the wrecks in Coron are also very good but not in the same league as Truk.

 

[DiveExploreIndonesia]

Hey Hoani

Looks like a big decision for the holiday has to be made!! The guys have some valid points and I can give you some first hand advice about diving in Indonesia, especially Alor, you can see some big stuff (not every day and depending on the dives of the day) with quite a few sharks around, Alor even has some super cool muck diving, it's not normal to see Mantas though around Alor, Bali is a yes for the Mantas and has also some muck diving and a wreck or two, however I personally prefer Alor and Raja4 for the pristine corals and fish life, Raja4 is better to be negotiated by Liveaboard to cover more area and sites!

Hope this helps a little

 

[Wingy]

Alor is pretty special - have not been there for a long long time but hear it is still great.

 

[DiveExploreIndonesia]

The diving is still awsome around Alor, really healthy corals and super diverse, plus the added bonus of only a few resorts around, therefor not many other divers sharing your sites! I left there only a few months ago so this is upto date info, there's a few liveaboards about every now and then but still a secret spot