Thanks. I misunderstood and was asking because I'd be based in Singapore.
East Timor
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Thanks. I misunderstood and was asking because I'd be based in Singapore.
JD_McCombs
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Why is that? There appears to be a daily flight to Bali.
matador
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I went with the Junk but I think it was a one off ... they don't do this trip any more.
I can find this page which shows the itinerary if it helps: June Hong Chian Lee (better known as The Junk) - Timor-Leste Liveaboards - Dive Discovery Timor-Leste
silent running
Contributor
Could someone please let us all know what constitutes “expensive” diving in a remote part of the world that offers a high quality of environmental health and species diversity?
I compare all land based diving against liveaboard prices for diving the same area. I have yet to find land based accommodations in Indonesia with diving, decent food and AC, not counting Wakatobi, to be anywhere near $400+ per day, which is what I personally consider expensive. Thank god fosil fuel prices don’t seem to be going up unless the utopians get their way in the major western economies, with air travel severely curtailed. If they do, heaven help dive tourism.
It might be beneficial for this and any future discussion if we come to some general agreement on what is “expensive” diving in quality parts of Indonesia, PNG, PI and Malaysia. I know this may be difficult, but that shouldn’t stop us from trying...
I compare all land based diving against liveaboard prices for diving the same area. I have yet to find land based accommodations in Indonesia with diving, decent food and AC, not counting Wakatobi, to be anywhere near $400+ per day, which is what I personally consider expensive. Thank god fosil fuel prices don’t seem to be going up unless the utopians get their way in the major western economies, with air travel severely curtailed. If they do, heaven help dive tourism.
It might be beneficial for this and any future discussion if we come to some general agreement on what is “expensive” diving in quality parts of Indonesia, PNG, PI and Malaysia. I know this may be difficult, but that shouldn’t stop us from trying...
Would you like to start? Other than $400/day for LOB, what's your price points for the different locales?
I can arrange to start a new thread and move responses there
. Then in future, we can insert a link or point posters to that thread.
silent running
Contributor
As I said above, I consider anything under $400 a day for land based diving and accommodations to be reasonable for high quality diving, like that found in East Nusa Tenggara or the Malukus. When traveling in a group, lower boat costs can often be negotiated and accommodation cost can also be kept down if one is willing to forgo certain amenities. I personally draw the line at AC, except in rare cases where there are consistent trade winds.
PNG is more remote and costs tend to be higher, PI is less remote and tends to be lower, with Indonesia generally more in the middle. The relative remoteness of a place seems to be the main factor in determining price, and remoteness usually means better marine life. Liveabords sell remoteness, variety and quantity over land based operations, but I have found this to often be more of a marketing gimmick, except for truly remote, long liveaboard trips like those of a boat like the Golden Dawn in PNG used to do. In fact, I have found some of the best diving in areas that are near villages and which require local knowledge, like Alor. A place like that requires intricate knowledge of tidal conditions. And, the low population density and the fact that the villagers keep a close watch on outsider fishing makes for a high quality experience. A liveaboard offers no advantage in a place like that, and in fact may provide a much lower quality experience without a local dive op’s expertise and flexibility in choosing dive sites.
I have found low population density and proximity to deep water to be the best indicators of good diving, and this does not always come at a premium. I bring all this up to illustrate the point that if we are going to use the word “expensive”, we should also try to define what that means relative to the experience you get for your money...
2 direct flights per week from Singapore on Silk Air. Daily flights from Bali and also from Darwin.
I just returned from East Timor. I must say I really enjoyed the place. Friendly people, no crazy traffic in Dili. Plenty of good food and very inexpensive wine and alcohol (living in Indonesia our wine prices are ridiculous). I spent 3 nights on Atauro and thought it was a cool island. Only got to do 3 dives and not there at the best time of year to see cetaceans but hit two very nice coral reefs. Can't say a lot about the diving as that's all I did, a very beautiful coral garden is always big on my list. Accommodations are quaint, where I was staying there was electricity from 6pm to 7 or 8am, fan only. Not sure if the 2 dive centres have rooms with AC. There is a dive centre on the island that has been there for around 15 years, beautiful grounds and a lovely white sandy beach. If you enjoy a relaxed and quiet place mixed with some diving then Atauro would be a good option. I will go back for sure to hopefully see more of the UW and run into some blue whales!
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