First time diving Indonesia Feb/Mar - Bali or Komodo?

NoNickName · Sep 29, 2018

Hi,

We are two experienced divers and did several diving trips to the Philippines in recent years.
Now planning a first trip to Indonesia and looking for an advice on where and who to dive with.
I am mostly interested in macro and colorful coral reefs and my buddy is looking for big pelagic (Mantas), so trying to accommodate both requirements into one trip.

We will fly in and out of Bali around February or early March 2019 and will have a total of 9 days in Indonesia.

Option 1: Bali
The easiest and least time consuming option, but I get a feeling this is not the best area in the country
Start in Tulamben and then move to Padang bai (hoping to dive Nusa Penida for mantas).
Are these the best locations for the time or year?
Chances for Mantas?

Option 2: Komodo
Probably land based diving (could not yet find a short and inexpensive LOB during Feb/Mar)
Any recomendation for LOB during this season?
What to expect in terms of marine life (macro, mantas, sharks)?
Domestic flights will eat up 1 or 2 days, does it worth it?

Lembeh and Raja Ampat take too much time and effort to get to, so they are kept for next trip.

Any feedback on the locations and recommendation for dive shops will be highly appreciated.
No need for luxury resort/boat, looking for simple accommodation and amazing diving at low/med budget.

Thanks,
NNN.

dirtfarmer · Sep 29, 2018

With your short time frame stick to your option 1.
Tulamben has awesome macro and some nice reefs and NP has nice reefs and a good shot at mantas.

billt4sf · Sep 30, 2018

Agree that for 9 days, probably just Bali. Others may know better if you can fly to Labuan Bajo and hit Komodo from there.

I do know that there are several LOBs that do a Bali-Komodo-Bali trip, but maybe not that time of year, and it is likely 10 days, plus you need time for transfers. Much better diving than in Bali, though.

- Bill

Luko · Sep 30, 2018

I wil take the opposite advice, because I would not recommend diving Bali in feb, while it's south Komodo season, probably the best part for mantas and macro diving, needless to say Komodo is synonym with colorful corals.
flying to LBJ is very easy and to recommend a short budget liveaboard (5days) check out Dragon Dive Komodo, their liveaboard is basic as they cater for backpackers with 2 dorm rooms as well as more luxurious with a suite for the older peoples like us who need their creature comfort.

I'll be posting a report quite soon but if don't have time to cope with my procrastination you can PM me.
Here's how it looks like from the tender :

billt4sf · Sep 30, 2018

Luko:
I will take the opposite advice, because I would not recommend diving Bali in feb, while it's south Komodo season, probably the best part for mantas and macro diving, needless to say Komodo is synonym with colorful corals.
flying to LBJ is very easy and to recommend a short budget liveaboard (5days) check out Dragon Dive Komodo, their liveaboard is basic as they cater for backpackers with 2 dorm rooms as well as more luxurious with a suite for the older peoples like us who need their creature comfort.

I'll be posting a report quite soon but if don't have time to cope with my procrastination you can PM me.
Here's how it looks like from the tender :

View attachment 482194

That makes sense, although those people look quite ugly compared to myself (see avatar) and Emily. But it might be OK in the end if you don't look at them too much.

- Bill

chillyinCanada · Sep 30, 2018

What's the food like on that lob, Luko?

Luko · Sep 30, 2018

chillyinCanada:
What's the food like on that lob, Luko?

Simple and tasty (Bill would have hated it), also (very) abundant.
Since we had half of the customers who were veggies/vegans, omnivorous sinners like me could pick twice in either meatie or veggie dishes.
You gotta love rice and carbs tho.

billt4sf:
although those people look quite ugly compared to myself (see avatar) and Emily.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. At least we can objectively say they're much younger than you are : in that respect only Emily deserves to be on that boat.

Dogbowl · Sep 30, 2018

billt4sf:
That makes sense, although those people look quite ugly compared to myself (see avatar) and Emily. But it might be OK in the end if you don't look at them too much.

- Bill

I’m with you @billt4sf , I prefer not to go on a boat with ugly people. There’s a shop that populates their FB page with only ugly people’s pictures and I declined to do business with them.

There’s a reason why I have no profile pic.

chillyinCanada · Sep 30, 2018

Luko, is the meat prepared Indo style?

Adelaar Cruises · Sep 30, 2018

Bali is a great option if it is your first time in Indonesia! According to our 20+ years of experience sailing Komodo, February is right in the rainy season but the weather usually starts to improve in March. Rain falls in Komodo are mild compared to some other areas of Indonesia so it doesn't prevent you from diving like it sometimes can in Raja Ampat for example. We run Bali - Komodo - Bali trips in early March if you are interested. However, our cruises last 10 nights. Wherever you end up for your holiday, we wish you the best time!