My Dilemma - Wakatobi/Bali or North Sulawesi??

[AlanWald]

Mention the skills of your dive group to the dive operator so they can plan your dives appropriately. There is one dive site called Pangalingan off Manado Tua, the volcanic island adjacent to Bunaken which is best dived with current. The diver who is scared of current can try and go with another group on another boat to a more appropriate dive site for that dive.

It can get a bit wild on that site. I started out with my dive guide, lost him, found another guide from the same dive operation, lost him and ended up with a guide from a different dive operator.

The person who is least experience should stay closest to the dive guide for their own security and because the guide can show them great stuff.

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Most of the dive sites at Bunaken and Lembeh have little or no current. I have seen several divers learn to dive at Bunaken and there was plenty of suitable dive sites for them

Depending on the size of the boat, it may be possible for a group to get their own boat and guides and make their own schedule

Ask the dive operator what the ratio of dives to guides is. Four or less is good. Eight is not not guiding, it's leading. It may be possible to get a guide for one or two people. Ask. Even if you have to pay a little extra to have you own guide it is still worthwhile and much cheaper than hiring a local guide in US or Europe. Tell your guide what you want to see and they will try their best to find it for you.

 

[highdesert]

Seems most of the bigger LOBs (Dancer, Aggressor, Seven Seas, Mermaid) are pretty spendy. Only do longer trips and are ~$3500US. That is too much for us. A 7 nite LOB with comfortable ammenities (Dont need Dancer deluxe, but want to have a good bed, good food, great crew) for low $2K would be fine.

Check ths out for some cheaper liveaboard options in Indonesia ... bearing in mind, of course, that a basic class local boat is not going to give you the bells and whistles of the high priced boats.

Liveaboard Dive Boats from SongLine Cruises

And it occurs to me that one of these boats takes four guests only, and does Komodo.