Suggestions on dive resorts in SE Asia

[bkpix]

My wife and I are in the early preperation stage for our 25th anniversary trip. We have never been to SE Asia, but have seen some wonderful photographs from many locations.

We have looked at some live-aboards, but most seem to have tiny cabins that do not look particularly appealing.

We looked into the Wakatobi Dive Resort, and it looks wonderful! Have any of you been there? Does anyone know of comperable resorts?

My questions are probably pretty standard. How safe is the area? What is the insect situation. And most importantly, how does the diving compare?

Our diving has mostly been in Mexico and Central America. We are both Advanced Open Water divers with over 200 dives each compiled over the past five years. We are avid photographers, both above and below the water.

All suggestions are appreciated.

Bruce

 

[stevenl]

We have looked at some live-aboards, but most seem to have tiny cabins that do not look particularly appealing.

Don't knmow where in SE Asia you're looking, but here in Thailand you can find some excellent boats. The Philkade e.g. has very spacious cabins, all en-suite of course. And there are more boats that offer excellent facilities.

 

[divingguru]

Hi there,

I would suggest looking into a trip to Malaysian Borneo and diving at Sipadan. My wife and I stayed there recently and it was wonderful. The resort was great and the diving was the best I've ever done. After the diving we also visited the Orang-utan park and did some trekking, all in all a wonderful experience. If you would like any more information about where we stayed and how to get there please let me know by sending me a private message.

I hope this has been useful to you.

 

[kalekainxx]

I would recommand Palau. You don't have to worry about tropical storms. Rain showers only last mins, and when it rains, it's warmer in the water. Resorts are all very nice.

I was in Sipadan last month, and it doesn't come close to Palau. But the water bungalows very nice tho.

 

[OnTheSpot]

'Anywhere in SE Asia' is a bit broad. Why not narrow it down to what sort of diving you want? The Similan islands are very different to the Lembeh Strait for example.

Wakatobi I have heard mixed reports about but haven't been myself so I can't really comment.

There are lots of excellent places in Indonesia: Bali and North Sualwesi being the best resort options. There are also a lot of liveaboards in Indonesia some of which are high end with large and comfortable cabins.

In fact most areas will have liveaboards with larger cabins if you have a good look around.

Have fun!

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

What are you after? Great macro photography (Lembeh, Bali, Mabul), big walls and big fish (Palau, Sipadan), big walls and no fish (Bunaken), wreaks (Chuuk, Coron), comfortable liveaboards (everywhere, but most popular trips are Similans and Komodo), remote experiences (PNG), etc...

 

[Scuba Steeve]

Similan liveaboard for me, on either the Philkade or Black/White Manta, making sure to do Koh Bon (Trillions of Manta's and 3 Whale sharks see did i last season!!!) and then think about Richelieu Rock (amazing but a little crowded). Failing that SSD4 with south siam (not for everyone but i love it!). Lots of insects but not really on the liveaboards. Its also as safe(man!) as one can expect.

 

[bkpix]

Do you have more info on the liveaboard you mentioned?

 

[bkpix]

Not sue what I'm after, big walls and big fish sound great though. Where do you like to stay?

 

[OnTheSpot]

Here is a good link for information on all the liveaboards mentioned above: Similan Liveaboards