Suggestions/ recommendations required for dives in December or January

[scubadudee]

Need your kind feedback and recommendation for a budget dive including air transfers and stay

Hi all,

Not sure if you can help me decide so that me and my buddies can start saving up for the great trip.

Generally, we got these few in mind:-

1) Sangakali
2) Similans
3) Palau
4) Maldives
5) Other parts of south asia

we are hoping to see some tiny stuffs like pipe fishes and also huge ones like manta, hammer head....like the fine ones with real actions around also.

Cheers

 

[Albion]

1) Sangalaki , good prospect. Lots of Macro and of course v good chance of lots of mantas
2) similans v good prospect and good time of year for it went there two years ago for Lunay NY. and not too expensive. Richelieu rock good chance of whale shark and i would say 80% chance of mantas either there or Kob/Tachai. plus a lot of other stuff. would say for one dive site richelieu rock has to be the one of the best, as forrest gump once said richelieu rock is like a box of chocolates you never know what your gonna git.
3) Nice diving but to get there you need to go through manila and or maybe guam, by the time all your travel costs are in maybe not to budget
4) no idea never been.

Sangsimilan

 

[frogfish]

Agree with Albion's comments - but consider the time of the year you want to go.
For Maldives, very good for pelagics - corals disappointing as there has bit lots of bleaching.
On top of my favourites list, I would recommend Komodo in Indonesia which has all the macro you could dream for but also mantas and the odd hammerhead if you are lucky

 

[frogfish]

Sorry but I missed your December / January travelling period. I would say that Sengalaki is probably not at it's best during that period

 

[greg somers]

as there is alot of agricultural run off from soil erosion and pollution, so the vis will be crap. There needs to be plenty of free flowing currents, as the inner South China sea is generally very poor viz wise. Try and get photo evidence from the local dive operators on the web, as some of the places I have dived have promised great diving and there ended up being little marine life and poor vis. I haven't dived Palau, but would love to see the jellyfish lakes.
Cheers Ears,
The Gasman

 

[Albion]

its a good tip gasman, but you need to check your geography, none of those places are in South China sea.

1) Sangalaki - Celebes Sea
2) Similans - Indian Ocean / Andaman Sea
3) Palau - Pacific Ocean
4) Maldives - Indian Ocean

 

[Jonathan]

last Dec/Jan - fantastic

can't comment on the other

Jonathan

 

[greg somers]

But I wasn't aware that the site had been chosen.Suggestions were asked for. I simply stated that with my experience in Asia, having lived in parts of it, there were certain places that would be less idyllic and why. It was in that spirit that the info was volenteered so they could avoid making costly mistakes on the "other parts" of South Asia.
Gasman