Tulamben on December/January

[erbedo]

Hi all, wife and me are planning to go to Tulamben for 7-10 days circa from 27 December to around the 7th of January. We are looking for good, shallow dives, with plenty of photo opportunities. We prefer small critters such as nudi, small fishes, eel, rather than big fishes.

I am starting a new thread since I did not find answers to all my questions on old threads. These are:
- What do you advise, staying on the same resort for the whole vacation or staying 4-5 days in Tulamben and then go elsewhere?
- We would also like to do some non-diving activities, such as visiting temples and such. What would be the best to do there?
- Is it a good period of the year to go there?
- I saw that a lot of diving shops also offer accomodation, but I have the feeling reading here and there that it would be better to book dives and hotel separately. Is that true?

Thank you all in advance

 

[thumbsplitter]

If I'm not mistaken, that is the rainy season in Bali... If you want to dive Indonesia in Dec/Jan, I think Raja Ampat will be a lot dryer.

--Thumbsplitter

 

[erbedo]

We also looked at RA, but the problem is that we could not find flights less than 1.500 euro per person, which is quite expensive.

 

[buiszie]

Raining season doesnt mean the time for diving is not possible. It is also not raining the whole days. Most of the times it rains in the afternoon and night. The rain can have a possitive and negative effect on the viz. We never knows. Yes it a bit more cold when you come out of the water after the dive. But still Bali is beautiful for diving.

 

[charlier]

Raining season doesnt mean the time for diving is not possible. It is also not raining the whole days. Most of the times it rains in the afternoon and night. The rain can have a possitive and negative effect on the viz. We never knows. Yes it a bit more cold when you come out of the water after the dive. But still Bali is beautiful for diving.

Sander has a very good point. Bali is beautiful for diving and much less expensive than Raja Ampat. Bali will provide a nice introduction to diving in SE Asia. The rainy season is also low season and thats a big plus. Way less divers and crowds. You are in the tropics and even in "dry season", you will experience rain. You might consider 3 - 4 days in Tulamben and 3 - 4 days on Nusa Lembongan. Here, you will experience lovely drift dives and perhaps see mantas in southern Nusa Penida. I frequently commute to Bali for work and try to avoid June-August (high season).

 

[frogfish]

I've visited Tulamben a number of times around that period, sometimes it is very good, sometimes there can be a lot of swell which reduces visibility and makes beach entry & exit challenging...

Hope this helps

 

[Luko]

Tulamben maybe a hit or miss, depending on... your luck weatherwise. That said there's a lot to do other than diving in Bali, but land oreinted activities are more located in the center of the island (like Ubud).
In 10 days you may go around 2 or 3 places like 4 nights in Tulamben, 3 nights in Padang Bai -where you can dive Nusa Penida from) and 2 nights in Ubud to finish with for instance... transfering is very easy, it takes a couple of hours in the morning you won't even have to pack your equipment in between, just leave it in a large plastic bag from one dive center to another.
I think you should book at least some of the nights around new year's eve.
No brainer choices are for Tulamben : Liberty dive centre accoms and dive centre / for Padang Bai : stay at Puri Rai and dive with Gekodive

Then if rain is your concern you may also look for Ambon, which is frequently flown from Jakarta with Garuda or other airlines. December-january is dry season in Ambon, it will deliver A LOT of small critters in Ambon bay if that is what you're looking for.

Philippines is another option for diving at this time of year.

 

[Adelaar Cruises]

On your way to/back from Tulamben visit Tirta Gangga Water Garden and make sure you stop into Gunung Kawi temple complex, near Ubud.

@Luko has the right idea for splitting your time.

You don't mention budget if you are looking for first-class to luxury accommodation you may want to take a look at Villa Markisa Dive Resort and Spa. The resort is located next to Seraya's Secret (one of the premier dive sites in Tulamben). They also are one of the few dive resorts in Tulamben that uses dive boats (most use local wooden outriggers). Depending on what size, the wooden outriggers are perfectly acceptable, but (IMO) the dive boats have better storage, faster engines, more shade, easier access (ladders) and comfortable seating.

Have a fantastic dive holiday in Indonesia!

 

[Cali_diver]

+1 for Villa Markisa... awesome!

 

[erbedo]

Hi all, thanks for all your comments.

We are a bit scared of the (possible) bad weather there, so we are thinking to go there this August, which should be dry season hence better weather.

We are not looking for something luxury, but we want to stay comfy. The idea of splitting the vacation in 2-3 places is ok, as we typically travel with similar schedules.