Diving Site

BALI 

Bali is by far Indonesia's most popular dive destination. It offers plenty of shore based diving opportunities set against a stunning backdrop of volcanic peaks, rice paddys and breath taking beaches. The diving is varied with drop offs, coral gardens and bommies, wrecks and a huge variety of marine life. The Lombok strait lies to the east of Bali and through it flows the greatest volume of tidal water on earth. It is not surprising then that the waters around Bali are often visited by some big pelagics including the elusive sunfish.

With everything on offer from muck diving at Secret bay to adrenaline drift diving at Nusa Penida to walls and drop offs of Tulamben and even a world class wreck, the Liberty. Bali has something for every divers taste. Many of the sites have very strong currents and are recommended for experienced divers only however there are also calmer shallower spots like those at Amed for beginners.

 

 Bali at a glance

Accommodation : Bali Hotels

Highlights : Marine diversity, wrecks, big pelagics.

Average cost of a dive : $25

Dive Sites : 40+

Dive Operators : 25+

Getting there : International flights daily.

Rainy Season : December to March.






LOMBOK
 

The island of Lombok, located to the east of Bali, offers diving for all experience levels. Most of the dving takes place at the Gili islands to the northwest of Lombok however there are a number of other locations around the island. Marine life is also similar to that found in Bali, conditions in the Lombok Strait can be hairy with those strong currents from the Indonesian Throughflow. The rewarding result is rich underwater biodiversity, during certain times of the year large fish such as sharks, eagle rays, turtles and manta rays also visit the reefs. There is also the chance to see schooling hammerheads at Blongas Bay.

 

Lombok at a glance

Accommodation : Hotel and Resort

Highlights : Marine diversity, big pelagics, hammerheads.

Average cost of a dive : $30

Dive Sites : 20+

Dive Operators : 8+

Getting there : Flights from Singapore, Bali, Jakarta.

Rainy Season : December to March.



SUMBAWA

The rugged island of Sumbawa lies in the Nusa Tenggara between Lombok and Komodo. It has many jutting and twisted peninsulas which form a number of protected bays for its islands dotted along the north coast. These include Moyo, Sangeang and Satonda. These sheltered and varied havens offer crystal clear waters, deep and vibrant walls, and fertile volcanic breeding grounds for some great macro diving opportunities. Often overlooked as a dive destination Sumbawa can yield an abundance of marine life and pristine coral reefs.

Sumba
The rarely visited island of Sumba to the south of Komodo can offer some wild diving off its southern coast. Big pelagics are attracted to the open ocean dive sites of Magic Mountain and Marlin Rock.

Sumbawa at a glance

Accommodation : Bungalow orLiveaboard

Highlights : Marine diversity, big pelagics, frontier dive sites.

Average cost of a dive : $30

Dive Sites : 10+

Dive Operators : 2+

Getting there : Liveaboard from Bali.

Off Season : None.


BUNAKEN

The island of Bunaken in the Bunaken National Park is rated in the top ten best diving destinations on the planet. The Park and islands are situated in Manado Bay and consist of five islands; Bunaken, Siladen, Manado Tua, Montehage and Nain. The deep, clear, warm waters around the islands contain astoundingly high numbers of species of corals, sponges and fish. Oceanic currents rich in food and nutrients sweep past the area, these attract an abundance of marine life ranging from big pelagics to tiny critters.

Most of the diving around Bunaken is done on deep walls which are carpeted in coral and pocked with caves and crevaces. There is something for everyone here from the deep freaks and pelagic fans to marine biologists and macro photographers, a dive destination to cater for all tastes. Since most of the dive sites around 6km long Bukanen island are very similar we have only included the most popular. Other great dive sites include Raymond's Point, Ron's Point, Pangalisan, Cela Cela and Depan Kampung all of which offer impressive wall dives and an abundance of marine life.

Bunaken can be dived year round but the best time is between April and November, and the islands are around 30 to 60 minutes from Manado.

 

Bunaken at a glance

Accommodation : Resort, liveaboard

Highlights : Biodiversity, deep wall diving, pelagics.

Average cost of a dive : $30

Dive Sites : 30+

Dive Operators : 10+

Getting there : Boat from Manado.

Off Season : None




KOMODO

The islands of Komodo and Rinca are the largest of about 90 islands that lie in between the larger islands of Sumbawa to the west and Flores in the east along the Nusa Tenggara. Together with a extensive area of the surrounding ocean they form the Komodo National Park which was established in 1980 and declared a World Heritage Site in 1986. The park is most famous for its enormous lizards, the Komodo dragon, however its underwater attractions should not be overlooked and are rated as some of the best dive sites in the world.

The diversity of dive options around Komodo is astounding, from calm and colourful shallow reefs teeming with hundreds of reef fishes and crammed with invertebrates, to current-swept deep water sea mounts, walls and pinnacles patrolled by sharks, tuna and other big fish. The multiple islands and relatively shallow seas between Flores and Komodo's west coast result in extremely fast currents at tidal changes. There are deep seas both north and south and upwellings bring nutrients and plankton to keep the seas rich and well-fed.

The water in the south of Komodo is usually much colder (21° to 26°C) than in the north. There is also a noticeable change in marine life. The north has more unpredictable currents due to the Indonesian throughflow hitting the island straight. This makes for shiftling currents and eddies but also attracts large fish in large quantity. Coral cover here is less colourful than in the south, but visibility generally better. The best time to dive is from late October to early May however the plankton rich seas between November and January produce some spectacular fish life.

Komodo at a glance

Accommodation : Bungalow orLiveaboard

Highlights : Marine diversity, big pelagics, frontier dive sites.

Average cost of a dive : $30

Dive Sites : 25+

Dive Operators : 2+

Getting there : Liveaboard from Bali.

Off Season : None.




KARIMUNJAWA

Karimunjawais a 27 island archipelago in the Java sea and around 85km from the mainland town of Jepara. Reefs are primarily fringing and patch with good coral growth and marine life. Five of these islands are domestically inhabited and together with 22 others form four major zones; Zone I is the core sanctuary area and is out of bounds to all, Zone 2 is the wilderness area open to limited tourism, Zone 3 is the utilization area, Zone 4 is the buffer zone. There are also wrecks here at the islands of Batu Kunci, Karang Kapal, Karang Ketel, and Batulawang.

The Dive Sites
The islands of Menyawakan have been declared a national marine park and are protected. Diving varies from fringing reefs, atolls and wrecks, a good variety of species can be found including some rarer ones such as Crocodile fish and Leafy Scorpion fish. Drift diving is popular here as currents are often strong. There is also a small wreck to be found.

The Mitra is an Indonesian freighter that was grounded on the reef by her captain in an effort to salvage the cargo. It failed and she sunk, now she is home to the inhabitants of the ocean. The Biblis is one of the few remaining wrecks in Asia with its bronze propeller in tact. Some big groupers patrol the coral encrusted structure and penetration is possible. Although probably the most famous wreck is that of the Indonur, a Dutch steamship that went down in 1963 after the captain mistook a fire on the beach for the lights of Semarang and hit the reef. With huge steel plates and riveted steam boilers playing home to all manner of reef fish this does make a great dive.

There are a number of submerged reefs around the islands such as Karang Kapal, Torpedo Reef and Ezdir Reef. They all offer good coral growth and plenty of visitors such as bumphead parrotfish, jacks and the odd whitetip shark. Hawksbill point on Menyawakan island offers the opportunity to get closeup with these graceful marine turtles. Two islands of Krakal Kecil and Krakal Besar 20 minutes away offer a chance to see whale sharks if they are passing through.

Depths: 10 - 40m

Viz: 5 - 30m

Currents: Variable

Getting there : Ferry from Semarang3 hours.

Best months: Apr to Oct


Source :
http://www.asiadivesite.com