DIVING IN INDONESIA

Indonesia, A country with countless far flung islands, Indonesia has developed resorts in tandem with the establishment of regular air connections and in many of these diving and snorkeling are given priority. Indonesia’s spectacular underwater world includes some of the best diving on earth. It is the superb reefs and magnificent aquatic life which attract the international diving community to Indonesia’s crystal seas. Liveaboards have also made their debut and offer visitors the chance to dive really remote areas.

Bali
Bali has lots of great diving in spite of its relatively unknown status. In September, the mythical Mola Mola, or sunfish as they are called, are regular visitors to the southeast coast of Bali at both Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan. Currents here can be erratic, so diving is only for the more experienced divers. Tulamben Bay is famous for the wreck of the Liberty. Reef fish swarm the wreck like wasps and black coral growth is lush. This World War II wreck sits in 98ft of water off a black sand beach and is not to be missed. The bay off Mimpi Resort is home to schools of jacks while the wall at the end of the bay plummets from the surface to 164ft and is covered with soft corals, gorgonian fans and giant barrel sponges. The water in the bay is mostly calm and is suitable for both beginning and experienced divers. Menjangen Island is located on the northwestern end of Bali and is part of the Bali Barat National Park. Here coral walls drop dramatically to 98-197ft. The walls are broken by caves, crevasses and splits and are covered with huge gorgonian fans and barrel sponges. Bali is also the gateway to liveaboards for Alor, Moyo and Komodo for your Dragons on Komodo.

Manado
Bunaken, Manado Tua, Nain, Siladen and Montehjage all became part of a marine park in the early eighties. Bunaken is now famous for its steep, world-class, pristine walls covered with soft corals and sponges and for it’s excellent diversity of fish life. Large schools of barracudas, moray eels, Napoleon wrasses, fairy basslets and sea snakes are common sights in the area. The marine park boasts more than 40 charted wrecks, including a WW II steel-hulled merchant ship. The marine park caters to all levels of dive experience. With light currents and walls starting at just 3ft below the surface, divers can choose dives to match their comfort level. For the more experienced diver, several varieties of sharks, including hammerheads await at deeper depths…..

Kungkunan Bay – Lembeh Strait is a favorite haunt of photographers. Because the site is located near a narrow channel, visibility is restricted and tidal currents must be monitored carefully. However, the bay is a must visit for great pictures of ghost pipefish, pygmy sea horses and Mandarin fish.

Kakaban
The Blue light Cave of Kakaban is unforgettable. The entry on the reef flat, at approximately 3ft, is literally a hole in the ground. The tunnel opens into a vast cave system, about the size of a small cathedral. It’s white walls are covered with microscopic life and interesting shapes. The 393ft long passage exits through a crack at 144ft and again through a cave at 210ft. The lake at Kakaban is an exceptional marine environment. A prehistoric uplifting trapped a lake of seawater in which the marine life has adapted into a totally unique ecosystem. The lake is populated by at least four species of stingless jellyfish, with three species of Halimeda green algae covering the lake bottom. Here mangrove roots coexist with tunicates, sponges, tube worms, bivalves, crustaceans, anemones, sea cucumbers, sea snakes and at least five species of gobies. Barracuda, blue-fin tuna and hammerhead sharks are frequent visitors to Kakaban’s Barracuda Point.

Derawan
Derawan offers divers some of the best diving in all of Indonesia. With 9 dive sites around Derawan, record numbers of big green turtles, white tip, leopard and nurse sharks, cuttlefish, Spanish mackerel, jacks, batfish and ornamental reef fish in varied terrain including caves, walls and reef slopes. A completely new species of coral is also found here named appropriately Acropora Derawanensis. Derawan’s 656ft jetty is home to dumpling squids, crocodile fish, finger-sized purple crayfish, squat lobsters, decorator crabs, sea horses and various species of worms, tunicates and Dwarf scorpionfish.

Sanghie Talaud Islands
If underwater volcanoes, mountains and remote islands fire your imagination, head for the Sanghie Talaud islands north of Manado. Nutrient rich upwellings in the deep waters surrounding these island support tons of jacks, tuna and enormous amounts of reef life. At Mahahetang an underwater volcano sends silent bubbles among large black rays, lobsters and patrolling wahoos. Since most of these islands are exposed to currents and heavy swell, the trip is recommended for more experienced divers.

Banda Islands
In the mids of the Banda Sea, rising from a depth of over 4,000 meters are the Banda Islands, one of Indonesia’s top destinations for divers. The variety and number of fish are both excellent; the chances of seeing several big animals are always good. The reefs are pristine, with no signs of bombing damage. Both experts and beginners will enjoy diving here as there is a choice of a shallow lagoon between Banda Neira and Gunung Api, or the vertical walls of Hatta Island.
The thousands of Indonesian islands are spread out over mainly an equatorial tropical climate, but the diving season is as complex as everything else about this diverse amalgam of a country. Avoid the wet monsoon season, generally December through mid-March. The dry monsoon of southeast winds curtails the diving in Flores during July and August. The Moluccas, however, have their wet monsoons the reverse of everyone else, in July and August, and diving should be avoided then. Depending on your specific destination, April-May and September are the best all-round months to dive Indonesia.