Raja Ampat

Posted on April 19, 2024 by Annabel Thomas

Raja Ampat: Wild West of Scuba Diving

Raja Ampat is still the Wild West (well, East if you’re in Indonesia) of Scuba Diving.

We’re all aware of Raja Ampat’s beauty topside, the pristine corals, diversity of marinelife, tropical climate, the unrivalled smiles of the local people – everything needed to become a huge magnet for adventurers.

Thankfully, despite its growing fame, Raja Ampat is not yet on the tourist or backpacker trails. However, visiting remote islands and communities means a lack of local homestays and amenities.

If as a diver, you prefer land-based, imagine an eco-friendly environment in a secluded area. Escape from ‘the crowds’; the continual hum of your everyday life will be replaced by birdsong, the breeze in the coconut palms, and waves on the shore. What bliss!

If you love the biodiversity part of Raja Ampat but prefer more ‘home comforts’, you could choose an upmarket dive resort or liveaboard. Please ask my Dive Travel Consultants for recommendations.

Diving in Raja Ampat

Diving-wise, Raja Ampat can be divided into two areas: North and South.

North Raja Ampat centres around Mansuar Island and the Dampier Strait; this is where you’ll find most of the dive resorts. Here you can explore famous dive sites such as Chicken Reef – nowhere is known to be ‘sharkier’ (including Wobbegongs!) or more accessible. If you are coming for Manta, Manta Sandy is best October – April. For muck and macro (although the Tulamben area in NE Bali is hard to beat), we’ve heard 12-20m depth on Saporkren Jetty at Waigeo island is incredible: Bobtail squid, flying flatworms, Boxer crabs, Colemani shrimp, and more!

Misool is located to the south of the main islands. Compared to North Raja Ampat, Misool offers better visibility and gorgeous soft corals. The highlights at Magic Mountain are barracuda and Napoleon wrasse but this is also the place where you’ll encounter giant black Pacific Manta rays. All other dive sites are now within the marine reserve meaning the shark and fish populations grow every year.

Diving Seasons

The north of Raja Ampat is more sheltered therefore it’s diveable year-round. The ‘rainy seasons’ are November – December and July – August. For the Misool area, resorts are closed June-September due to rough seas and high waves

In short, everywhere in Raja Ampat is phenomenal! Let us know how we can help you start your planning!

Lembeh Strait

Posted on December 1, 2023December 14, 2023 by Annabel Thomas

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Lembeh Strait

If you ask where in Indonesia you should go for a muck diving, we would recommend Bali, Lembeh, Wakatobi, Ambon, or Alor. Depends on how you set up your agenda, these destination can be pieced altogether and you can have them all in one go. Given a limited budget and time availability, you can narrow down your options between Bali or Lembeh (or maybe both!) Anyway, let’s talk more about Lembeh.

How to Reach Lembeh

Lembeh is an island in north Sulawesi, located across the town of Bitung. The strait that forms between Lembeh island and Bitung is a haven to many critters hence it famously known as Lembeh Strait.

To get here, normally you can choose to fly to Manado through Singapore or you can go via Jakarta or Bali with a domestic flights. If an airport transfer is inclusive in your purchased package, your resort would pick you up straight from Manado airport, land transport you to Bitung and cross over to Lembeh island with a boat if the resort is in the island. There are also several resort that are located in Bitung and you might only need to get on the boat in your diving days.

Diving in Lembeh

September to October is known to be the most popular time of visit. Whilst December to February is rainy season, it does not pour much in Lembeh compared to other regions in Indonesia – visibility is not bad either and that it does not affect the diving much. Currents are typically mild to zero so you would expect a relaxed dive trip.

One of the dive sites is known as Nudi Falls. As it name indicates, the site is a home to a variety of Nudibranches. Sightings here also includes striped eel catfish and features a black-saddled toby, whiteface waspfish, plumstriped waspfish, painted anglerfish (frogfish), banded pipefish, bartail moray, princely volute, leaf scorpionfish, decorator crab, anemone hermit crab, nudibranchs, pygmy seahorse, hornnosed boxfish, crocodilefish, anemone crab, saddleback anemonefish, starry night octopus, reef octopus, dwarf cuttlefish and squid. If you are lucky, you may also encounter Lembeh Sea Dragon in this site.

There are several dive centres that may be able to accommodate your requests and they are also varies in terms of budget and facilities. You may email our Dive Travel Consultant the details that you are looking for and they would be more than happy to recomend/arrange something for you.

Non-diving Day in Lembeh

If you prefer to be more adventurous on your non-diving days, you can visit the Tangkoko Nature reserve in Bitung. In here you may encounter the tarsiers, the black macaque monkeys, maleo birds, cuscus and the hornbills.

You can choose to go the extra miles for Minahasa Highland tour to get to know the local culture: From weaving factory, pottery, the macabre local market, the color-changing lake, Chinese temples, and although visiting a cemetery is not everyone’s afternoon tea, Minahasan Ancient Cemetery holds a great historical value that may satiated your curiousity.

Are you ready for both in-land and underwater adventure?

Group Diving in Bali

Posted on November 17, 2023December 14, 2023 by Annabel Thomas

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Diving/Non-diving Group Scuba Diving in Bali

The combination of diverse dive sites and topside activities makes Bali the perfect holiday destination for Group Scuba Diving in Bali for both divers and non-divers. Your group can experience the diversity of the “Island of the Gods” – visiting smaller communities around the island as you dive, then take the opportunity to enjoy the variety of activities available “topside”. Hotel and resort accommodation is chosen based on your preferences and budget, and giving (those that want it!) ample time to relax and unwind.

At AquaMarine Diving – Bali we are proud to have set the “4 to 1” ratio for divers to dive guide that is now used as the acceptable ratio by other reputable dive companies in Bali. The minimum pro-level of your AMD-B dive guide is PADI Divemaster; over 80% of our dive staff are PADI OWSI or above.

In addition to that low ratio, and due to our reputation for outstanding customer service, AquaMarine has become the favoured Bali dive company for Group Scuba Diving in Bali. We have Dive Travel Consultants who specialise in looking after enquiries/bookings for 5+ guests (a “group” in AquaMarine’s terms).

You will still receive the same high standard of personalised service that you expect from us, and will be consulting with people who have experience organising trips for Group Scuba Diving in Bali (that’s groups of any size), whatever your interests.

Bring Your Group Scuba Diving in Bali

Whether you are a member of a dive club, u/w photography club or a group of friends or family travelling together, AquaMarine will develop a programme to suit all members of your group irrespective of age, experience, needs, divers and/or non-divers. We have a vast amount of experience meeting the needs of every specialist group that comes diving with us.

For example: If you’re a photography group, we will assign you our best spotters; Groups of school children will be taught by instructors experienced in working with young people; Only interested in wrecks, corals, clams or nudibranchs? – just let us know!