and its daughter ship Arlena, both operated by Murex, and the live-aboard operated by Liburan Adventure Diving Tours, all run out of Manado to the Sangihe-Talaud Islands. The Spermonde archipelago off Ujung Pandang, Selayar island just off the southwest peninsula, the Tukang Besi archipelago off the southeast tip, and the Togian islands tucked away in the Gulf of Tomini in central Sulawesi all offer exciting exploratory diving opportunities.
East Kalimantan. Manta rays and a salt-water inland lake are the top drawing cards here. World-famous Borneo Divers, the folks who pioneered Sipandan diving, started operations in Sangalaki. After a period of suspended operations, they are planning to reopen their dive business with a new Indonesian partner. Another dive outfit, based on nearby Derawan Island, also offers diving on Sangalaki, and this has evolved into a well-run operation.
A school of pennant butterfly-fish, Heniochus diphreutes. Swarms of these beautiful butterflyfish are a common sight on Indonesian reefs.
Ambon. Dive operations in Ambon and the Lease Islands are smoothing out. Operators now have adequate boats, with all the essentials. The diving here is very good and there will be no crowds at all. But the quality of dive personnel varies greatly. New sites here are still waiting to be discovered.
Our favorite live-aboard, the wooden Pindito, operates out of Ambon. Most of the year, it covers the Banda Sea. When the weather gets bad there, it runs dive cruises to Irian Jaya. The Pindito has pioneered most of the best dive spots in the Banda Sea and they know the area well. With the deepest seas in Indonesia and islands jutting up from abyssal depths, this is truly spectacular diving, second to none.
Unfortunately, the Pindito is quite expensive, and markets chiefly to Europe. Other live-aboards that make Banda Sea runs can be found in Bali.
Banda Islands. The Banda Islands are a tiny group rising incongruously out of the middle of the wide Banda Sea—the Hawaii of Indonesia. Some of the dive sites here are fantastic, and large pelagics are commonly seen. There's not always someone around with formal dive training, although recently a European divemaster has taken up residence in Banda. The real problem is getting to these beautiful islands, however. They are really out of the way, and the bottleneck is the final leg on a small plane from Ambon.
Irian Jaya. Abundant reef life and little-explored ship and aircraft wrecks make diving in the Raja Ampat islands and Cenderawasih Bay on the north coast of Irian Jaya exciting adventures. A new hotel on the tip of Biak Island also offers diving in the Padaido group.
Exploratory dives
In addition to the few locations in Indonesia where compressors, tanks, weights and guides are available, dozens of others have been prospected, and await investment to be opened. To this list, add hundreds of sites—a few "discovered" but most unexplored—accessible only by the live-aboards.
You can also simply charter a large enough boat, and head off to a location of your own choosing. The problem, of course, is finding a compressor. This may be possible in Bali, however, which would open up locations such as the Kangean Islands, Taka Bonerate and the Bonerate group. This is territory for real explorers, and if you have the time, patience, and self-sufficiency, this could provide a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Scuba Guides: Variable
The quality of dive services and guides in Indonesia is, to be polite, "variable." Most of these guides have spent more time underwater than their customers, accumulating thousands of dives, and are excellent scuba divers. But this does not make them good guides. They usually fall short in emergency training and organization.
It best to dive with the fore-knowledge that you probably can not expect any help from your guide. Many guides may even have had some theoretical training in emergency procedures. But we have only rarely seen a first-aid kit on any of the local dive boats, let alone oxygen. Do not expect your guide to rescue you if you get into trouble.
This is not much of a problem for well-trained, experienced divers, particularly those who are traveling as a group. In fact, if you fall into this category, Indonesia is going to be a paradise for diving—no crowds, virgin reefs, and a lot of underwater time for your buck.
Beginners, on the other hand, are advised to use extreme caution—especially those who take a resort course after arrival here. Instructors' command of English is usually incomplete, and safety procedures are sometimes neglected. Being "certified" in Indonesia does not make you a competent diver. If a resort course here is your only diving experience, stick to the easy locations, and be very particular in choosing an operator and guide.
In all cases be extremely wary of rental gear. This equipment is very expensive to buy with Indonesian rupiah, and operators use it to within an inch of its life. If maintenance were regularly scheduled and carried out properly, this wouldn't be a problem. But spare parts are expensive and very hard to get here, and training in repair and diagnostics of dive equipment is basically non-existent.
In most places, dive guides and assistants will ready your gear for you, but we suggest you do this yourself. If you are in the habit of just looking at the pressure gauge to make sure you have a good fill, you better change your way of thinking in Indonesia. Test everything—regulator, gauges, BC valves and straps. You should infer from this advice that we highly recommend you bring your own gear.
Indonesia is not the place to push your limits as a diver. We discourage dives below 30 meters, especially if decompression stops are required. Take your dive tables (better yet, a computer) and follow them scrupulously. Don't even think about a decompression chambers being available—except perhaps in Bali and Manado, they are too far away.
Dive-tour operators, particularly in Europe, are reluctant to send their clients to Indonesia because of the poor training of local guides. This situation will be remedied only when more dive guides receive adequate instruction in dive planning, emergency procedures and language skills.
Transportation: Kafkaesque
Marine tourism in Indonesia is also stalled by the archipelago's transportation infrastructure. Bali, Java and Sulawesi are easy to get to, but particularly at the height of the tourist seasons, July-August and December-January, travel to Maumere, Banda, and other points in eastern Indonesia can be an exercise in frustration. Delays, overbooked flights, and broken computers will make a mess of your schedule. The guilty airport is Ujung Pandang in South Sulawesi. This is the main hub to eastern Indonesia, but too few planes fly there to and from Bali.
Since most of the Indonesian dive sites are the steep outer walls of fringing reefs, access is usually just a matter of a short ride by out-board-powered canoe. This is the fringing reef off Bunaken Island in northern Sulawesi.
Tulamben in Bali is famous for the World War II Liberty shipwreck, lying just 30 meters from the beach. This dive location is also noted for its remarkable diversity of marine life.
The scene at the ticket counters of the Indonesian government airlines—Garuda and Merpati—often produces a strange mix of Kafkaesque angst and hilarity.
It's not always this bad. Things are better in the off-peak months, and even during the middle of the tourist rush, only perhaps 25 percent of the confirmed passengers have problems. The basic problem is that Merpati—the main internal carrier—has too few airplanes, lacks organization, and owns a computer reservation
