The Best Scuba Diving in Indonesia – Top Sites 2023

Indonesia is the nation with the most effective diving on the earth, that’s my expertise touring diving and dealing as a dive teacher for years. The 17 000 islands making up this island nation provide spectacular diving it doesn’t matter what you’re keen on whereas diving; clear water, nonetheless water, or sturdy currents and all the pieces from the smallest bizarre critters and uncommon species to the world’s largest fish and wonderful marine mammals. The water temperature is sweet for diving throughout Indonesia. The primary islands are the best to succeed in by direct flights, from there smaller home flights, ferries, and a brief boat journey are often the way in which to get to the most effective diving locations.

The Greatest Scuba Diving in Indonesia – The place to Go

Indonesia is populated by about 2500 fish species, which is greater than double The Crimson Sea or the Nice Barrier Reef. For unimaginable biodiversity, Raja Ampat is without doubt one of the finest locations to go. This nation is a Mecca of muck diving, yow will discover the blue ring octopus, furry frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish, pygmy sea horse, and lots of different fantastic creatures, the Lembeh strait is the place to go. Do dive in sturdy currents with huge pelagic species like tunas, sharks and faculties of huge manta rays go to Komodo Island. It is a bucket record vacation spot for scuba divers. Searching for an actual distant dive spot? The Banda Sea is without doubt one of the final frontiers to discover. Together with the Banda Islands, Seram, Ambon, Wetar, Kai, and Aru Islands with steep drop-offs and large faculties of fish, the pelagic species, critters, and hammerhead sharks make a liveaboard journey to the Banda Sea very particular.

Muck Diving in Indonesia

Muck diving is a sort of Macro diving, you don’t dive in mud or sewage in shallow waters, the dive situations may be nice. Throughout muck diving, you hunt for small, bizarre, and fantastic creatures that most individuals don’t even know exist! The Lembeh Strait is my favourite muck diving spot, see our Lembeh Dive Information, house to among the strangest and most uncommon marine animals in existence. Ambon Island and the north of Bali round Amed even have wonderful muck diving.

Drift Diving round Indonesia

Round Komodo, there are some wonderful spots for drift diving with sharks, huge fish, and manta rays. Diving in currents round Nusa Penida near Bali can be prime drift diving websites. Drift diving is usually extra suited to superior divers so test along with your dive operator. 

Diving to discover the Biodiversity of Indonesia

Indonesia is within the coronary heart of the Coral Triangle, additionally known as the Amazon of the Seas, representing about three-quarters of the world’s coral species. Raja Ampat is without doubt one of the most biodiverse locations to dive on the earth with actually all the pieces, hundreds of species of gorgeous corals and from the smallest alien critters to huge manta rays and whale sharks round these stunning islands in West Papua, Indonesia. Komodo Nationwide Park close to Flores and Wakatobi close to Sulawesi can be unimaginable.

Liveaboard Diving in Indonesia

With hundreds of volcanic islands unfold over a big space and among the finest dive websites being very distant, liveaboard diving in Indonesia is without doubt one of the finest methods to discover the coral gardens and distant reefs.

Why dive from a Liveaboard Boat in Indonesia?

Many distant spots are accessible from the closest island, however you may be at these dive websites first within the morning whereas tons of of divers are heading to the spots on sluggish boats, get within the water earlier than they arrive and scare the fish!

It’s superior to get up on the dive website and roll into the water after breakfast!

Night time dives are sometimes solely potential at distant sights from liveaboard boats.

What may be higher than residing on a ship for a few days, waking up and diving among the world’s finest websites after breakfast after which all day…

Some Superior Liveaboard Boats in 2023!

Funds

Mid Vary

Luxurious

Dive Season in Indonesia

Indonesia can actually be dived all yr spherical for the reason that island nation covers such a large space. There are two seasons: the wet season and the dry season. In most of Indonesia, the moist season is from October to April, and the dry from Could to September. The most well-liked time to go to Indonesia is within the dry season, you possibly can dive all yr spherical. For the most effective situations and higher visibility plan to go within the appropriate season and you’ll all the time test with a neighborhood dive operator when is a good time. 

Greatest Time to Dive Round Indonesia

Gili Islands July-Aug, Dec-Jan

Wakatobi All yr, finest diving March – Dec and July-Aug

Komodo All yr, Could/June and Sep/Oct finest diving, Dec – Feb Manta season 

Raja Ampata Sep-Apr Manta season, Good viz Nov-March

Bali Greatest diving Could – Nov, Mola Mola Aug-Oct

Ambon Nov – Could

Lembeh July – Aug

Banda Islands Mar-Apr, Sept-Dec

Pulau Weh Could – September

Flores Island

Komodo Nationwide Park is a world heritage website and one of many new seven wonders of the world. The closest one of many fundamental islands to the park is Flores Island.

 Diving round Komodo Island

Huge Colleges of Manta Rays

Pelagic Fish; Canine Tooth Tunas, Large Trevally, Reef Sharks

Greater than 1,000 Species of Tropical Reef Fish

Diving in Komodo Nationwide Park in Indonesia, surrounded by huge Manta Rays, pelagic fish searching, and hundreds of various colourful tropical fish remains to be among the finest diving I’ve ever carried out. To succeed in Komodo Nationwide Park most journeys depart from Labuan Bajo on the Island of Flores. The park is a UNESCO world heritage website that comprises the three bigger islands Komodo, Padar, and Rinca, and 26 smaller ones.  For extra about touring to Flores and Komodo see our journey article Komodo Island and Flores full information.

Attending to Komodo Dive Websites

Most diving is finished from Flores Island on day journeys or on liveaboard boats. Try some wonderful Liveaboard dive boats round Komodo.

Every day flights depart to Labuanbajo in Flores from Bali (DPS) and Jakarta (CGK). You can even take a bus-ferry mixture from Lombok or Gili Trawangan, it’s a low cost choice, however is exhausting and in whole takes about 24 hours. Taking a 3-day boat journey is the favored price range choice taken by many backpackers. We focus on choices to get from Bali to Flores on this article.

Batu Bolong is our favourite dive website within the central a part of the park, diving right here is like floating in an ideal aquarium with giant Napoleon wrasse, huge inexperienced turtles, barracudas, and a spectacular array of colourful marine life that reside on the attractive coral reef.

Manta Level is a spotlight diving Komodo, a shallow drift dive floating over a manta cleansing station, divers are sometimes surrounded by as much as 20 giant manta rays whereas hanging within the present witnessing the spectacle on the cleansing station.

The park has much more improbable diving to supply, Citadel Rock and The Cauldron in North Komodo are extra unreal diving with loads of sharks, turtles, and large big trevallies and manta rays are typically discovered at these websites.

The Komodo dragons on Komodo and Rinca island are an added bonus to not miss and you’ll go to the islands on a diving day. 

Sulawesi Island

The large island Sulawesi is surrounded by Borneo to the west,  the Philippines to the north and Flores to the south, you possibly can simply think about the wonderful dive websites surrounding Sulawesi!

The island is thought for spectacular coral reefs and among the world’s finest dive websites at locations akin to Bunaken Nationwide Park, the Togian Islands, Wakatobi Nationwide Park, and Lembeh Strait. To get to dive spots within the south akin to Wakatobi and Bira, fly to Makasar and make your method from right here. To get to websites within the north akin to Bunaken and Lembeh, fly to Manado and proceed touring from right here. See right here for Liveaboard boats round Sulawesi. 

Diving Lembeh Strait

Unreal Muck Diving

Mimic Octopus, Rhinopias, Mandarin fish, Pygmy seahorse, Blue ring octopus, a really lengthy record….

Lembeh Strait is famend for the most effective muck diving on the earth. Lembeh is a small island positioned to the north of Sulawesi Island. Between Sulawesi Island and Lembeh Island, runs a slender strait known as the Strait of Lembeh. Scuba diving on this strait you possibly can see among the most original and spectacular creatures alive. See our Lembeh Strait Dive Information for my expertise and suggestions! See right here for Liveaboard boats in Lembeh Strait. 

Attending to Lembeh Strait

The closest huge metropolis is Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi, catch a direct flight right here from Singapore or a neighborhood flight from Bali or Jakarta. From Manado take a taxi or public bus to Ruko Pateten Pier and take a ship to Lembeh.

Diving Bunaken

Spectacular Wall Dives

400 species of coral 

Greater than 2000 species of fish

Bunaken Island is positioned north of Sulawesi with crystal clear water and spectacular coral partitions providing nice blue water diving and among the finest snorkeling I’ve ever carried out. The island is actually a stupendous, tropical jungle surrounded by mangroves operating into the ocean. Bunaken Marine Park was one of many first marine protected areas in Indonesia established within the early nineties. Steep partitions drop into the deep coated by a tremendous range of soppy and onerous corals. The drop provides wonderful wall dives, control the reef for species akin to mantis shrimp and variety of nudibranchs, go searching you within the blue for a lot of turtles, enormous Napoleon wrasse, and enormous pelagics; sharks, tunas, and faculties of barracuda. Diving round Bunaken you possibly can see 400 species of coral and greater than 2000 species of fish.

To get to Bunaken fly to Manado and take a ship from Manado Harbor to Bunaken.

Dive the Togian Islands

Dive on Una-Una, an energetic volcano

WWII B24 Bomber wreck

314 species of corals,541 species of mollusk, 819 species of tropical fish

The Togean Islands is an archipelago of 56 islands and islets off the coast of Central Sulawesi. Try our journey diving within the Togian Islands. The islands are identified for clear water, white sand, and rainforests. If you wish to discover an off-the-beaten-track paradise, the Togians is a spot to go, you possibly can solely get right here by boat and it took me a few days of journey to make it right here. The water is crystal clear diving in Tomini Bay, generally known as the calmest bay on earth. Aside from the wonderful reef and number of marine life on this crystal clear nonetheless water, there are some very fascinating issues to discover across the Togian Islands. Diving in a WWII B24 Bomber wreck was my first aircraft wreck. Staying with native individuals in a close-by Bajua ‘sea gypsy’ village was a really fascinating expertise and swimming in a ‘Jellyfish lake’ was wonderful, one in every of a handful of locations on the earth the place jellyfish misplaced the flexibility to sting over hundreds of thousands of years of geographic isolation. 

Attending to The Togian Islands

The Togeans shouldn’t have an airport, the closest airports are Gorontalo within the north and Ampana within the south, from each airports you must take some connecting flights to get onto worldwide flights. Getting from Ampana in Sulawesi to Kadidiri within the Togian Islands was an fascinating mixture of ferries and boats that took about 2 days. See the favored Liveaboards across the Togian Islands

Diving Wakatobi Islands

World Well-known Macro Diving

Dive websites with the very best coral reef biodiversity on the earth

Spectacular Wall Dives

Unreal biodiversity Turtles, sea snakes, nudibranchs, mantis shrimp

Wakatobi Nationwide Park is a marine nationwide park located south of South East Sulawesi. Wakatobi is an acronym for the 4 fundamental Tukangbesi Islands: Wangi-Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko. With crystal clear water ranging between 26 and 30C Wakatobi is well-known for among the world’s finest macro diving with unreal critters to be discovered on among the healthiest coral reefs on the planet. Wakatobi could be very distant and never straightforward to get to. It’s a in style space for liveaboard diving.

Attending to Wakatobi

West Papua

West Papua is positioned on the jap fringe of the hundreds of islands comprising Indonesia. The province of West Papua is made up of two peninsulas, the Bomberai and  Fowl’s Head peninsula in addition to greater than 2000 islands surrounding islands. A lot of the diving in West Papua occurs within the Raja Ampat and Triton Bay areas.

Diving Raja Ampat

Most biodiverse diving on the earth

1427 reef fishes

over 600 coral species (75% of the world’s coral species)

Whale sharks

Manta rays

A big number of pelagics; e.g. sharks, tunas, kingfish and extra

Nice macro diving

The Raja Ampat Islands comprising tons of of jungle-covered islands are an archipelago off the northwest tip of Fowl’s Head Peninsula in West Papua. These islands located in the course of the Coral Triangle are generally known as probably the most marine bio-diverse place on earth and the highest bucket record spot that many dive vacationers dream of. 

Spectacular colourful reefs coated in onerous and mushy corals are house to swarms of small fish akin to damsels and fusiliers, greater reef fish akin to batfish, surgeon fish and sweetlips, very giant species e.g. bump head parrot fish and napoleon wrasse and pelagic species together with faculties of tuna, trevally, barracudas and mackerel. Between these spectacular reefs teeming with fish, you additionally discover the world’s largest fish, the whale shark, and majestic mantas gliding over the reefs. Raja Ampat is just not solely in regards to the huge stuff it’s a tremendous dive spot for macro lovers, there are frogfish, pipefish, blue-ringed octopus, pygmy seahorses, and nudibranchs solely to call just a few.

Attending to Raja Ampat

To get to Raja Ampat you must first fly to Domine Eduard Osok Airport (SOQ) in Sorong, the most important metropolis of the Indonesian province of West Papua. There are not any worldwide flights, so that you first should fly to Jakarta, Makasar, or Manado. The best flights to those airports are from Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. Flying Bali – Makasar – Sorong is a well-liked route. 

To get from Sorong to the Dampier Strait islands of northern Raja Ampat, go to Wasai on the island of Waigeo the capital of the Raja Ampat regency by public ferry, pace boat, or fly, all of those depart a number of occasions per week. It’s a mission to journey to the realm and Raja Ampat Liveaboards are the most well-liked method to dive what’s by many seen as the most effective diving on the earth. See the highest Liveaboard boats diving round Raja Ampat. 

Bali

The spectacular Bali is known for its volcanic mountains, rice paddies, seashores, and coral reefs. By far probably the most touristy of the 17 000 islands in Indonesia, Bali is well-known for good motive, it’s stunning. Bali is not only a preferred vacation spot, it has some world-class diving. There may be some good diving to be carried out from the principle island, but in addition from the small surrounding island Nusa Penida and the Gili Islands. Aside from diving there may be improbable browsing round Uluwatu, procuring, partying, and seaside life within the vacationer hub Kuta and when you like meditation and yoga retreats Ubud is the place to go. Try our Full Bali Diving Information, for all the pieces it’s essential to know to plan a dive journey to his wonderful island.

Diving from Bali

There may be a wide range of nice diving to be carried out from Bali, the principle island, and the small islands positioned pretty shut by. Nusa Penida in Nusa Lembongan is usually dived from Bali as a day journey or you possibly can keep on these islands. The Gili Islands are 3 small islands nearer to Lombok than Bali, however they’re fast and straightforward to succeed in from Bali. There may be good diving across the Gilis with heat water, sea turtles, moray eels, and a wide range of different marine species. The Gili islands are too removed from Bali for doing day dives, you must dive the websites from one of many Gili Islands or from Lombok.

Wreck Diving – The USAT Liberty – this huge wreck might be probably the most well-known wreck dive in Indonesia. It’s a shore dive ranging from solely 4m deep and descending to over 30m at its deepest finish. The attractive wreck is 120m lengthy and you’ll see faculties of huge bump-head parrotfish, barracuda, turtles, stingrays, and even some good muck diving across the wreck on the black sand with pygmy seahorses on followers, quite a few species of nudibranch and different wonderful critters. Dive guides take you from the seaside to do among the finest wreck dives in Indonesia.

Muck Diving round Bali – within the north of Bali there are many websites with black volcanic sand providing some improbable muck dives with critters like frogfish, dragonettes, rhinopias, ghost pipefish, flying gurnards, nudibranchs, mimic octopus, blue ring octopus and extra. Many of those websites are shore dives and may be reached by automotive akin to Seraya and Secret Bay. Among the dive websites in Padang Bay are a brief boat drive away. Amed within the north of Bali has some world-class muck diving and good drift dives. 

See the prime Liveaboard Boats from Bali.

Diving Nusa Penida

Manta cleansing station

Mola mola sunfish

Wonderful drift diving

Mola Mola and Manta Rays – Bali is without doubt one of the most well-known locations on the earth to dive with mola mola (the oceanic sunfish) and manta rays. The dive websites to swim with two of probably the most outstanding giant creatures within the ocean are across the small close by islands Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan separated from Bali on the east aspect by The Bandung Strait. There may be some improbable diving round Nusa Penida, the highlights are the unimaginable cleansing station at Manta Level and swimming with mola mola at Crystal Bay.  Mola mola, generally generally known as the oceanic sunfish is the heaviest identified bony fish on the earth weighing as much as 1,000 kg! Nusa Penida may be dived as a day journey from Padang Bai in Bali. It’s, nevertheless, cheaper to dive round Nusa Penida from the island itself than from Bali and there’s a lot to discover round Nusa Penida, spectacular cliffs, pristine seashores, bat caves, temples, and waterfalls, we loved staying right here for a few days diving. See our detailed Information to Diving round Nusa Penida.

The Gili Islands

The Gili Islands are a gaggle of three tiny islands; Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air close to the coast of northwest Lombok Island. The Gili Islands are well-known for sandy seashores with palm timber, crystal clear water, and colourful coral reefs.

Diving across the Gili Islands could be very in style with many operators with nice services on Gili Trawangan. Diving is sweet, however not world-class, it’s nevertheless a improbable place to do a dive course. The visibility is nice and the water is heat. There are some good reefs with loads of turtles, I even noticed a giant Napoleon wrasse and a few reef sharks on one in every of my dives.

Gili Trawangan (“Gili T”) is called the celebration island with a vibrant nightlife, many dive outlets, and loads of nice locations to eat. It is vitally in style with backpackers and is the most well-liked and developed of the three islands. It’s a excellent place to fulfill different vacationers. I’m a dive teacher myself and I liked hanging out on the nice dive facilities on the island. Gili Air is a tropical paradise, it’s a extra chilled island with an important steadiness of actions, eating places, some bars, nice diving, and peace and quiet. Alya did her open water, superior, and freediving course on Gili Air, she liked the island vibe, residing on the seaside, studying and figuring out everyone on the island after every week or two. Gili Meno is called the ‘honeymoon island’ it’s the least developed, not touristy in any respect, and nice if you wish to escape different vacationers.

Attending to the Gili Islands

Attending to the Gilli Islands – you will get to Gili Air or Gili Trawangan by quick boat from Padang Bai in Bali, the journey takes about 2 to 2.5 hours.

Sumatra

Sumatra, a big Indonesian island west of Java and near Malaysia, the island is thought for its tropical landscapes, wildlife, volcanoes, and among the finest browsing on the earth across the  Mentawai Island chain. Sumatra is just not a well known diving vacation spot, with a lot of the diving being centered across the small island of Pulau Weh.

Diving from Pulau Weh

Wonderful drift diving

Deep wreck dive on The Sophie Rickmers

Lovely Reefs

Large number of fish

Pulau Weh is a small energetic volcanic island to the northwest of Sumatra and is a part of the Bandah Ache province. The encompassing reefs provide some nice ‘off the crushed observe’ diving. We’ve heard tales about unimaginable marine life within the space. Our private expertise was that the diving is nice, however not comparable with the most effective of Indonesia; akin to Komodo Nationwide Park or Lembeh Strait. Good diving with stunning reefs, pelagics akin to trevallies, barracudas, and reef sharks, we noticed huge faculties of small fish and good macro life akin to Leafy scorpion fish, Mantis shrimp, and Boxer banded shrimps. The Sophie Rickmers is a 134m lengthy wreck, scuttled in a sheltered bay. This wreck lies in deep water between 37m and 55m and is finished as a decompression dive just for skilled divers, dive faculties require a minimal of superior open water and rescue with 100 dives plus. See our Pulau Weh Dive Information.

East Kalimantan (Borneo Indonesia)

Kalimantan in Indonesian Borneo is a really distant island area in Southeast Asia with few dive centres and sees comparatively few diving guests. With wholesome reefs, giant faculties of fish, good situations, and clear waters the Derawan Archipelago off the east coast of Kalimantan is a good place to go to. Among the hottest dive websites may be discovered on the Maratua Atoll, house to spiraling faculties of barracuda, sharks, bump head parrot fish, eagle rays, and hammerhead sharks, Sangalaki with a number of manta ray cleansing stations, and Kakaban with 4 species of non-stinging jellyfish.

Pack for a Dive Journey

For any dive journey I all the time pack my very own masks, dive pc, digicam and a few small issues. The Mares Good is a really properly priced pc that I’m very pleased with.

Alya and I each dive with Mares Star liquid pores and skin masks, tremendous comfy, low quantity nice for diving and free diving.

Canon G7x digicam together with an ikelite housing is a really good digicam that changed the previous Canon G sequence, wonderful images with out carrying a large rig. The Go Professional Hero 11 is a tremendous little motion cam, I like the video footage I handle with this little digicam.

Listed here are some small issues value packing, Sipadan is drift diving I by no means dive with out my SMB on such dives!

SMB+REEL | RASH VEST | BUFF | KEY CHAIN O-RING KIT | ANTI-FOG | SURF HAT | POLARIZED FISHING SUNGLASSES | WATERPROOF DIVE LOGBOOK

Occurring a dive journey? – Dive Journey Packing Record+Ideas

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The sturdy half of Stingy Nomads, a nomadic aquaman that will be pleased to spend all his life within the water diving, browsing and spearfishing however typically has to compromise with Alya and go climbing as a substitute. Campbell is chargeable for all our marine adventures and following them with write-ups. He loves touring, braai (BBQ in South Africa), pink wine and spending the day in a wetsuit.