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Scuba Diving Holidays In IndonesiaAn island country of fantastic diversity, there is wonderful diving to be found in this fascinating place, with some of the best collections of marine life in the world.Country Description The world's largest archipelago with the world's largest areas of untouched land, Indonesia is one of the most beautiful countries on the planet. Made up of a series of a staggering 13,677 islands spread across three time zones and varying in size from the huge islands of Sumatra and Java, to the small Bali, Lombok, Sumba and Komodo. Indonesia also shares parts of other islands. For example, Borneo is shared with Malaysia and Irian Jaya with Papua New Guinea. Due to its expanse, Indonesia encompasses many different religions, cultures and landscapes. So things can literally change from island to island. This is especially important to know when you are travelling through the less well-trodden parts as you could cause offence simply by wearing shorts and leaving your legs uncovered. As Indonesia has been such a huge magnet for tourists it is often assumed that the relaxed attitudes of Bali, or Java's capital Jakarta, are representative of the entire country. They are not. Much of Indonesia is covered in rain forest and places like Sumatra, Suluwesi and the Timor Islands have retained very traditional lifestyles. Diving Description The region around Bunaken Marine Park in Suluwesi has been pinpointed as the epi-centre of the 'Ring of Fire', which is a hugely important area in the formation of the Earth's crust. The net result of this is that Indonesia has a larger variety of marine life than anywhere else on then planet. The diving is subsequently absolutely outstanding. Dive Sites Alor and West Timor With conditions that are quite similar to neighbouring Komodo, a current swept channel with numerous small, coral reef surrounded islands , this region is becoming an unceasingly popular liveaboard destination. Due to the undeveloped nature of the area, the sea life is in excellent condition with almost no damage to the reefs. Bali A well-known tourist stop-off, Bali has become very westernised in the last twenty years. However, it is still a stunningly beautiful place where old traditions are alive and well. The south of the island features many well-established dive sites and numerous professional and well-organised operators willing to take you to them. The north of the Island features calmer seas and boast excellent reefs and a number of rare and unusual creatures. A favourite haunt for divers is the wreck of the USS Liberty that lies below Mount Agung, an active volcano that dominates the Northeast coast. The ship is quite broken up, but it is covered in swarms of schooling fish (including jacks) and pristine coral. Komodo Home to the excellent Komodo National Park with its infamous Komodo dragons and some of the finest reefs in the whole of Indonesia. The best way to see it is via a liveaboard. Visibility in the channel between Komodo and neighbouring Flores is slightly impaired by the nutrient rich currents that flow through the region, however as a result of this the corals are like nothing else on earth. Stunning, breathtaking, awesome, choose your own superlative. The nutrients have also attracted a fantastic and prolific marine life to the region with pelagics and numerous, more unusual fish like the ghost pipefish, pygmy seahorses, turtles and even occasional minke whales that inhabit the waters around Horseshoe Bay. Lombok Often described as 'how Bali used to be', Lombok is a quieter island than it's neighbour, but as a result the diving facilities are nowhere near as good. The Northwest of Lombok lies beneath the shadows of Bali's Mount Agung. Here are three coral atolls, known as the Gills. Although the corals here are very pretty, fish stocks have been depleted by the more recent practise of fish dynamiting. Suluwesi As diving goes, Suluwesi offers just about the best on the planet. This region promises invertebrates of all colours and species, many of which are unique to Suluwesi. The Kungkungan Bay is home to loads of strange creatures while the area around Bunaken Marine Park offers thriving coral reefs. Liveaboards depart from the capital, Manado. From here you can take a journey to the uncharted waters around the Sangalie-Talaud islands which promise excellent diving similar to Bunaken. Southeast Suluwesi on the other hand offers the developing rest of Tukan Besi where the visibility is higher due to the reduced nutrients. However getting there is quite an adventure. The rest Indonesia is so huge that there are dive destinations everywhere. Among other notables are Derawan on the Kalimantan coast, which is renowned for its manta ray population. There is even a jellyfish lake nearby. The Spice (banda) Islands promise palegics. Irian Jaya boasts great wrecks. Other info Some of the Indonesian islands are politically unstable so it is a good idea to research this while making plans. There are also strict entry requirements if you are entering via a non-conventional route. You will have to apply for a visa. The Indonesian authorities try to discourage visitors from crossing borders in unusual places. Be warned that if you do this you could be arrested for making an 'illegal' crossing. You will also need to get inoculations for Hepatitis A, tetanus, typhoid, polio and anti-malarial tablets. |
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