First Thoughts
With 17,508 islands and 230 million people, Indonesia is one of the most diverse countries in the world and the fourth largest by population. It is also amazingly diverse under the sea. It sits in the middle of the coral triangle (formed by Indonesia, the Philippines, and New Guinea). It is considered the global epicenter for marine biodiversity (number of different animals/plants). It is second only to Brazil in highest biodiversity and second to Australia in the degree of endemism (animals/plants unique to an area). Indonesia is also the world’s most populous Muslim nation but is entirely secular. Bali is primarily Buddhist. 53% of the population earns less than $2/day.
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We use the terms Indonesia and Bali because Bali is so culturally distinct from the rest of the country and is the best-known island in Indonesia.
Why We Think Indonesia and Bali Rock or Don’t
Indonesia and Bali sit in the coral triangle and have the highest marine biodiversity anywhere on the planet. You can see more fish species on one dive in Indonesia than in the entire Caribbean. Above water, it’s exotic and lush in a Robinson Crusoe way on many islands. Bali has an exciting culture, and the island’s interior highlands near Ubud are a must-see. We’ve also had the opportunity over the years to live and work with many Indonesians and find them to be warm and genuine, as a rule.
Things that Rock
- Amazingly high biodiversity
- 17,000 islands, something for everybody, all kinds of diving
- Fantastic culture
- Easy to get international flights
- Inexpensive
- Great land, diving combo
- Genuine people
- You’ll never run out of new things and places to check out
Things that Don’t
- 17,000 islands are daunting. You have to know the different areas and pick and choose.
- Interisland flights can be catchy, and often schedules don’t mesh well.
- Jakarta is big, crowded, and polluted.
The Diving
The diving in Indonesia is incredibly varied because the country is so big and there are so many islands. It’s 5200 miles across Indonesia, so talking about the country in general terms for diving is like asking someone what restaurant they would like to eat in the United States. So, as a result, the offerings are highly varied.
Not all areas have the same seasonality because the country is so large, so the choice of the diving area may start there.
If you want to see pelagics, especially sharks, you must go to specific, protected areas. Shark finning is rampant in Indonesia, and shark populations across the archipelago have dropped precipitously. As a rule, if it’s not covered, it gets fished. Operations such as Misool Eco Resort and Wakatobi have created creative agreements with local villages to create protected areas. The payoff is stunningly evident as soon as you put your face underwater.
The Diving Areas of Indonesia
Komodo: Komodo area sees some of the healthiest reefs in the region. It has seen little in the way of fish bombing, and most are now protected. It is excellent for wall diving and wide-angle photography, from large critters to macro-ists! Waters can range from warm to much cooler, and currents can be strong. From a liveaboard, you can also dive Alors and Flores from here.
Raja Ampat: The Raja Ampat area off the coast of West Papua has become the new Indonesian destination. The Four Kings is home to over 1200 species of fish, blue water mangroves, wave-pounding slopes, nutrient-rich bays, and a startling fish population.
Sulawesi: This diverse region covers the incredible macro muck diving and unusual critters of the Lembeh Straits with the spectacular colors and giant walls of Manado/Bunaken.
Banda Sea: These remote islands east of Sulawesi are a pelagic paradise, notably for mobula and tuna though it is also rich in small critter diving. Monumental size hard corals and large schools of fish characterize this region. March, April, and October mid-December are the best times to dive into this area.
Our Favorite Things to Do Out of the Water
We believe in Surf and Turf, checking out the best of underwater AND on land. Most of the world’s best SCUBA diving destinations have other amazing things going for them besides kick-ass diving. Take it.
- Dive Dive Dive– Scuba Diving in Indonesia is our favorite thing to do!
- Visit the Kelimutu Craters in Flores. Near the town of Moni on the island of Flores, see the spectacular three-colored lakes!
- Indonesian Borneo. Borneo is one of the last great wild places left, second only to the Amazon in the rainforest (although it’s quickly disappearing to palm oil plantations). There is a world of adventures here, from seeing the endemic Proboscis monkey and Orangutans to floating the rivers on a traditional bamboo raft. You can raft, 4WD, and hang out in jungle camps or nice jungle lodges.
- Dragons– An expedition to Indonesia would only be complete with a trip to West Flores to see the largest lizard in the world, the Komodo Dragon. They genuinely come from another age.
- Borobudur. Both a shrine and a pilgrimage site for Buddhists, this 9th-century monument in central Java is a must. The memorial consists of six platforms with over 2600 relief panels and 504 statues of Buddha.
- Climb Carstensz Pyramid– Located in the west, central West Papua, Carstensz is a technical climb and one of the Seven Summits, the highest peak on the Australia/Oceania continent. A special expeditionary setup for this trip is necessary. It’s hardcore.
- Bali and Ubud Highlands. Have to go and see it all. The highlands have an authentic spirituality to them.
- Surf! Sumba Island is a famed Indonesian surf spot, and the island is also known for its rich tribal and weaving heritage. There is world-class surfing across Indonesia. It’s as varied as diving, but that’s enough to fill another article.
Indonesia Seasonality
There are two seasons in Indonesia warm and wet and warm and dry. April to October is the dry season, while November to March is the wet season in Indonesia, but with that said, it depends on where you go in this vast archipelago. Dive yachts operate year, moving to calmer and drier areas during the rainy season. July, August, and September bring winds to the Raja Ampat area, and some resorts use this time to close for maintenance. July and August, however, are the busiest season up in Sulawesi.
Overall
The thing to do is choose an area or two and go. It’s like visiting the United States; you won’t see it all in a week. You’ll barely scratch the surface. Take at least ten days and find a way to visit two or more areas. For instance, you could spend time in the Manado/Bunaken area and dive the reefs and walls and then hop over to Lembeh Strait on the other side of Northern Sulawesi and do some of the best muck diving in the world – two distinctly different diving experiences even though they are relatively close together. The other thing to do is look at interisland air schedules to see what is logistically possible.
Get a taste of Indonesia and see if you like the flavor. If you do, go back and dive and explore another area—16,999 islands.