Indonesia is truly a nation of islands. Located in the South East Asia Archipelago, it is home to more than 200 million people spread across 18,000 islands that comprise the country. Sandwiched between the Indian and Pacific ocean are the islands of Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan (shared with Borneo), New Guinea, and Sulawesi which make up the largest landmasses of Indonesia and host the majority of the Indonesian population. The island of Bali, due west of Java, is also of particular interest due to its soaring tourism industry. Due to the sheer size of the country, the climate can change greatly from place to place, however most locations tend to be very hot and humid, as the central islands of Indonesia are situated directly on the equator. This makes for very warm, humid days nearly year round. The official rainy season runs from October to March, but diving is year round.

When most divers think Indonesia, they think Sulawesi. Home to some of Indonesias most legendary dive destinations, North Sulawesi is the front runner for Indonesia’s dive industry. The island itself sits right on the equator, spanning slightly above and below. There are also many small islands dotting the coastline of the mainland, creating reefs and atolls galore. Most of the primary dive resorts and destinations are situated around the northern tip of the island, either around Bunaken National Park near the city of Manado on the western half of the island or due east in Lembeh Strait.
The sites located due north of Manado are clumped within the island’s marine park, known as Bunaken National Park. This park encompasses several sites on the mainland of Sulawesi, as well as four small islands located just offshore, one being Bunaken Island, hence the name of the Park. Visibility here is fairly good, ranging anywhere from 20 to 25 meters, while the temperatures remain comfortably warm all year round. Despite this, the best months to dive here are between April and November due to strong currents at some times of the year. Within the park there are numerous sites that are well worth a visit. The island of Nain, the furthest from the mainland, is known for its sheer wall dives, amazing clarity and bountiful sealife. Due to the remoteness relative to the other dive locations, sites here see less traffic, and can therefore be quite an experience where one may even encounter whales or hammerhead sharks.

Moving eastward to Lembeh Strait, is another large grouping of dive sites. The dives here are what is considered “critter” or "muck" diving, due to the unimaginable array of creatures that inhabit the sea floor. This can be attributed to the calmer waters sheltered by Lembeh and sandwiched between the island and the mainland. In the Strait there are good dive conditions all around, however the best months to visit are in the fall while the sealife is still plentiful but the crowds of summer visitors have subsided. All sites are within a half hour boatride from shore, making for rapid access to virtually any site. In the heart of the Strait there is a clump of sites renowned for the diverse macro species of sealife that dwell in the muck. Visibility here is slightly lower than normal due to the muddy sea floor, but what these sites lack in visibility they make up in sealife. Top sites here include Nudi beach and Critter Hunt, both renowned for the enormous array of sea creatures that dwell on the ocean floor.

Off the south eastern tip of Java lies the magical island of Bali. Often overlooked by divers heading for N. Sulawesi, Lombok or Komodo, Bali offers something for everyone. Although there are no large-scale dive resorts on Bali, there are many fine hotels and unique Balinese-style accommodations to keep divers comfortable during their stay. "Dive safaris" are increasingly popular. You have your own driver/guide and stay and dive at various locations around the island.
Bali’s coasts are home to a little bit of everything. Here divers can see walls and drop offs, impressive wrecks, and even gigantic pelagics such as the sunfish. Beginning with the western side of the island, divers should definitely visit the small village of Tulamben. Situated central to several amazing sites, this village has a great variety of sites to choose from such as Liberty Wreck, a sunken WWI cargo ship that was torpedoed and sunk. The wreck lies only 20 meters below the surface, making it a very easy dive, great for beginners. This site can become very crowded as it is accessible from the beach nearby, as opposed to motorboat. Moving southwards divers come across Paradise Reef which attracts marine photographers from all over the world. A gently sloping coral garden, this dive offers many sightings of unique sealife such as octopus, ribbon eels and other macro species. The aspect that sets Paradise Reef apart from other coral gardens is that there are night dives offered when the moon is out, and divers have a chance to experience the mysterious underwater world in the dark of night. Sometimes overlooked by divers, the eastern side of the island has much to offer as well. Secret Bay is a shallow volcanic basin surrounded by sandbars. The black volcanic sand does not host coral, but offers quality muck dives. Viz here ranges from 5-10 meters, although the site remains very shallow, often only 5 meters deep. Here is one of the most spectacular muck dives on Bali, as the soft basin floor is teeming with macro critters and specimen-one of Bali’s must-sees.

Bali is also the start-off point to some smaller islands due east which offer spectacular diving. We recommend to combine a stay on Bali with some of these intriguing destinations: Lombok Strait which is known to have some of the strongest tidal shifts in the world, Komodo Island, known for the Komodo Dragon and finally, Wakatobi, a world renowned Eco Resort about 2 1/2 hours flight east of Bali and one of our favourites.