Recently, scuba diving has become a popular activity to do during vacation. Indonesia offers a lot of great diving places for divers around the world. In this article, we will give some suggestion about best scuba diving in Indonesia, especially for those who never visit the country before.
The information about some of the best places to dive in Indonesia that you can visit for your vacation is listed below:
- Wakatobi Islands: These groups of islands have four major island called Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomea, and Binongki. These main islands are truly a great place for diving. It has gentle currents, which is good news for beginner divers. Its rich marine wildlife offers the greatest diving experience for every diver. It is better to visit this place in March to December. Try to avoid peak periods in September to November and April to May if you want to dive peacefully.
- Bangka Belitung Island: The main feature of this diving destination is its rich marine wildlife and soft corals. It has more than twenty five dive spots and for drift dive enthusiasts, this place is your heaven. The thick layers of colorful corals with lilac, cream, brown, and pink colors make you will feel like you are flying above flower gardens. The marvelous formations of granite rocks and descending pinnacles make this place very picturesque.
- Bali Island: this island is the most popular tourist destination in Indonesia. This island offers the beauty of coral reefs and fishes, and definitely a must visit for everyone. The currents around this island is generally very gently, sometime even nonexistent. Thus this place is great place for beginner divers or even for those who want to learn how to dive. The recommended place is Pulau Menjangan, Padang Bay, and Amed Beach.
- Komodo Island: this place is one of the most favorite diving sites among divers around the world. The currents around Komodo Island are mostly calm, but it can be quite strong sometimes, this intermediate to advanced skills is advises. It offers pinnacles, colorful shallow reefs, and deep walls. If you visit this island, especially around December to February, you will have a higher chance to spot and swim together with groups of manta rays.
- Raja Ampat: this place is an archipelago of more than 1500 tiny islands that boast nearly 1200 species of fish. It is located in the area of Coral Triangle, the center of biodiversity of coral reefs in the world that includes East Timor, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. This place is believed to be the richest among other diving sites in term of marine life ecosystems. You can even swim with groups of whale sharks if you visit on the right season.
Other than places mentioned above, there are still some great spots to dive in Indonesia, such as Lombok Island, Banda Island, Bunaken Island, Togian Islands, and Pulau Weh. For a short vacation, just choose the closest scuba diving sites from your hometown to save more money and time.