TRAVEL

Java, the most populous island of the Indonesian archipelago, is one of active volcanic activity. The most famous one is Krakatoa to the west which offers some good dive spots. There are also several hundred off shore islands with good coral and marine life to be explored. The Ujung Kulon national park consists of Penietan Island and peninsula, and is home to many marvelous Javanese rainforest animals and surf beaches. Underwater also offers myriad marine life at this spot and at Pulau Seribu, a number of tiny islands that serve as a popular weekend destination from Jakarta.

Bali is by far Indonesia's most popular dive destination. It offers plenty of shore based diving opportunities set against a stunning backdrop of volcanic peaks, rice paddys and breath taking beaches. The diving is varied with drop offs, coral gardens and bommies, wrecks and a huge variety of marine life. The Lombok strait lies to the east of Bali and through it flows the greatest volume of tidal water on earth. It is not surprising then that the waters around Bali are often visited by some big pelagics including the elusive sunfish.

With everything on offer from muck diving at Secret bay to adrenaline drift diving at Nusa Penida to walls and drop offs of Tulamben and even a world class wreck, the Liberty. Bali has something for every divers taste. Many of the sites have very strong currents and are recommended for experienced divers only however there are also calmer shallower spots like those at Amed for beginners.

There are several good reefs off the coast of the eastern side of Kalimantan. Out in the Makassar strait lie a number of sites are famous for the large gatherings of manta rays and breeding grounds of turtles. There is also a unique biological wonderland in the form of a brackish inland lake at Kakaban. All the islands are relatively close together so can be visited in the same trip.

Visibility is often lower here than other parts of Indonesia due to silt from the river in Tanjung Redeb. Samama or Derawan usually have the lowest visibility, Sangalaki a bit better because it is a little further offshore, and Kakaban and Maratua even better because they are even further out.

Layang Layang is a breath taking coral atoll lying 300 kilometers off the coast of Sabah. It is part of the 600 island, reef and shoal group in the South China Sea known as The Spratley's. The 13 linked coral reef atoll isnt that large at only 14 square kilometers however it surrounding waters drop to around 2,000 meters deep which makes for some very interesting marine life.

At the time of writing there is only one resort on the artificial island all all diving is done from there. What you can expect sub surface are sheer walls, big pelagics, sharks and a central lagoon for smaller marine life. The coral is pristine and visibility can be awesome.

Kapalai is a water village resort sitting atop a shallow reef a few minutes north of Sipadan by speed boat. Kapalai is unique as guests can see from their resort accommodation straight down into the clear waters, it doesnt have an island any more as erosion has reduced it to just a sand bank. It is another macro paradise but unlike Mabul the visibility is usually better here. Most diving is done in shallow clear water so it is ideal for beginners. In a sense it is like being on a spacious immobile liveaboard. There are many dive sites around Kapalai, we have just covered the popular ones.