13/10/2021
Indonesia has many of the best diving trip or scuba dive spots offering very charming underwater beauty, even some of these dive sites have been recognized worldwide. Indonesia Island is the Best Scuba Diving Destinations in the World (The Best Scuba Diving Destinations 2020). Indonesian waters are the center of the Coral Triangle, so that unique and rare fauna, all belong to Indonesia. Two thirds of the world’s coral and bio diversity also exist in this country. The best dive spots leisure liveaboard scuba diving and sailing trip in the Indonesian archipelago with many Indonesian boat charter options that can suit your needs and budget.
The Best Diving Trip Destination | Best Sites Dive Trip | Top Indonesia Liveaboard | Indonesia Scuba Dive Packages | Raja Ampat Diving | Banda Diving | Raja Ampat Dive Sites | Diving Komodo | Best Diving Spot in Indonesia | Best Liveaboard Diving
Highlights include: large schools of fish, manta rays, reef sharks, wobbegong sharks, walking sharks, turtles, Spanish mackerel, tuna, barracuda, pygmy sea horses, nudibranchs galore, ghost pipefish, cuttlefish, crustaceans and stunning pristine coral reefs.
Best Diving Spots in Indonesia
01 | Raja Ampat Diving – West Papua | The Holy Grail of Indonesian Scuba Diving
Diving Trip Raja Ampat Islands are a series of four island clusters that are close to and located west of the Bird’s Head of Papua Island. Alongside Kaimana Regency and Triton Bay in the south, and Cenderawasih Bay in the east, Raja Ampat archipelago makes up a massive area, collectively known as the Bird’s Head Seascape.
Raja Ampat is a dive site known for its rich biodiversity and the best underwater scenery in the world. With an unspoiled beach combined with a calming atmosphere and decorated with clear water, it offers a beautiful view to see the various colors of coral reefs as well as sightings of stingrays, sharks, turtles and jellyfish. Cape Kri near Dampier Strait is world-famous as the most diverse dive site in the world.
The long list of marine life that can be seen on a Raja Ampat dive trip includes some endemic species such as Raja Ampat epaulette shark, tasseled wobbegong shark, and Papuan garden eel. Bigger species like reef sharks and manta rays can also be seen at some of the sites.
02 | Komodo Diving – East Nusa Tenggara | Thrilling Drift-Dives and World-Class Reefs
This UNESCO World Heritage Site also hosts a world-class scuba diving scene. Think thrilling drift dives with colorful corals in various formations teeming with marine life, big and small. Divers can see big schools of fish pretty much year-round, as well as eagle and manta rays. The diving trip in Komodo can be divided into three distinct areas: North, Central and South Komodo.
North Komodo is the hotspot for drift dives, with big schools of fish and various pelagic species, which can be seen at their cleaning stations. The Cauldron, or Shotgun, is a huge favorite among divers. Manta and eagle rays are also commonly spotted.
Explore Central Komodo seas in diving is no less exhilarating, with world-class dive sites like Batu Bolong, which boasts a mind-blowing spectrum of colors and fish life, and Manta Point where up to 50 mantas can be seen at once, mating and feeding, if you come during the right season. There are also many excellent macro sites in the area. North and Central Komodo areas can be dived year-round but March to October offers the best dive conditions.
South Komodo also offers excellent critter life, boasting unique species that you might not be able to find in more reputable macro destinations like Lembeh, Ambon or Anilao. This area is best dived from November to February and is famous for its epic walls, dramatic swim-through, and overall stunning topography. The landscape of this area is also not to be missed.
03 | Diving Ambon Bay – Maluku | World-Class Muck Diving
Ambon is the capital city of Maluku Province, known to scuba divers for its world-class muck dives. Critters that can be seen here include rhinopias, frogfish, ghost pipefish, lots of juvenile fish, stonefish, mandarin fish, nudibranchs, harlequin and coleman shrimps, wonderpus, mimic and flamboyant cuttlefish, and even the much-sought-after psychedelic frogfish!
The Ambon bay has many excellent muck sites, full of amazing critters. There is a good amount of trash and debris in the Ambon area, but the creatures seem to adapt and make it their home. You can take diving trip to the top dive sites destination of Ambon such as Air Manis (Crab, cuttlefish, pipefish), Duke of Sparta (the only largest octopuses in the area are on this wreck, along with a plethora of lionfish species), Laha, Pintu Kota, Hurukila Cave.
Outside of the bay, you can find more dive sites with beautiful corals.
04 | Diving Bali – Wrecks, Tiny Critters, Manta Rays, Molas | Bali Has It at All!
Bali, the Island of the Gods as they call it, is easily the most popular tourist hotspot in Indonesia and is probably the easiest scuba diving destination in the country for international travelers. Unique critters, fascinating wrecks, beautiful walls, colorful corals, excellent muck dives, huge schools of fish, pelagics–Bali has it all. An interest diving in Bali is Mola Mola, Bali’s sunfish.
Bali’s top dive sites can be found off its eastern and northern coastlines, and at Nusa Penida island.
The USAT Liberty Wreck, in Tulamben, East Bali, is one of the most popular dive sites in the area. The diving site can be easily accessed from the shore and can be dived many times shooting wide-angle or macro. You can see bumphead parrotfish, Napoleon wrasses, barracudas, jacks, sweetlips, turtles, and more.
Nusa Penida is best known as a reliable place for up-close manta ray encounters and diving with the odd-looking Mola molas. July to October are the popular months for Mola mola sightings, but the season has been slowly shifting in the past few years.
Land-based diving is the norm in Bali with many great dive operators and resorts to choose from, for all kinds of budgets. You can choose liveaboard diving boat in Bali as well such as Phinisi boats, Bali Luxury Yacht or Catamaran Boats based on private boat charter with your family, friend or group and personalize your trip as needed. Sailing Trip Indonesia offering you to opt-in for a sail boat tour around the island to experience the local culture, enjoying Bali seas an experience that we highly recommend!
Bali is also easy to combine with a trip to Komodo. Some liveaboards depart from Bali to visit Komodo Labuan Bajo. During crossing trip Bali to Komodo Island there possible to visiting small islland in Indonesia around, such as Gili, Lombok, Sumba and Moyo Island.
05 | Banda Sea Diving – Maluku | Sea Snakes and Hammerheads!
The Banda Sea is an up-and-coming liveaboard diving destination in Indonesia, visited by most liveaboards around the months of September to October, and April or May before or after take cruising to Raja Ampat.
Most of the diving around the Banda Sea involves excellent wall dives, and great macro sites, but the biggest draw is probably the resident sea snakes at Manuk and Gunung Api islands. The Banda Sea has also been gaining popularity as one of the few destinations in South East Asia where divers have a decent chance to see hammerheads. Divers can also see big schools of fish and occasional reef sharks, rays, and dramatic topography, as well as uncrowded dive sites and lush reefs!
06 | Alor Diving – East Nusa Tenggara | Indonesia’s Secret Gem
Alor is one of Indonesia’s hidden gems. This off-the-beaten-path dive destination offers a mix of both world-class wide-angle and macro sites. Pristine coral reefs, steep walls, sloping muck sites–the diving in Alor is really diverse and would please the most diver and underwater photographer. There are more than 20 dive sites in the Alor Islands, including Half Moon Bay, Baruna’s Point, Trip Top, and various other best diving spots
You can see plenty of small and medium-sized fish along with sponges and colorful corals while diving Alor. Macro photography enthusiasts can find small subjects such as frogfish, leaf scorpionfish, pygmy seahorses, eels, and various nudibranchs. Bigger animals like Mola molas and sharks can also be seen although sightings are less common.
Some liveaboards also include Alor from time to time while visiting the Banda Sea or Komodo.
07 | Bunaken & Manado Diving Trip – North Sulawesi | World-Class Wall Dives & Pristine Reefs
Bunaken has become a world heritage site in 2005 after the government registered it with UNESCO. There are several diving spots that you can choose from while in Bunaken Marine Park. However, there are several diving spots that offer underwater beauty that is second to none.
The Bunaken National Park, a marine sanctuary, home to some of the world’s best wall dive sites, with staggeringly beautiful coral walls and large and small marine life including reef sharks, schooling fish, sea snakes, a plethora of critters, and the occasional eagle rays and stingrays. Resident pods of dolphins and pilot whales can often be seen from the boat.
Manado is more than just a stop for those intending to visit Lembeh. Manado Bay, which is only 30-minutes away from the airport, offers a mix of great muck and reef sites, treating divers to unique critters like mimic octopus and flamboyant cuttlefish, as well as various seahorses, squids, nudibranchs, and frogfish.
Nearby Bangka Island boasts beautiful soft corals and an overload of untouched reefs, with bigger marine life like reef sharks, rays, tunas and barracudas and smaller critters such as pygmy seahorses and various shrimps.
08 | Lembeh Diving Trip – North Sulawesi | The World’s Muck Diving Capital
Visiting Bitung is incomplete if you don’t feel the underwater charm of the Lembeh Strait and the Tangkoko Nature Reserve. Known as the world’s capital for muck diving or paradise for diving on the ocean floor, Lembeh Strait in North Sulawesi offers second-to-none macro biodiversity. The number species that you can cross off your critter list within a week of diving Lembeh is staggering, to say the least.
On a typical Lembeh dive trip, you can see hairy frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish, juvenile barramundi, cods, juvenile pinnate batfish, rhinopias, harlequin shrimps, mandarin fish, snakeblennies in the open, large beautiful stinging anemones.
Lembeh also offers excellent diving infrastructure along with its reputation as an underwater macro photography hotspot.
Located only a 2-hour drive away from Manado Airport (MDC), Lembeh is easy to combine with other diving hotspots in Sulawesi, such as Bunaken, and can even be considered as an extension option after/before a trip to Raja Ampat.
09 | Derawan Islands Diving Trip – Borneo | Jellyfish Lake, Manta Rays, and Whale Sharks!
Derawan is a remote group of islands in East Kalimantan (East Borneo), and is home to one of the three jellyfish, with the other two located in Palau and Misool Island in Raja Ampat. Located just away from the mainland of East Kalimantan in the district of Berau, the Derawan archipelago consists of 31 islands, with the most well-known islands being Derawan, Maratua, Sangalaki, and Kakaban. Here is Indonesia’s largest nesting site of the rare and endangered giant green turtles and hawksbill turtles. It is the perfect tropical paradise with warm, isolated islands, soft white sand beaches fringed with waving palm trees, pristine seas that change color from green to deep blue, and amazing underwater life.
The diving is spread across its 4 main islands: Kakaban where the jellyfish lake is; Sangalaki a hotspot for manta rays and turtles; Maratua, where many reef sharks, huge schooling barracudas, and eagle rays reside; and Derawan itself, which offers good drift and muck dives, as well as a chance to snorkel with whale sharks.
Scuba diving in Derawan Islands offers abundant marine life with a huge variety of coral reef dives, caves, walls, lagoons, and even a jellyfish lake. It’s no surprise this is one of favorite Indonesian dive destinations.
10 | Wakatobi Diving – South East Sulawesi | Exclusive Area with Some of the World’s Most Beautiful Coral Reefs
Wakatobi National Park is another off-the-beaten-path dive vacation spot offering some of the world’s richest marine biodiversity. This marine protected area is comprised of 4 main islands: Wangi-Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko.
The reefs at Wakatobi, which was declared a national park in 1996, are extremely healthy and offer unique large coral formations, various sea fans, and sponges which are overflowing with marine life. The underwater topography is no less unique, featuring various walls, ridges, and overhangs. While it’s not the place for large pelagics, eagle rays and reef sharks can typically be seen on a Wakatobi trip.
Many species of nudibranchs, unusual inverts and two species of pygmy seahorses added spice to an already satisfying fish stew! Frogfish, lionfish, sweetlips, jacks, angelfish, leaf scorpionfish, eels, cuttlefish, several kinds of anemonefish, and a zillion little tropicals.
There’s no shortage of macro life in Wakatobi since it’s home to any nudibranch species, rare invertebrates, various seahorses, cuttlefish and frogfish in the lineup. Sweetlips, lionfish, jacks, angelfish, leaf scorpionfish, and other tropical fish can also be found while diving Wakatobi.
Best Time to Dive Indonesia
Most of Indonesia can be dived year-round from March to October being the most popular time of year to dive. This period of time marks the dry season in most parts of the country, with the exception of some dive areas like Ambon and southern Raja Ampat where most rainfall occurs in May/June to October / September due to the southeast monsoon. The best to visit these areas in the months of November to April for optimal dive conditions.
Interested in booking a liveaboard in Indonesia? Sailing Trip Indonesia has lots of experience diving liveaboard trips to Indonesia Islands. Most dive regions in Indonesia, except for Bali, are very remote and don’t have much going on other than diving, hiking, birdwatching, and cultural tours. We can provide you with the best destination around Indonesia Islands and help you make a plan trip based on your preferences and requirements. Don’t hesitate to contact us!
Indonesia has many of the best diving trip or scuba dive spots offering very charming underwater beauty, even some of these dive sites have been recognized worldwide. Indonesia Island is the Best S…
