Dive Review of Wakatobi Dive Resort in
Indonesia/Sulawesi

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Wakatobi Dive Resort, Dec, 2012, by Steve Dussault, NH, US ( Contributor 18 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 6849.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	It is difficult to write something different from the other reviews - it is all true and accurate - Wakatobi is definitely a 5-star diving destination. The management team has done a very impressive job of communicating the importance of customer services to every employee at the resort. The Wakatobi staff emphasizes the need to let them know if there is anything you require or want to make your stay more enjoyable. Something mentioned to any one of the staff regardless of which department is passed on to the appropriate person or persons. Front Office and Online Booking: The booking of the trip is the easiest and most streamlined I have experienced thus far. Register, make payment, and fill out personal details online. No printing or faxing of documents. As part of the standard package, an airline representative greets you at the airline terminal and whisks you through immigration in 15 minutes instead of the possible 2 hour wait. They then lead you to a Wakatobi representative who then guides you through the airport (currently under major construction) to your ground transportation. On the day of departure, they greet you at the airport and guide you through the check in process and to a VIP waiting lounge. The flight is currently takes 2 1/2 hours. They are once again at the airport upon your return to assist you to your next flight or to ground transportation if your are spending more time in Bali. Resort: Upon your arrival at the private Wakatobi Resort airstrip you are greeted by staff and brought by car and then by boat to the resort. The operations at Wakatobi are well refined, professional, and everything runs like a well-oiled machine. The food is exceptional with many small appetizers and entrees. Breakfast is buffet style with plenty of choices and varies each day. We had a very small group of guests for the first five days we were there. We pre-ordered off set four-course menus for some of the lunches and dinners while some of the meals were buffets. During the next 5 days of our stay there were more than 30 guests and all meals were buffet. Alcoholic beverages are very expensive due to government taxes and logistics. A glass of Barefoot wine is $12. Watching the sunsets from the Jetty Bar is very inspiring. It was a great way to relax after diving and before dinner. Diving: The diving at Wakatobi is very good. The check out dive on the house reef is amazing and is worth doing multiple times especially at night. During the checkout dive you are required to demonstrate mask clearing and sharing of air. The dive schedule is 2 dives in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. Night dives are scheduled once every 5 days. The diving is very diverse with vertical walls to rubble and sand. The dives are usually drift dives and divers are required to have with them an SMB. The currents are very dynamic and can change throughout the dive. Underwater Photography: The resort has a dedicated air conditioned camera room with 110 and 220 volt receptacles. There are 2 fresh water rinse tanks outside of the camera room. The boats each have a large fresh water rinse tank on board. The boat crew will transport your camera between the camera room and the boat and treat the camera as if it was their own. There is staff at Wakatobi who are very knowledgeable about underwater photography and how to operate many different types of cameras. It is great opportunity to learn more about underwater photography and improve your pictures. Wakatobi is able to support technical diving and rebreathers. NITROX 32% is available. Ecological Awareness and Diver Etiquette: The policy at Wakatobi is the use of no gloves and proper buoyancy so as not to damage the coral. The dive master will politely bring to your attention if you accidentally are one the bottom or kicking coral. Wakatobi does a very good job of protecting the reefs. While at Wakatobi be sure to learn how they have partnered with the villages to protect the reefs. Summary: If you want to experience 5 star diving and the opportunity to photograph amazing marine life then Wakatobi is the place to go.
Websites	Wakatobi Dive Resort
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	North America, South America, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Asia
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy	Seas	calm, choppy, currents
Water Temp	84-86°F / 29-30°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Max Depth 130 ft, max dive time of 70 minutes, and no decompression diving
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	Wakatobi is an excellent dive destination for underwater photography. The dive guides do an very good job of locating small and hidden critters to shoot. The crew assists you in carry your large cameras from the camera room to the boat. The crew treats the cameras as if they are there own. The are staff that are very knowledgeable and can assist you with technical issues. There is a large dedicated camera room with large camera tanks right outside the camera room. All the camera room needs is compressed air at each station.

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Dive Review of Wakatobi Dive Resort in Indonesia/Sulawesi

Wakatobi Dive Resort, Dec, 2012,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Wakatobi Dive Resort in
Indonesia/Sulawesi