Dive Review of Wakatobi Dive Resort in
Indonesia

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Wakatobi Dive Resort: "Seventh Time Is Most Magical", Mar, 2020, by paul moliken, DE, US ( Reviewer 6 reports with 5 Helpful votes). Report 11473 has 2 Helpful votes.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	I have visited Wakatobi Dive Resort 6 times previously (see a couple reviews I've posted on Undercurrent). There are plenty of reasons to return quite a few times: Pristine corals, abundant and healthy fish, a multitude of macro critters, fantastic food, incredible service, very little effort required for the elderly divers (among which I consider myself, at 74), great weather, spectacular staff, lovely accommodations, problems quickly taken care of. Of course, getting there from the US is long and difficult, but well worth the effort and the cost. I flew Qatar business class, which is above any other I've used (Singapore, Korean, EVA) in terms of food/comfort/attention. While everyone on the island knows me by name, it's the same for newbies. The always-smiling staff makes a concerted effort to call each guest by name. It was rare to see a chunk of bleached coral and there seemed to be MORE fish than on past trips. Wakatobi's conservation efforts bear fruit. The last review was primarily about service. This one will be a list of what I saw that I remember. I did 33 dives and 5 snorkels. Pinnate batfish (my favorite fish of all) Octopus Cuttlefish (6 different Broadclubs, 1 dwarf) I had a twenty-minute encounter with a very good sized broadclub that had its sperm packet delivery apparatus out. He never put up a defensive posture and we aligned horizontally as well as face-to-face. His intelligence was obvious, as he appeared curious and inquisitive. He touched my fingers once for a second, which was a total thrill. Frogfish (three different ones) Jawfish (none with eggs, though) Damsel with eggs Racing stripe flatworm Spaghetti worm Pleurobranch (two) Hairy squat lobster (in crevice of a barrel sponge) Two pistol shrimp with gobies Juvenile bi-color parrot Squat shrimp Spearing mantis shrimp(3 different times) Saron shrimp (twice) Crinoid squat lobster (I looked in about 50 crinoids before finding 1) Zanzibar whip coral shrimp (two on one coral) Bubble coral shrimp (many) Orangutang crab (at least a half-dozen) Four different porcelain crabs (one on a snorkel) Coral crab Paguritta Tiger cowrie Halimeda ghost pipefish Mushroom anemone pipefish Shortnose pipefish Ringed pipefish Pontohi pygmy seahorse Severn's pygmy seahorse Denise’s pygmy seahorse Blue dragon Flabellina At least ten other different nudibranchs Nudi eggs Electric file clam Spawning starfish with emperor shrimp (Night dive was incredible, a couple days after full moon with spawning all over the place) Spawning anemone Mandarin Morays (3 different kinds) NIGHT SNORKELING AROUND JETTY Basket, feather, brittle star Banded coral shrimp Three different kinds of urchins Sea snake Huge moray Sea cucumbers Pyrosomes (hundreds) Turtle Blue spot rays Octopus (three) Decorator crab Slipper lobster Thousands of planktonic floaters, worms, shrimp, etc attracted to my torch. I'm sure there are loads I didn't list. Returning March 17-18 proved to be a boring COVID adventure. Overnight in Denpasar was like a ghost town. I walked for a mile or two through the city, which is usually packed with motorbikes, locals, and tourists, but I saw about 6 other tourists and only a few locals. Traffic was nearly non-existent. Boarded my Qatar flight and had to stay in the Doha airport for 18 hours, as no foreigners could leave. My flight to JFK was one of the last to leave. Upon arrival, I had to fill out a short page saying I had not been in affected countries, had my temperature taken, got my luggage amid a nearly empty airport, and went through customs within 5 minutes. The checking for COVID seemed very weak. Wakatobi closed due to Indonesia restrictions a week after I left, but they will reopen when they can. I highly recommend one of the best dive resorts in the world!
Websites	Wakatobi Dive Resort
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	mexico carribean lembeh, wakatobi
Closest Airport	Denpasar	Getting There	JFK to DOHA to DPS, then Wakatobi charter flight to their island
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy, dry	Seas	calm
Water Temp	82-84°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	50-60 Ft/ 15-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	70 minutes
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	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	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

Report currently has 2 Helpful votes

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Dive Review of Wakatobi Dive Resort in Indonesia

Wakatobi Dive Resort: "Seventh Time Is Most Magical", Mar, 2020,

Photos Submitted with this Report

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