The world‘s finest diving

Indonesia

My “Number One Favorite Dive Destination in the World” ? Beyond the shadow of a doubt, if you ask me that question …. Indonesia will instantly pop out of my mouth …. Then, of course, I’ll modify that saying that each of this planet’s destinations is special for different reasons & that “Number One” is an impossible concept ! Still, nothing can alter the fact that deep in my heart there exists an infinitely special place for the intriguing territory known as Indonesia – with its breathtaking corals, its alien-looking critters, its thrilling pelagics … its striking landscapes …. its warm & welcoming people … read more …

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve visited Indonesia’s shores … and I feel impelled to return again and again in my lifetime to try to absorb every drop I possibly can of her beauty, her aura, her bewitching nature.

A word from Dom

Check out our favourite liveboards in Indonesia after decades of exploring!

Our preferred dive resorts & dive centers can be found on this page. There are many more excellent options.

Most of our liveaboards are on Live Search. You can search for spaces, rates & other details. Choose your destination, apply the filters … and away you go!

To help you plan your trip, we’ve prepared a list of basic information you’ll want to know before you book.

A Plethora of Choices

With its immense number of islands, the diving choices in Indonesia are mind-boggling. Perhaps the most important thing, when you’re thinking about diving Indonesia, is that you don’t dive Indonesia, you dive a region of Indonesia – and only a part of that.

South & East ... Exotic Critters, Incomparable Corals, Plenty of Pelagics

Critters, corals & great pelagic action greet you in Komodo & the Alor Islands, to the south & moving east in Indonesia. In Sulawesi, north and east in the archipelago, you have the finest of the land-based diving and all the infamous critters found in the Lembeh Strait.

The rush of Raja Ampat is in the far eastern region … with its simply glorious corals, plenty of critters, some nice manta action. Moving north from there, you find the awesome whale sharks of Cenderawasih Bay. More coral splendor & superb muck diving lies just to the west of Raja Ampat, in Ambon & the Banda Sea.
Check for details of each region below.

North & West … Mythical, Magical Bali & Borneo

The wonders of Bali & Borneo mustn’t be neglected, with excellent diving including a beautiful wreck dive on Bali … plus all the cultural glory you can find there. Nor should you ignore Kalimantan, the Indonesian side of Borneo, where you can experience terrific diving and can add on a visit to an Orangutan rehabilitation camp. Find diving information about Bali, Borneo & the Derawan Islands below.

Choose Your Indonesia Diving Adventure ...

Raja Ampat, Misool & Triton Bay ... Vast Diversity of Corals & Critters

For many intrepid divers, this is seen as the outer limits of diving on our planet, with a variety so vast that it’s probably impossible to equal. Exploration & the discovery of new sites is still quite possible. In this region where the bio-diversity is reputed to be the greatest found anywhere in the Earth’s seas, you’ll have muck dives ...

Komodo & South Komodo ... Corals, Reef Fish, Pelagics

Home to fabulous soft corals & reef fish, plus sharks & mantas enough to make every dive an adventure, in the opinion of many divers Komodo is the pen-ultimate diving experience in Indonesia. Then, too, there are those dragons! With each dive site in the Komodo National Park, you will experience something different, as this is perhaps the most diverse ...

Ambon, Alor & Banda Sea ... Macro & Muck

Only relatively recently accessible, after years of strife, Ambon is the gateway to some of the world’s finest diving – Misool & Raja Ampat in the north and the Banda Sea & Alor in the south. In the Ambon region, you’re going to find incredible macro diving & muck diving – critters galore . . . rhinopias, pegasus sea moths, ...

Forgotten Islands ... Adventure & Exploration

Some of Indonesia’s most pristine diving sites … with good to excellent visibility, beautiful reefs, stunning walls, fabulous drop-offs, massive sea mounts and fantastic fish, critter & pelagic action. This vast region – comprising an island chain of roughly 625 miles (1000 km) – hosted no liveaboard diving until a couple of years ago. Officially known as the Southeast Moluccas ...

Cenderawasih Bay ... Whale Sharks & Wrecks

The big draw here is the large number of whale sharks who live year-round, feasting on leftovers from the local fishermen’s catch. Several of our favorite operators offer a Cenderawasih itinerary for encounters up close & personal. Located on “the Bird’s Head” of Indonesia’s West Papua, Cenderawasih is home to some 600 species of coral (some of the healthiest hard ...

North & South Sulawesi .... With Lembeh Strait ... Coral Gardens & Critter Paradise

Sulawesi underwater is a challenge to summarize: the luscious coral gardens of Wakatobi … the critter paradise of Lembeh Strait … the plunging walls of hard & soft corals of Bunaken. You can pretty much dive forever here. Host to some of the most fascinating spots in the world for divers, Sulawesi has something for everyone, including non-divers. In the ...

Bali ... Colorful Corals & Pelagics

Known to many as the cultural capital of Indonesia, Bali is also home to beautiful diving sites. You’ll find some awesome macro diving, wreck diving right off the beach at Tulamben & great pelagic sites. You will find walls & drop-offs & grottos, wonderful currents with drift dives & gentle coral garden dives. There are white sand bottoms & black ...

Derawan Islands (East Kalimantan / Borneo) ... Macro to Mantas

Off the coast of Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo, lie simply gorgeous islands & diving sites, which offer fabulous marine life variety, ranging from critters to manta rays & even a jellyfish lake! Often referred to as the Derawan Islands, this refion offers walls, fringing reefs & caverns, turtles galore, sharks, barracudas, napoleon wrasses, cuttlefish, jacks, batfish, plus all ...

Wild Orangutans of Borneo

Next to being a diving walhalla, the island of Borneo/East Kalimantan is home to one of the Earth’s most fascinating apes: the magnificent orange Orangutans the rainforests. Come join us on a houseboat along the rainforest river and get eye to eye with these mystical primates!