WAKATOBI ISLAND. REEFS WITHOUT EQUAL.
About a month after getting my open water certification, I visited a local scuba shop to buy gear. They were advertising a trip to Wakatobi, a dive resort on a remote island near Bali, Indonesia. It was over a year away till travel, but I instantly knew I had to go and made reservations right on the spot.
In the mean time, I started going on some short scuba trips. Cozumel, La Paz, Kona, Maui, and of course the beautiful California waters.
With every trip I learned more and more about diving in different locations. Most important was learning how much to take with me. The first few trips I brought everything I owned plus a huge dive bag. I have since scaled way down which is a good thing because the Indonesia trip was finally here and we had some limitations on baggage.
I managed to pack everything, BC, wetsuit, fins and mask all into one suitcase with my clothes. I don’t use a dive bag for travel anymore. This time I brought just a regular suitcase so it didn’t look like gear and literally just enough clothes and bikinis. I kept my regulator and computer in my back pack.
It was an adventure just getting to Wakatobi. Well worth the long travel, changing of planes, time zones, date zones and weather. The diving is spectacular. The comfort of the resort is superb. The house reef was amazing. Our group was kept busy diving most of the time and an afternoon of kayaking on a quiet day with a friend was a relaxing change.
Every evening at the jetty bar was an experience, meeting all the other divers and looking at photos were fun. The resort has plenty of stories to remember our group for a long time and I’m sure they are still listening to the Reggae we introduced them to.
Written by Lisa Jover, California. Photo Credit: Szilvia Gogh