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Wakatobi Resort and Spa Indonesia

About Wakatobi Resort and Spa Indonesia

Wakatobi Resort and Spa offers luxury scuba diving and is located on Onemobaa Island near southeastern Sulawesi Island in Indonesia. It is also home base for Pelagian liveaboard. The house reef for shore diving is considered one of the best house reefs in the world. Their 50 dive sites in the Indo-Pacific are the epic center of marine biodiversity. Their 34 accommodations include upscale bungalows, but their villas set right up against the ocean are to die for. The four main islands near here are Wangi Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko. Take the first two letters of each island, and you have Wa Ka To Bi. Expect to explore seamounts, caves, walls, a liberty shipwreck, and do lots of muck diving. The area is perfect for macro photography diving. Enjoy our blog article on North Sulawesi Indonesia-Part One.

Wakatobi Resort Diving

There are over 50 scuba diving sites with 40 dive sites being within 20 minutes of the resort. They have a fleet of locally made 70ft long boats.  They do two dives before lunch, then one in the afternoon or at night. In ten days divers will do 22 to 25 dives. At Wakatobi Resort, you can also hire a private boat to explore additional dive sites. You can also spend an incredible amount of time on the House Reef which consists of three sections. Depending on the currents, you can walk right in from the beach or depending on tides; you may need a taxi boat to take you out. You can back roll right in to the water and drift back towards the resort. Looking at an image of the Wakatobi Resort dock, you can see a cool wall dive waiting for you just on the other side where the pier ends.

Attractions and Activities

First, the resort is an eco-friendly, fully licensed dive tour operator. The onsite dive center has a camera room, as well as 220 and 110 volt charging stations. Oh, and nitrox is available for those certified. Equipment is also available for rent. Wakatobi Resort also has a marine life reference library. The food is flown in and prepared by chefs for guests at the new bar and restaurant. They serve dishes from Indonesia as well as international cuisine buffet style for all meals. They can also make vegetarian dishes if desired.  All the rooms have toilets, hot showers, and showers are western standard hot and cold. Above all, they have a professional staff that teach UW/photography, and instructors that train divers all the way up to technical diving with heliox. It truly is a diver's paradise.
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Wakatobi Resort - Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia

To fly from Bali to Wakatobi, you will be required to check-in at the domestic departure terminal of the Airport in Bali at 06:45h on the morning of the first day of your package. We will email you to confirm this check-in time in advance of the day of your flight.
The Denpasar airport is relatively small and does not have very many terminals. As long as you find the Domestic Departure Terminal you are set. Our staff will meet you at the taxi drop point outside the domestic terminal door with entry passes, they will help you find porters and direct you to our staff inside the terminal. Inside, our team will assist you through check-in and escort you to the VIP lounge where there will be a short wait before you board the flight. Additional pointers: Head for the Wakatobi Counter, Ask the porters (grey uniforms). Our team will be there all wearing Wakatobi shirts, carrying sign boards and a smile. You really can't miss us if you know the name "Wakatobi/Pelagian"!
No you don't. As long as you have paid in full for your Wakatobi or Pelagian package, you are welcome onboard :) We have our own check-in counter and our staff are in charge of luggage handling and boarding.
The Wakatobi Guest Flight now returns back to Bali by 16:00h. We recommend that you plan to leave Bali no earlier than 17:30h.
You will get the opportunity to go by public transfer via Sulawesi to the Wakatobi. It involves a two and a half day air - land - sea journey that will certainly be an experience you can tell your friends about back home. This is the route that the first divers to Wakatobi Dive Resort followed and is the reason for Wakatobi building its own airstrip.
The flight lasts approximately two and a half hours and is very scenic along the way. We work with a premier airline carrier for our guest air transportation to Wakatobi Resort and the Pelagian liveaboard. To ensure maximum reliability and space for our guests and their luggage, we fly with a 70-seater ATR 72. The plane is spacious and nicely appointed. The restroom is small but still very serviceable. However, you might be more comfortable using the facilities at the airport prior to departure or at the resort.
Due to the luggage capacity on our charter flight, and our need to supply the resort from Bali on the charter flight (food / technical supplies etc), we try to incentivize clients to carry a little less, and travel light. For guests travelling with a total check in luggage weight of 20 kg (44 lbs) or less, we offer a resort credit of USD 100 per person. For guests travelling with a total check in luggage weight of between 20 kg (44 lbs) and 45 kg (100 lbs), there is no charge. For guests travelling with a total check in luggage weight of 45 kg (100 lbs) or above, there is an excess luggage weight surcharge of USD 100 per 20 kg (44 lbs) above the 45 kg (100 lbs) limit. (so guests travelling with 45 – 65 kg would pay USD 100, guests carrying 65 – 85 kg would pay USD 200.) Resort Credits offered are calculated based on average luggage weights for guests travelling together! **pricing valid at time of publish, subject to change, please confirm at time of booking
We speak in terms of barefoot luxury; relaxed and casual clothes are the order of the day. Dress is usually informal in Indonesia due to the warm, humid climate and lightweight fabrics are recommended. Light windbreakers, wraps, or sweatshirt should also be considered as it does cool down at night (or in case of the occasional rain storm). Some of our guests do enjoy to dress up a little for dinner. Please also note that our walking paths are packed sand and guests are asked to remove their shoes in common area buildings such as the restaurant and longhouse. Therefore, it is not necessary to bring more than one or two pairs with you to Wakatobi.
Water, brewed coffee and tea, iced tea, canned soft drinks (including minibar), and hot chocolate is available 24 hours and included free of charge. Juices, beer, and wine as well as cocktails, mocktails and specialty coffees such as cappuccino and latte are available at an additional cost.
Our executive chef and his team serve up an excellent and delicious mix of international and local dishes. Just about any special dietary need can be met, but please let us know in advance what if have specific requests or dietary restrictions. Our team of top-trained Indonesian chefs prepare delicious, ample and healthy meals using fresh produce that we fly in from Bali and overseas. Added to this, there are loads of day-fresh tuna sashimi, excellent soups, barbecued fish, fresh fruits, steaks and oriental specialties. Be sure to save room for one of the decadent desserts made fresh every day by our pastry chef. Meals are served in our restaurant or alfresco If you have special dietary needs, please let us know in advance. In the lounge, we supply complimentary coffee, tea and snacks around the clock.
Yes. However, air conditioning is generally not necessary as our resort is on an island far out from mainland which ensures there is always a gentle sea breeze to cool you down. All the rooms are cross ventilated and fitted with ceiling fans and mosquito nets (which are rarely, if ever, being used). During part of the season we even have to provide blankets!
You can either purchase a single space on a trip and be prepared to share room with another guest (of the same gender), or upgrade to single occupancy with a small supplement.
Absolutely. Children (and adults alike) can enjoy world-class snorkeling right off the beach in front of the resort. We also have babysitters available, and also offer a structured and educational Kids Club.
On the resort, we accept Visa and MasterCard as well as Indonesian Rupiah cash (local currency). It is possible for us to settle any bills in Dollars, Euro or other major currencies; however, most guests choose to conveniently pay everything on credit card – even staff tips. We suggest you change a little money while in Bali to cover incidentals along the way. Also note that throughout Indonesia, the best exchange rates for US currency will be for unblemished $100 dollar bills issued within the last couple of years.
Yes. Since 2003, when we added a large capacity reverse osmosis water purification system we have offered an ample supply of fresh, potable water at all hours of the day. Our water supply is routinely tested by a laboratory to ensure it is clean and free of any contaminants
Our resort offers a welcome respite from television. While our rooms are not equipped with in-room entertainment systems, we do have a TV / DVD player that can be moved to your room on request or used in the comfortable lounge. Each evening there will be informative presentations delivered by our knowledgeable team of dive guides.
Yes. We have two services available. One takes three days and is hand washed by our local staff. If you need your items back urgently, we have a one-day quick turnaround service as well.
Air temperature is in general around 30 °C (86 F) during the day and nicely cooler in the evening. Water temperature is a fairly cool 26-28 °C (79-82°F). We recommend a full body 5 mm dive suit, especially for divers making several dives in a day.
Yes. We have a large three-sectioned air-conditioned camera room with wall-length, padded work benches offering plenty of charging stations, with both 220v and 110v power strips set up and ready. We also have various basic tools for adjustments of cameras, lights and housings.
We have hair dryers in all rooms and there are high-quality Wakatobi-branded shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, and towels for indoor as well as beach-side use. We also have electrical converters if want to bring your own electric razor or hair dryer.
Onemobaa Island, on which Wakatobi Dive Resort is located, is roughly 8 square kilometers (3 square miles), which allows for nice walks (or jogs / runs) across the island on the various foot paths that over the years have developed between the resort and the village that lies on the opposite end of the island. Behind the resort, one can find shallow sink holes that can be explored with snorkeling equipment and a dive light. For those who do not dive or snorkel, but are interested in some physical activities we offer kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, We can arrange volleyball, badminton or table tennis equipment, as well as more leisurely pursuits such as board games, and a fairly extensive library. A television set with DVD player is located in the Longhouse lounge area, and a TV / DVD player is also available on request to be taken to your room. We also offer a range of interesting day tours to neighboring villages, as well as classes in Indonesian language, cookery demonstrations, towel folding classes and more....
Yes! Our spa offers a range of treatments and our experienced team of female therapists are skilled in providing relief to sore muscles or simply relieving tension. Popular with many of our guests, a massage after a great day of diving can be a real blessing, and is priced affordably
Yes, you will. We set aside a portion of the funds you pay for your trip for conservation programs and community development, and since our resort was founded in 1995, through these funds, our guests have made a significant impact on preserving this fantastic area.
For the local children, we recommend anything educational or healthy. Note pads, pencils, erasers, maps, rulers, craft supplies, crayons or basic school or coloring books would be greatly appreciated.
All rooms are fitted with two round pin sockets (Indonesian / European standard) and the electricity is 220v 50 cycles. Each room has a power-bar with four universal sockets, allowing any electrical appliance to be plugged in. We do have additional plug socket adapters as well as voltage converters (for 110v supplies) to lend to all guests. You needn’t bring your own. The 24 hour power generated at the resort is generated by us at our in-house power-plant (comprising a number of generators). Each day, twice a day, we have to manually switch from one generator to another. This will cause a little blip in the power supply at the change-over times. We normally try to change the generators over at 6 AM and 6 PM every day. These are times that we believe will cause the least disturbance to our guests. Sometimes, this can inadvertently switch off battery charges that have been left running overnight. 110v outlets are available in the camera room.
Yes! We feature a state of the art Nitrox Technologies membrane systems, Atlas Copco low pressure compressors and water-cooled Bauer/L&W high pressure compressors. We also offer a full range of tech services including oxygen, helium, scrubber and pony/stage bottles
No. Very little reef in our area is damaged by destructive fishing methods like dynamite bombing and cyanide fishing (for the aquarium trade). However, it is a fact that destructive methods of fishing are still being used in many parts of the world, including Indonesia. In the remote areas around the Wakatobi resort, bombing is extremely rare. There have been instances of some reef areas being hurt by boat anchors and local fishermen walking on the reef top. These practices are effectively being minimized by our Collaborative Reef Conservation programs.
We have tanks with INT and DIN valves.
Our dive center offers a full range of diving equipment for our guests’ use. While many of our guests bring their own equipment to ensure they are completely familiar and comfortable with its operation, our quality rental equipment is in tip-top condition. The basic diving equipment recommended is a regulator, depth and pressure gauge, watch or dive computer, buoyancy compensation device, mask, fins and snorkel. We recommend you to bring a 5 mm (1/4") full-body suit but some guests are even comfortable in only 3mm (3/16") shorties. It is all up to what you are used to diving with, just keep in mind that it is nice to be warm.
In case of a DECO emergency, our first-aid trained dive managers would immediately stabilize the diver's condition with non-baric medical oxygen. If deemed necessary, we would then evacuate the diver by a sea level cabin pressure flight (day-time only) directly back to Bali where there is a good re-compression chamber. In our resort medical center, we carry a good stock of medical gear and medication. Should that not be enough, there is a basic hospital on the island neighboring Wakatobi (sufficiently equipped for most general treatments).
We do for Instructor-level divers with a pony tank once they have been deemed suitable by our professional dive team as safe, responsible and competent. We have plenty of pony tanks for rent.
The Wakatobi region is blessed with abundant marine life and dive sites that have both deep and shallow areas. This allows for long bottom times on most dives. We politely request that divers observe our boat dive bottom-time limit of 70 minutes to ensure others on their dive boat are not left waiting for others to surface. Those guests who have subscribed to a Private Dive Experience Manager and have booked a private dive boat are of course welcome to set their own schedules. The only limit to the bottom-times you may enjoy on our house reef is your own air consumption.
The Indo-Pacific region is considered a biodiversity hot spot, benefiting from the currents and nutrients transported between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Within that area, the Wakatobi region is near the epicenter of coral reef biodiversity. The hundreds of kilometers of reef structure in the Wakatobi National Marine Park provide every imaginable marine animal, including whales, dolphins, sharks, rays, tunas, barracudas, marlin and more. The area is teeming with hundreds, if not thousands of different fish species. A few years ago, Professor of Biology at the Boston University Marine Program & Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology, Les Kaufman counted 301 fish species on a 100 minute dive at Wakatobi Dive Resort's house reef. For photographers, this means wide-angle, normal and macro opportunities abound.
Yes. Most certainly we do. Every day the "pool” is open (the ocean that is) for shore based night diving. We schedule frequent boat departures for dusk dives / night dives, and you will have the opportunity to night dive during your stay.
We have 7.5 L (50 cbf), 10 L (63 cbf), 12 L (80cbf), 15 L (100 cbf). All are aluminium
Yes, if you want to dive.

Indonesia

Climate: Throughout Indonesia there is a consent air temperature of 25 – 27°C / 78 – 80°F

Water Temperature: 27 – 30°C / 81 – 85°F

Time: UTC +7:00 to UTC +9:00

Language: Indonesian. English is widely spoken.

Currency: Rupiah (Rp). It is recommend to exchange currency in the country to get best rate. 

Electricity: 220 Volts. A transformer and plug adapter are recommended 

Marriage Requirements: Please contact the local tourism board for instructions and requirements.

Airport(s):

AMBON Pattimura Airport (AMQ)
BALI Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS)
JAKARTA Soekarno Hatta International Airport (CGK)
LABUAN BAJO Komodo International Airport(LBJ)
MAKASSAR Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport (UPG)
MANADO Sam Ratulangi International Airport (MDC)
MAUMERE Maumere Airport (MOF)
SORONG Domine Eduard Osok Airport (SOQ)

Hyperbaric Chambers:
Malalayang Hospital
Professor Dr. Kandou Hospital
Rumah Sakit Umum Wahidin Sudirohusodo 
Sanglah General Hospital

Home of the Bunaken Sea Garden and Raja Ampat in the coral triangle, unusual creatures are the norm in Indonesia, both below the sea and above. Is that really two sea snakes? Or is it the recently discovered mimic octopus? Robust and ornate ghost pipefish and pygmy sea horses hide amidst the colorful coral in an attempt to not be seen. Part of the Ring of Fire, Indonesia has the largest number of active volcanoes in the world. With over 17,000 islands, 6,000 of which are inhabited, Indonesia covers a total of 741,100 square miles. The highest point is Puncak Jaya at 16,502 feet.

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Amanda L.

We had the most AMAZING scuba adventure on Wakatobi’s Pelagian liveaboard and at the resort. They take care of every detail, and staff knows your name immediately. The diving was fantastic with excellent dive guides.

Amanda L.

Super resort and liveaboard

North Sulawesi, Indonesia: Part Two

The Center of Life’s Diversity: Part Two As you last recall, we tried to include all 50,000 miles (70,000km) of shoreline of Indonesia in one article, then we briefly mentioned three dive resorts on the northern edge of Sulawesi Island where some 390 species of coral, 90 resident species of fish, and where some 1,650 species of fish commute to work daily to and from the Bunaken Nation...

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North Sulawesi, Indonesia: Part One

The Center of Life’s Diversity: Part One You’ve probably heard of the Coral Triangle where the waters of the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the South China Sea collide and infuse each other with nutrients and where different species of fish and invertebrates intermingle with scuba divers from every culture around the world? You haven’t? Well, before we go in depth on this incredi...

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