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Diving in Sulawesi, Indonesia: Liveaboard Safaris to North Sulawesi: Manado (Bunaken), Bangka islands, Lembeh strait and Sangihe archipelago. |
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Wallacea Dive Cruise, PO Box 136, 94701 Luwuk - Central Sulawesi, Indonesia |  |
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Practical InformationOrganisation and Planning of the CruisesThe cruises last 8 days. Both for Banggai and for Togian we use Luwuk as airport entry. For the Banggai cruise guests will board the boat at the jetty of Maleo Cottage, just 2 kms from the airport. Departure point for the Togians is Pagimana harbour, located on the northern coast of the peninsula. Guests are taken there with our cars. The road is asphalted and in good condition, so it takes just 1 1/2 hours to Pagimana.We wait for the guests coming from Manado by the morning flight for our departure. The daily schedule proposes 3 to 4 dive per day depending on location, the 4th being a night dive.
As only 8 divers maximum are on board, there is always some flexibility to please individual dive wishes. It is also possible to get down on the islands for short excursions, enjoy the beach, or a great night beach barbecue. The weather conditions should not limit dives, as waters in both archipelagos are very calm. Nevertheless, dive planning can be altered by temporary thunder storm or exceptional weather conditions. Each cruise is different, mostly depending on divers level and requests.
Schedule sample for guests arriving via Singapore:
The flight duration Manado - Luwuk (Merpati) is 1:30. The plane is a Casa with a capacity of 20 passengers. The cost for the ticket is about US$ 135 RT. Excess luggage starts at 10 kgs and is about US$ 1/kg, payable in IDR at the check in counter. We arrange booking of local flights as well as hotel reservations in Manado. Flight schedule available on request. Other Practical Information- Visas:Since January 2004, a tourist visa is necessary for most visitors of Indonesia*. For citizens of various countries it can be get in the embassies or consulates, and also at your arrival at the entry airport. However, we not recommend this last option due to long waiting time.
* Currently, the following 35 countries are eligible to pay US$25 for a 30 day visa or US$10 for a 7 day visa upon landing in Indonesia: United States, Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Denmark, United Arab Emirates, Finland, Hungary, United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Germany, Canada, South Korea, Norway, France, Poland, Switzerland, New Zealand, Taiwan, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Egypt, Austria, Qatar, Ireland, Maldives, Luxembourg, China and India.
Meanwhile only 11 countries and territories are eligible for a "Visa Free" facility, they are: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Philippines, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Chile, Morocco, Peru and Vietnam. Citizens of all other countries must apply for a visa before their trip to Indonesia! - Malaria: There is malaria in the area, but so far we never gotten any mosquito on board. The use of repellents when you get to shore is probably a sufficient protection, but it's also depends on the rest of your trip in Indonesia. - Insurance: Due to the remotness of the area, an insurance covering medical evacuation in case of illness or accident is recommended. - Money exchange: There are ATM's and money changers in Manado, but not in Luwuk. Euros and USD can be exchanged, but USD have to be fairly new (>2000), in very good condition and in notes of 100 or 50 to be accepted and exchanged with a fair rate. If you come from Europe, you don't need to bring USD as they are actually more difficult to exchange than Euros. - Water temperature: In Togian Islands, the water temperature very seldom falls under 28 degrees C. In Banggai, especially in October, the waters can drop until 26 degrees; From December to April they are generally about 27 to 28 degrees. - Currents: In Togian isl, most of the dives have slow or inexistent currents. Only pinnacles have medium to strong currents. In Banggai, slow to medium. Pinnacles on the peninsula are subject to stronger currents, especially during descent (we use a mooring boy and rope). - Visibility: In Togians, the visibility is usually about 30 meters or more. It depends of the site, of the weather, of the tides. In Banggai visibility is generally good, except on the peninsula where waters are more rich in plankton (but this is also the reason why there is a lot of fishes). There are no particular season for visibility. - Batteries recharge / electricity on board: We have a bunk of 220 volts sockets to recharge batteries, running 24/24 hours. The generator runs about 6 hours /day, we always stop it at night and use an inverter to convert the 24 volts into 220 volts. - Download pictures from a digital camera: On request, a laptop is available on board to download your pictures, and we can burn CDs. - Equipment rental: We have available some equipment. Please inform by email to book it together with your cruise, and let us know your size (size and weight). There are some small dive torches on board for night dive available for free, but according to the number of guests we cannot guarantee that we can provide one to each diver.
- Provided by us: Tanks, weights and belts. Soap, shampoo, tooth paste, two towels/pax. |
