Indonesia Begins to Reopen for Diving Trips – Maybe Not!

Indonesian liveaboards are getting back in the business, with MSY Sea Horse departing from the port of Bitung, North Sulawesi (near KBR), in December. Manado (on the same island as Bitung) is open for international travelers, as is Jakarta, but no others. Denpasar in Bali is open, but not to international flights.

Vaccinated tourists from 19 qualifying countries require an online visa and must undergo a punitive 3-day quarantine upon arrival. However, some dive operators believe that the Indonesian government will soon allow divers to be quarantined aboard liveaboard vessels. We're not sure how that would work, since such vessels put passengers in close proximity, and cross-infection aboard seems assured.

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy has said that 38 ships have registered to be quarantine ships. It will inspect the ships to ensure the implementation of the approved quarantine procedures, but they will not be much different than land quarantine procedures for foreign tourists. To us, that doesn't sound practical combined with several dives per day.

To join these proposed trips, you will need to obtain a B211 visa, which can now be easily obtained per the latest Indonesian regulations. Three PCR tests are also required: The first on leaving your home country, the second upon arrival, and the third before departing. The PCR tests in Indonesia are expected to cost around $40.

With a quarantine, it's a complicated process, and when we checked with other trusted operators waiting to restart business in Indonesia, we saw difficulties for travelers.

Alex Bryant, owner of the Emperor fleet, which has the MSY Emperor Raja Laut in Indonesia, told Undercurrent, "The B211 visa costs circa $200, and the quarantine requires two PCR tests and averages about $500 per passenger for the four nights in Jakarta. Most liveaboard clients would expect a higher standard of hotel, so this could be more [expensive], of course."The B211 visa costs circa $200, and the quarantine requires two PCR tests and averages about $500 per passenger for the four nights in Jakarta. Most liveaboard clients would expect a higher standard of hotel, so this could be more [expensive], of course.

"The airline Scoot flies into Manado from Singapore, so Manado is an option for quarantine. But that would require travelers to take Singapore Airlines and Scoot (it's the same company, so easy to book, but very expensive.)

"Boats getting permission to be quarantine facilities could be a game-changer, of course. But for now, we think it's still too expensive and complicated to offer trips to international travelers."

Mark Shandur of Worldwide Dive and Sail and Master Fleet told us, "We are waiting to see what happens with tourist visas before making any firm decision on reopening."

This seems to be the case with other liveaboard operators in Indonesia, so be cautious in your planning. And if there was ever a time to use a dive travel agent, this is it. Making your own booking without having any backup help may be fraught with problems once you're underway.