Main Menu
Join Undercurrent on Facebook

The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 | |
For Divers since 1975
The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975
"Best of the Web: scuba tips no other
source dares to publish" -- Forbes
X
 

Dive Review of Maluku Divers in
Indonesia/Ambon

Maluku Divers, Apr, 2014,

by Michael J. Millet, CA, US (Top Contributor Top Contributor 92 reports with 58 Helpful votes). Report 7602.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 4 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity 3 stars
Dive Operation 3 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 2 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments Maluku Divers is located on the north side of Ambon Bay and specializes in muck diving and the crazy critters that make the black sand their habitat. With the exception of a dive trip to the south side of the island, ALL diving is muck diving. So if taking pictures of some rather small marine life is not your thing, then Ambon diving will not be for you. Of the 17 dives I did here, 14 were in the black sand. There is some very nice walls to dive on the south side of Ambon but this trip requires 6 divers and good weather so it is not done a regular basis. Too bad because it is a nice change from the muck. The typical dive day started at 8:30 AM with a 2 tank trip followed by lunch then an afternoon dive.

The accommodations at Maluku Divers are quite spacious and set up to accommodate 2 persons. All bungalows are just a short walk from the restaurant and the dive center. Breakfast is buffet with an egg/omelet station. Lunch and dinner are plated but no choice is offered. Most of the entrees were chicken or fish and often over cooked. The soups were the best part of the meals. The resort offers a full bar at full Indonesian prices.

During my stay the currents were really ripping perhaps due to the full moon. The dive staff advised that these swift currents were not normal. The currents whipped up the sandy bottom making photo taking quite challenging. The constant motion and particles of sand in the water column made it very difficult to focus especially when shooting small critters the size of a dime or smaller. I took many fuzzy photos.

The strong current put gave 4 other divers and myself a "swallow-hard" moment when we were quickly pushed away from the dive boat. Fortunately, the current took us back to the resort where we made a shore exit. Taking one's fins off in choppy water on rocky bottom terrain with a tank on the back while holding on to a large camera rig is not my idea of an enjoyable dive. The most disconcerting aspect of this situation is that the dive skiffs do not have any way of communicating with the resort, other dive boats or divers using Lifeline. The dive skiffs do not carry radios or mobile phones. In order to contact the dive skiff driver who hopefully was out looking for us, the resort called a resident in the area where it thought the skiff might be and this resident went outside and yelled at the dive skiff. Very unsafe and very unprofessional. I brought this to the attention of the resort managers who did not seemed to be too concerned about it.

Getting to/from the dive boats required wading from shore to the boat. At times when the tide was in, the water was 6'-7' deep -- over my head. The footing was quite unstable walking on a very rocky bottom. The resort is building a dock to remedy this situation.

The staff and crew were generally friendly and helpful. I enjoyed my time there but Maluku divers and Ambon will probably not get a return visit from me.
Websites Maluku Divers   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving All over the Caribbean; Galapagos, Socorro, Fiji, Solomons, GBR, Vanuatu,
PNG, Philippines, Indonesia, Palau, Yap, Kosrae
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas surge, currents
Water Temp 82-84°F / 28-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 30-75 Ft/ 9-23 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions No Deco
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles None Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish N/A
Large Pelagics N/A

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 2 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 4 stars
UW Photo Comments Ambon is the place for black sand (muck) diving. The dive guides were quite good at finding the small, unique critters that live here. The dive crew were careful carrying camera gear to/from the dive boats with a shore entry over a very rocky bottom. Soft-sided cooler bags were used to carry and protect the cameras. The dive skiffs had no camera rinse containers. The dockside facility had several large camera rinse tanks. Maluku divers has a good-sized camera room with several stations with many 220 electrical outlet and clothes.

Up to 4 divers were assigned to a dive guide. So if all had cameras (likely), it could get congested while each took turns taking photos of critters.
Was this report helpful to you?
Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here
 

Subscribe Now
Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 1386 dive reviews of Indonesia and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

 
Featured Links from Our Sponsors
Interested in becoming a sponsor?
Reef & Rainforest, Let our experience be your guide -- Reef and Rainforest
Reef & Rainforest
is an agency for travelers that scuba dive. Looking for Biodiversity, critters, Komodo, Raja Ampat, temples? We specialize in adventures to Indonesia.

Want to assemble your own collection of Indonesia reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

Undercurrent Home


Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email.
And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent

Free Undercurrent Issue
Get a free
monthly email and
a sample issue!


Find in  

| Home | Online Members Area | My Account | Login | Join |
| Travel Index | Dive Resort & Liveaboard Reviews | Featured Reports | Recent Issues | Back Issues |
| Dive Gear Index | Health/Safety Index | Environment & Misc. Index | Seasonal Planner | Blogs | Free Articles | Book Picks | News |
| Special Offers | RSS | FAQ | About Us | Contact Us | Links |

Copyright © 1996-2024 Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org)
3020 Bridgeway, Ste 102, Sausalito, Ca 94965
All rights reserved.

Page computed and displayed in 0.14 seconds