Dive Review of Tambora in
Indonesia/Borneo

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Tambora, Jul, 2010, by Richard J. Troberman, WA, US ( Contributor 13 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 5640 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	For several months prior to this trip I had been watching for a reader report on Borneo or on the Tambora, but never saw anything on either. Now I think I know why. Despite (or maybe because of) my high expectations, the diving in Borneo, at least on the east coast (East Kalimantan and Celebes Sea), was extremely disappointing. The reefs along the entire east coast have been totally destroyed by dynamite fishing. Although I had heard about dynamite fishing in the area, I had no idea how widespread and destructive it is. I went on this trip for the big stuff, but all we saw, for the most part, was small stuff. Even the large numbers of Mantas that are reported to frequent Sangalaki were absent (we saw only 4 or 5). We also saw only a handful of sharks (white-tips, black-tips, grey reef sharks), and a few tuna and giant trevally. The barracudas were still present in large numbers at Big Fish Country and Barracuda Point, but that was one of the few bright spots. When the reefs are destroyed, as these were, there is no reason for the hunting fish to hang around. We began our 11 day trip by meeting the Tambora in Tarakan (a one hour flight from Balikpapan). From there we traveled down the east coast of Borneo, including Derawan, Sangalaki, Kakaban, Maratua, and Mataha Islands. We then crossed the Makassar Strait for some exploratory diving along the west coast of central Sulawesi before ending the trip in Palu, Sulawesi. The reefs on the Sulawesi side are in even worse shape than those in Borneo! Most of the Tambora trips to Borneo begin and end in Tarakan, but this trip ended in Palu in preparation for moving the boat to Bali for dry dock. The Tambora is a new wooden Indonesian style boat, in its second year of operation. While it holds up to 16 divers, we had only 6 on this trip. Tambora claims to have been built by divers for divers, but it has some odd features. For example, all of the wetsuits are hung in an interior dive staging area, where there is no ventilation and no opportunity for the suits to dry between dives or even overnight. The Tambora is well equipped for cameras, with a large separate rinse tank, which was cleaned often, and a separate charging room. Diving is done from two inflatable tenders. Back-roll entry, and a swim ladder for exiting. We generally did four dives a day, including a night dive, although on two days there were only three dives due to moving the boat. A total of 36 dives were offered during the nine and one-half diving days. Nitrox blend of 32% consistent on every tank. The crew was eager to help in any way possible, and the dive guides were good at finding stuff. The food could best be described as average. We encountered heavy unseasonable rain, and all of the cabins leaked. The owner of the Tambora (who lives on the boat) says that this problem will be resolved during the upcoming dry dock. One highlight was a night land excursion on Sangalaki Island to see nesting sea turtles, and the release of hatchlings. The Sangalaki Lodge has been closed for several years, but the turtle conservation program sponsored by the WWF and other non-governmental agencies is still running. Another highlight was a snorkeling trip to a saltwater lake on Kakaban, home to four types of non-stinging jellyfish, which is very similar to Jellyfish Lake in Palau. If I had known beforehand what I know now, I would not have done this trip. There were a few nice walls and some good current dives, as well as a few good muck dives. But the widespread destruction of the reefs really put a damper on this trip. I could not in good conscience recommend this itinerary to anyone, unless they were doing a documentary on the evils of dynamite fishing. Save your money and go someplace else.
Websites	Tambora
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	North Sulawesi, Bali-Komodo, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Galapagos, Australia, Belize, Cayman Islands, St. Vincent, Grand Turk, Bahamas, Hawaii.
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	rainy, cloudy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	84-86°F / 29-30°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	40-80 Ft/ 12-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Follow dive computer; bottom time of 60 minutes, but not strictly enforced.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Separate large rinse tank for cameras only (water changed regularly). The crew carried the cameras to the skiffs, and handed them to the divers once in the water. Camera room with power outlets for charging components.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Tambora in Indonesia/Borneo

Tambora, Jul, 2010,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Tambora in
Indonesia/Borneo