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Two and a half hours by boat off north central Java lies a small group of islands known as Karimunjava. On one of them, Menyawakan, is the Kura-Kura Resort. The resort is very new, only opened in August 1999 and comprises 15 cottages. They are luxuriously outfitted, teak wood furnishings, air conditioning, Satellite TV, a fridge with mini bar and western style bathrooms, with hot water, that are open to the sea breezes.

The restaurant and bar are under the one roof of a traditional style building constructed with open walls to capture the tropical island feel of the resort. The menu features Western and Indonesian set meals as well as a-la-carte and the bar prices are very reasonable. There is also a “swim up” bar in the large fresh water pool situated right next to the reception area.

For the non-diver there are a range of activities in addition to lounging around in the sun and catching up on your tan. Snorkeling off the pier, jet skis and “banana boat” rides can be arranged, plus sea kayaks, wind surfing and pedallo's. For ecological reasons no collecting of coral or shells is allowed, nor is spear fishing or fishing from the pier.

Divers are the people who benefit most from a stay at Kura Kura though. There are a number of wrecks in the area, each unique, from the huge wooden “pinisi” we call the Chicken Ship to the Dutch cargo ship, the Indonur, that went down in the sixties. The reefs in the area are fun, some on drop-offs and some in fairly shallow waters that cover a large area. Ideal for an under water meander! A three or four day stay with two to three dives a day will race by and you will never feel you are seeing the same site but in a different location. The dive shop is fully equipped and if by chance we don't travel with you, not to worry, there is a European PADI Instructor on the staff to act as a guide or take you for your PADI Courses.

Through experience we have found the most pleasant way to travel there and back from Jakarta is as follows: Leave Jakarta at 1700 from Gambir Railway Station by train and proceed to Semarang, arriving at 2230. The trip is a fun one, the train is air conditioned and comfortable, food is available on board as is beer and soft drinks. It may pay to take your own liquid refreshment though, as “not cold” is probably the kindest way of describing the temperature it is served at. The rest of the night is spent at the Hotel Ciputat, a large and comfortable place with a multi story shopping mall adjoining.

Following a very nice breakfast at the hotel we catch one of the islands boats at around 0800 and head out to the resort. The boats are large, 12.5 metres, fast, close to 30 knots, have a half cabin, you can sit outside or in, and double as dive boats out on the island. The last day of the stay we “off gas” and take advantage of the islands water sport facilities. Flying out of Semarang at 1710, Mandala Airlines, arriving in Jakarta at around 1810, in time to get home by around 1930.

We are the resort's agents in Jakarta and can arrange all train and aircraft flights plus accommodation in Semarang. You will be met and escorted from the train to the hotel in the evening and from the hotel to the boat the following day. Transport will also be arranged from the boat to the aircraft on the last day of your stay.

The three Gilis - Trawangan. Meno and Air are located off the west coast of Lombok and have become a popular destination for Indonesian residents and international travelers alike. The Gili islands are close to the resort islands of Lombok and Bali. The three islands are ringed by sloping coral reefs petering out to sandy bottoms at around 25 meters. There are walls to dive on Gili Meno. The visibility is usually between 15-20 meters and the channel currents make for good drift dives. You could expect to see a large variety of tropical reef fish and black and white tip reef sharks at Shark Point, off the NW corner of Gili Trawangan. Turtles are abundant throughout the waters around the islands and many divers have sighted Large Napolean Wrasse (Bump Head Wrasse).

The Gili sites are excellent for less experienced divers, most dives are in relatively calm water, no deeper than 18 metres.

More experienced divers can seek out moderate to strong currents for exhilarating drift dives. Night dives are also popular with many divers and finding a Buddy is no problem.

Pulau Seribu (Thousand Islands) is made up of 110 islands scattered in a vertical group to the north of Jakarta in the Java Sea.

Many of the islands provide resort type accommodation and are a popular spot for divers living in Jakarta. Accommodation ranges from up-market international resorts to rustic bungalows on several islands. Most resort rates include the cost of boat travel and meals. The Dive possibilities are almost countless. Reefs surround many of the 110 islands and you can expect to find good coral growth and a variety of fish life including Turtles, Moray Eels, large Cuttlefish and Stingrays. There are well preserved wrecks accessible from several of the resorts.

The Sunda Straits separate the Islands of Java and Sumatra and include many popular dive locations including Anak Krakatau - an active volcano, Ujung Kulon - a national park and Sangiang Island There are several large wrecks including the USS Houston and HMAS Perth. The Houston lies in shallower water to the north on the edge of the Java Sea. Krakatau and Sangiang are accessible from many of the West Coast resorts. Ujung Kulon lies to the south of Carita and access to the peninsula is by boat only. The trip takes around 3½ hours. Resort accommodation is available on the peninsula.

Diving is usually best in the dry months March through November.

The Sangihe Islands are a chain that stretch to the north of the island of Sulawesi and are accessible by live-aboard from Manado in North Sulawesi. The diving is world class and is carried out in the most beautiful tropical island setting imaginable. The chain remains largely unexplored from a diving point of view, but almost anywhere you drop anchor there is going to be a spot close by.

Some of the outstanding spots are:

Ruang Island

On the southwest point there is a lava flow that comes down the steep side of the volcano right down into the water, a real mountains of the moon landscape. The contrast between the above water and below water picture could not be more dramatic. On the surface one sees huge black volcanic boulders, formed as the lava cooled, totally devoid of vegetation. Immediately below the surface there is an abundance of coral and sponges. It seems that the ocean bed is able to recover much more quickly from the trauma of a volcano than the land out of the water.

There is a drop off down to 25 meters and then a wall that goes down a further 15 meters. It is difficult to anchor here as only 50 meters offshore the depth is down to 80 meters. There are a large of variety of coral, staghorn, brain lettuce leaf, plus wonderful sponges and lots of small fish. The visibility is 20 meters plus and the diving is well worthwhile for several reasons; the actual quality of the marine life, the setting, a remote tropical island and the amazing contrast between the desolation of the shoreline and the abundance of life in the water immediately below it.

Pulau Siau

Poso, the main town on Siau Island, looks wonderful as you approach it from seaward. It sits under the presence of the huge smoldering volcano, Gunungap, looking very small and vulnerable. This island has been producing nutmeg and mace for centuries and continues to do so today. Just to the southwest of Poso lie a small group of islands that are the most beautiful that I have ever seen. Craggy, crystal shaped outcrops of volcanic rock jutting from the brilliant blue water. The larger islands with beautiful clean white beaches, waving coconut palms, balmy breezes - a true tropical paradise. These islands form a sheltered anchorage that protects vessels from any unpleasantness that may try and intrude from the Sulawesi and Maluku Seas.

The diving here is a lot of fun. Not a lot of wild life, although for some reason or other there are quite a few lionfish.

What made getting wet worthwhile was the landscape, the crevasses and canyons formed by the lava, even some little swim-throughs. The visibility is 15-20 meters and when one takes into account the breathtaking beauty of the setting plus the volcanic underwater landscape - a not to be missed spot.

Volcanic Vent - Pulau Mahengetang

About a kilometer off Pulau Magengetang there is what appears to be a coral outcrop just below the surface. In fact it is a volcanic vent. It comes to within 4 meters of the surface and because of its exposed location there is quite a bit of surge. This alone would make it an interesting dive under ordinary circumstances, being pushed and pulled between huge boulders and along small canyons with the surf forcefully aerating the water from above. But this is an extraordinary dive. Emerging from the bottom, from rocks, from between rocks, from sandy patches, like tiny, twinkling Christmas decorations are millions of sulfur bubbles. To come across this spectacle after swimming up the side of the vent which is covered with large, evenly shaped rocks the size of a human head, is just plain exhilarating.

Drop over the northeastern point of the outcrop and one is greeted with a dive that would make a trip to the Sangihe's worthwhile for itself alone. Emerging from the bottom, about 18 meters, were rocky bomboras up to ten meters high that formed wonderful canyons and valleys to fly through and swoop over. The sides of these canyons were absolutely covered with huge spreads of coral in pristine condition. Layer upon layer of table coral two and three meters across, huge lettuce leaf coral. A never to be forgotten dive spot! Unique!

Recommended Web Site Links

Hotel Kristal - a great place to stay in South Jakarta

AquaMarine Diving, Bali - our recommended dive partners in Bali

Living in Indonesia, A Site for Expatriates - resource for expats living in Indonesia

Trips to these dive sites, and many others, can be organised through:

Hotel Kristal
Jl. Tarogong Raya
Cilandak Barat
Jakarta Selatan 12430 Indonesia

Phone (62-21) 7581-8025, (62-21) 750-7050 ext. 674
Hand Phone Clive: 0813-17598918
Hand Phone Lucas: 0813-81199821
Email kkdtour@indosat.net.id