WORLDWIDE OPTIONS FOR DIVING WITH SHARKS include:

GUADALUPE ISLAND

Dive to 30 feet and go face to face with great white sharks! Guadalupe Island is a volcanic island 150 miles off the west coast of Baja California and it outperforms every other great white shark destination with shark-seeing consistency and beautiful diving conditions. 

Great white shark encounters at Guadalupe Island are nothing short of spectacular. It’s the best destination in the world for calm, clear water and a consistently high probability of multiple shark encounters. The bay itself is home to over 200 recognised individuals, ranging from 12 to 19 feet long. At times, guests have seen as many as nine sharks on one dive!

SOCORRO ISLANDS

The wild, remote and exhilarating Socorro Islands, Mexico are famous for their big animal encounters. Divers will see many species of shark, including Hammerheads, Whitetips, Silvertips, Silkies, Tiger & Galapagos Sharks. Whale sharks can be found between November - December and late April - May. 

The area is also famous for close encounters with the Giant Pacific Manta Ray, which can grow to 22 feet across. The Mantas seek out divers to interact with and play in their exhaled bubbles. There’s little doubt that this is the best location for the closest Manta interactions.  

SOUTH AFRICA

If you want some great shark action, what could be better than the shark hotspots of South Africa and Mozambique? Although there's always plenty to see, including Hammerheads, Tigers, Blacktips and Bulls, May is the time that the Ragged Tooth Sharks take up residence on Aliwal Shoals. A shark to impress your non-diving friends, as with their mouth full of big teeth, they look far scarier than they actually are. ‘Raggies’ usually stay until at least the end of November, so now's the time to plan your visit.

THE MALDIVES

The Maldives is a popular location for seeing a few varieties of shark, most commonly Whitetips and Grey Reef Sharks. Although the Whitetips are usually very calm and lethargic during the day, they certainly get a bit more active at night. Often seen darting around the reef, trying to beat each other to the next unsuspecting fish to snack on. 

Our guests returning from Maldives Liveaboards are giving enthusiastic reports from of a very interesting night dive they took part in. Many of them have greatly enjoyed doing a night dive with Nurse Sharks. Although one of the most docile of sharks, it turns into a very exhilarating experience when you get 40 to 50 Nurse Sharks swarming all around you! Just hang onto your gear and prepare for the odd nudge.   

THE BAHAMAS

The Bahamas are justifiably famous for their shark diving. Some sharks can be seen very close and personal, mainly Caribbean Reef Sharks, Nurse Sharks and Lemon Sharks, but others such as Bull Sharks, Hammerheads and even Oceanic Whitetips can all be found, with the waters of Nassau and the Exuma Cays being the most easily accessible areas. 

A famous location that is worth a visit in June, July and August is Tiger beach. So called because of the numbers of Tiger sharks that turn up in the warm shallow waters at that time. Known for coming in nice and close, some of the individual sharks, such as Emma, are famous the world over. With years of experience the operators that visit the area will provide you with an experience that you will have difficulty finding anywhere else.    

SUDAN

Many of Sudan’s varied dive sites hold an almost mythical status with divers from around the world. Sudan’s coastal waters are also recognised as one of the best places in the world for Shark enthusiasts to encounter schools of scalloped hammerheads, alongside many other species of shark. 

Our colleague Nigel gave us a taste of the shark action from his recent trip to Sudan and told us: "we were joined by a huge school of hammerhead sharks: above us, below us, in the distance, right next to us: they were everywhere. We were all trying to look in every direction at once. When we got back on board my partner said it had been 'raining hammerhead sharks'. We all knew what she meant."

THE GALAPAGOS

The seas surrounding the Galapagos support a large concentration of the marine life that makes these islands such a superb dive destination. Certainly no dive itinerary to the Galapagos is complete without a visit to the remote outposts of Wolf & Darwin to the north. Schools of hammerheads, as well as dolphins and rays make these islands a real highlight for divers. The whale shark aggregation occurs in the warmer water surrounding these islands. Many other shark species also make regular appearances, including species that you are unlikely to see elsewhere, including the Galapagos Shark. Although Hammerheads are seen year round, the biggest aggregations are usually in the Autumn. 

THE RED SEA

The Red Sea has always been good for sharks, but the last couple of years have been exceptional, especially  on the 'Simply the Best' itinerary. Maybe it's because there are less divers about. We are hearing feedback such as "saw hammerheads on every dive at Daedalus" and "great to get so close to so many Oceanic Whitetips" from those on our Red Sea Liveaboard trips. The best times for these encounters now seems to be starting a bit earlier too, around June, and running right through to November. 

COCOS ISLAND

A few years ago Cocos Island was christened ‘The Island of the Sharks’ by documentary makers, and with very good reason. This lush, green, uninhabited island, 340 miles from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, boasts numerous species of shark, including Whitetips (on every dive!), Tigers, Whale Sharks, Silkies and Galapagos Sharks. 

But the biggest draw here is the Hammerheads that come into the numerous cleaning stations, allowing easy, close up viewing. Also they can often be seen schooling in their tens or even hundreds, so keep your fingers crossed for that amazing experience. 

The UNESCO designated World Heritage Site certainly holds its place at the pinnacle of the world’s best shark diving locations.  

To find out more about our shark diving locations, call our friendly team on 01353 659999.

A favourite diving destination with Regaldive guests, the Maldives is a picture-postcard paradise. Stunningly beautiful white sand beaches complement the exhilarating underwater realm that offers some of the finest diving in the world. Adrenaline-charged drifts, amazing quantities of colourful fish and chance encounters with pelagics are the order of the day here.

Angaga Resort - A Firm Favourite with Guests

Located in the middle of South Ari atoll, Angaga Resort enjoys the combined benefits of a fine house reef, a beautiful lagoon and beach, a shady interior of palm trees and frangipani plants. The resort offers a high standard of accommodation and facilities and remains a firm favourite with Regaldive guests. The atmosphere is best described as discreet, quiet and natural.

The resort has 90 guest rooms in total, including beach bungalows, water bungalows and superior water bungalows. The Beach Bungalows are Maldivian style with thatched roofs and are built in small clusters around the edge of the island. 

The 20 Water Bungalows feature a canopied four poster double bed, private deck, bath & shower and direct access into the sea. There are also 20 Superior Water Bungalows. These larger Bungalows are attractively decorated, providing great comfort for the ultimate stay on Angaga.

Superior Beach Bungalows are available at great prices, with 7 night packages starting at only £1,874pp. This includes: flights, sea plane transfers and 7 night’s accommodation on a twin share, half board basis.

If you'd like to take advantage of these great savings, call our friendly team on 01353 659999 or visit: Angaga Resort

House Reef at Angaga

The house reef at Angaga is rewarding for divers and snorkelers alike. There are four entry points onto the reef, which wraps around the entire island. Supporting plenty of soft coral and marine life, the house reef provides access to unlimited diving for experienced divers, dropping to 35 metres at its deepest point.

Boat Diving from Angaga

Angaga’s location offers access to some of the best dive sites on both the western and eastern sides of South Ari atoll. The island enjoys fabulous diving through the South West Monsoon. During the North East Monsoon access to Madivaru point is both regular and easy. Madivaru is renowned for consistently attracting large numbers of Manta Rays to its gently sloping walls and is a real highlight.

Thulhagiri Resort - Ideal for Low-Key Relaxation

Thulhagiri is a small island located in the middle of North Male atoll, just 25 minutes by speedboat from Male and the airport. Palm trees shade the interior and there is a fine beach leading to a large sheltered lagoon. The southern end of North Male atoll offers a concentration of excellent dive sites, which are all accessible from the island. 

Thulhagiri Resort is small and low-key, offering good value. Dive sites on either side of the atoll ensure good diving year round from a very well managed dive base. With its convenient location, this island also makes an excellent choice for twin centre holidays, with the option of combining another island or a liveaboard.

The resort has 69 detached and semi-detached Standard Deluxe bungalows built around the fringe of the island in the tree line, overlooking the beach and sea. There are also some are water bungalows available. Water villas have a canopied four poster double bed and a private sun deck with access into the sea. The bathroom has a bath and separate shower. 

Standard Deluxe Bungalows are available at great prices, with 7 night packages starting at only £1,571pp. This includes: flights, speed boat transfers and 7 night’s accommodation on a twin share, half board basis.

If you'd like to take advantage of these great savings, call our friendly team on 01353 659999 or visit: Thulhagiri Resort

House Reef at Thulhagiri

The beautiful and healthy house has three main access points for diving, offering a big variety of options. Two of these entrance points are marked with ropes leading from the shallow lagoon out to the reef edge, while the third is very close to the edge of the reef, accessible via a staircase from the water bungalow jetty. A small and colourful thila (Thulhagiri Kuda Thila) just west of the island can be reached starting from the house reef, but can also be dived by boat.

Boat Diving from Thulhagiri

Thulhagiri’s location allows for its dive boats to access some of the best dive sites on both the southwestern and southeastern sides of North Male atoll making it an excellent diving option year round. There are well over 30 dive sites that are regularly visited by the island's dive boats.

The range of dive sites available from the island offers great options for all divers, from novice right through to advanced. Highlights include dive sites Barracuda Giri (aka. Okobe thila), Paradise Rock (aka. Nassimo thila) or H.P. Reef (aka. Rainbow reef) for soft corals; Sunlight Thila or Lankan Reef for Mantas, and Aquarium or Furana for schools of fish and pelagic encounters.

Maldives Liveaboards and Twin Centre Options

We offer a wide choice of liveaboard vessels in the Maldives, catering to a diverse range of budgets and diving needs. Many Regaldive guests choose to combine a land-based stay with a Maldives Liveaboard trip, or opt for a twin centre land-based stay, to really make the most of the world class diving on offer. To find out more, call our friendly team on 01353 659999 or visit: Maldives Liveaboards

Sunrise Marina Resort is ideally situated close to the airport, with Emperor Divers based nearby. The Resort offers direct access to the popular Port Ghalib promenade, shopping and entertainment centre. Port Ghalib is located just 10 minutes from Marsa Alam airport and offers superb access to the fantastic dive sites of the southern Red Sea. The position of this attractive hotel makes it a popular and convenient choice for divers.

The Sunrise Marina Resort Port Ghalib has 271 rooms. There are different room type options available, ranging from Standard Garden or Pool View rooms, to Deluxe Sea View rooms and a selection of Suites, with both garden or sea view. Marina Resort has its own exclusive private sandy beach and coral caves. There is an excellent choice of Restaurants and Bars, 24 hour Room Service, Swimming Pool and Shuttle Service. 

The Resort hosts the only beach at Port Ghalib, which is 150 metres long with 240 sun loungers. The private, sandy, fully equipped beach is located only 300 metres away from the hotel and provides a bar, serving snacks and drinks during the day. The dive centre is conveniently located nearby and active guests will appreciate the wide choice of sports and leisure activities, including a bowling centre, as well as a spa and gym.

From November 2017, there will be additional Marsa Alam flights available, so it's going to be easier than ever to get to Port Ghalib. These new direct flights are now available to book with Regaldive:

• from Birmingham, departing on Mon
• from Gatwick, departing on Wed & Thur

There are some great introductory prices available for this attractive and well located hotel, so it is sure to be popular with Regaldive guests.

To find out more, call our friendly team on 01353 659999, or visit: Sunrise Marina Resort

Raja Laut means 'King of the Sea' and stepping on board this schooner inspired yacht built from tropical hardwood, you will experience a truly regal sense of sailing the Indonesian seas; freedom, style and comfort. 

Taking only 12 divers, this liveaboard is ideal for small groups. The attention to detail and level of service from the seven crew and three dive guides will aim to leave guests wanting to return time and time again. A strong team will see Emperor teaming up with Andrew Laughlin, who has spent the last 10 years building and managing Indonesian liveaboards and has over 30 years' experience in the diving and yachting industry. He is also a PADI Master Instructor and Yacht Master.

This beautiful, traditional sailing yacht was built in south Sulawesi in 2005. She has spent much of the last 12 years sailing around Southeast Asia for private charter and will be Emperor Divers' introductory boat in the magical Indonesian archipelago.

Likely encounters include mantas, hammerhead sharks, whale sharks and pygmy seahorses, as well as Komodo Dragons on land. Indonesia offers riches for all and is a truly magical place.

To find out more, call our friendly team on 01353 659999, or visit: Emperor Raja Laut

Nigel reports:

I had wanted to do this trip for years, but the timing was never quite right. Therefore when my partner and I finally booked our 14-night trip, the prospect of diving unchartered or rarely dived sites in Sudan, finally seeing hammerhead sharks, visiting the wreck of the Umbria, Cousteau’s Conshelf II underwater project and Sanganeb lighthouse kept me in daydreams for months.

The day finally arrived and we set off early (very early!) from our home in Derby to Gatwick. Never a pleasant journey, but we gritted our teeth and kept all thoughts positive with talk of the impending trip.

Following an uneventful flight to Marsa Alam airport we were transferred to Marina Lodge, where we would spend our first night before boarding the mighty Royal Evolution the following evening. During the evening we met up with some other Brits who had flown in on the same flight and shared a few beers and some banter about everyone’s salty diving tales.

The following day was spent mooching around Port Ghalib, just passing the time until we would be collected by the Royal Evolution team and transferred to the boat.

Boarding the boat was a little more complicated than the usual liveaboard process on account of the boat leaving Egyptian waters. Therefore, guests couldn’t initially put anything in their cabins, as we needed to take everything through the customs office at the port and have our passports stamped.

Because of the speed that officialdom moves in certain parts of the world there was a lot of hanging around while we waited until the Customs Officials arrived and were ready to process our departures. The waiting time was spent by chatting to the other guests and Dive Guides, and finalising the admin for the trip, including paying for the Sudanese visa and fuel supplement. 

The Officials finally arrived and 24 tired guests marched single file to the customs office and took it in turns to push their luggage through the detectors, have their passport stamped and then drag it all back to the boat. Where, at last we could unpack, set up our dive gear and look forward to the trip ahead…

Apart from a handful of Brits, the guests came from Europe, the US and Russia; all with a good level of diving ability and experience.

The first day we moored at St Johns (still in Egyptian waters) and split into three groups (one group per Dive Guide) and did two checkout dives. It wasn’t Sudan yet, but at least we were all diving, and it gave us a chance to make any last minute adjustments to our setups and get the measure of the other divers in our group.

Two dives down and it was time to leave Egyptian waters and head for Sudan. Because of the distance involved, it meant sailing for the rest of the day and overnight, before passing into Sudanese waters early the following morning.

I remember waking up the following day and heading up to the top deck to see what Sudan looked like. A beautiful day greeted me with a stunning view of crystal clear waters with the occasional reef kissing the surface.

We soon passed a larger reef with some small fishing boats nearby and the rusting hulk of a ship that had inadvertently sailed too close. There was plenty of talk amongst us all about finally being in Sudanese waters and what to expect from the trip. Next stop was Port Sudan for more Customs admin before the trip really started…

My expectations and the reality of Port Sudan couldn’t have been further apart. I expected a shack office, a few boats moored up and a couple of Officials with guns. The reality is that Port Sudan can be seen from miles away, looming in the distance, with supply roads and infrastructure running along the coastline long before we arrived at the port.

Before the boat finally moored up in the area reserved for smaller marine vessels, we passed huge dry docks, cranes, container ships, a power plant and warehouses stretching our as far as the eye can see.

Finally mooring up, we waited for the Sudanese Officials to board the boat and stamp our passports. The boat refuelled and we all took the opportunity to take photos from the boat (we are not allowed on land) and watch as the life of Port Sudan passed by. We saw a modern infrastructure, brand new buildings and roads, modern cars and locals watching us with the same level of curiosity and fascination as we were watching them. 

Once the boat was fully fuelled and all passports were stamped it was time to kit up for our first dive in Sudan: the wreck of the Umbria, lying just outside Port Sudan.

The Umbria was a WWII Italian transport vessel that was scuppered at the outset of the war by the Captain in order to prevent its cargo from falling into Allied hands. Despite the natural deterioration of the ship and its cargo, it is relatively intact, unlike the Thistlegorm which has fallen victim to far too many divers visiting it down the years.

In the holds divers can see piles of bullets, shells, bomb-making equipment, hundreds of wine bottles (sadly all empty!) and even three Fiat cars. We did two dives on the Umbria, one in the afternoon and a particularly memorable one at dusk that gave the boat a spectacular ghostly silhouette in the gloom.

Excitement onboard was high as we all discussed our experience of the wreck, shared photos and looked forward to the next 11 days diving in Sudan…

There would be far more diving adventures over the next 11 days, and it would take just as long in describing how simply astonishing the dives were. However, to give you a flavour of how stunning the diving in Sudan is, here are some of my highlights:

My first experience of seeing a hammerhead shark was a huge let down. I had dreamed of diving with hammerhead sharks for years, and when the moment finally came it was a solitary shark. Sure, I was excited, but I felt short changed. Where were the schools that I had dreamed about? On the following dive my question was answered: we hit 30m, came off the reef and looked out into the blue. The Dive Guide started signalling hammerheads and we were joined by a huge school of hammerhead sharks: above us, below us, in the distance, right next to us: they were everywhere. We were all trying to look in every direction at once. When we got back on board my partner said it had been raining hammerhead sharks. We all knew what she meant. We dived with huge schools of hammerheads on many other occasions during the trip, and never got tired of it. Surely it’s impossible to tire of diving with huge schools of hammerheads?

At the end of an afternoon dive we were joined at the back of the boat by a dozen silky sharks. These inquisitive sharks kept swimming off and then back again, checking the divers out. Even more surreal was the night dive at the same site: a bit spooky as the silkies appeared out of the darkness as the torch beam hit them.

The self-obsessed turtle that swam right up to a diver’s camera as he was filming her. Whichever way he turned she turned with him, making sure that she could still see her reflection in the camera lens.

A night dive on Conshelf II – the underwater structures built by Jacques Cousteau in order to test how living under pressure affects humans. Diving around SCUBA history felt like we were diving in the footsteps (finsteps? finkicks?) of giants. 

Visiting the massive lighthouse at Sanganeb that dominates the skyline for miles. It’s quite an ascent to the top, but the views were stunning and well worth the effort. The colours of the reef were breathtaking.

At this point I should give an honourable mention and huge thanks to the Dive Guides and Crew: all of whom went beyond the call of duty to make the trip a memorable one. Their knowledge, attention to detail, sense of fun, level of service, and kindness created the mood on the boat which we all benefited from as divers and guests. 

The food was delicious and plentiful, with three main meals each day, plus tasty snacks waiting for us when we returned from the mid-afternoon dive. A bottle of red wine was provided for each table for the evening meal, with some of us (ahem!) benefitting from our neighbours not liking red wine. I’m not a huge fan, but was happy to compromise…

A delicious last night meal and celebrations were followed by the trip video: Roberto - one of the Dive Guides and resident videographer  - took turns to dive with each of the three groups during the trip and compiled footage for each group to take home (supplements apply). So we all gathered together in the lounge to watch each group's movie and share in the banter of some of the funnier moments.

It all finished far too soon back at Port Ghalib the following morning, when we passed through Egyptian customs once more, before returning to our hotel for the day to relax and buy some souvenirs, before flying out that evening.

There was so much more that happened, so much more to tell, but if you really want to find out more about Royal Evolution and Sudan do give Nigel a call, or better still book a trip to go yourself. What are you waiting for???

Nigel enjoyed a liveabaord trip from aboard Royal Evolution, a 39m vessel designed by divers, for divers. Royal Evolution was the first boat with permission to operate this itinerary to Sudan departing from Egypt. An extremely stable vessel, Royal Evolution is well equipped for the distance. This high level of comfort, combined with access to the best that the Red Sea has to offer, makes this a compelling choice for divers. Royal Evolution offers roomy sun decks with plenty of space and choice of seating for relaxing, in or out of the sun. 

To find out more,  call our friendly team on 01353 659999 or visit Royal Evolution

With special thanks to Caroline Albrecht for the great photographs from this trip.

Built in Germany, the cargo vessel Atlantik was built just before the start of WW2. She was refitted in 1950 and extended and she was renamed the Persia II in 1964.

In the 1980s she moved to St Vincent to run inter-island cargo – this continued until recently, when her pumps failed and she took on water in rough weather off Grenada earlier this year. All crew members were rescued by the Coast Guard, but the vessel sank seven miles off the south coast.

Aquanauts Grenada recently sent a team to find and dive the Persia II wreck, after following an oil trail and using sonar. The Aquanauts team reports that she lies upright in 35m with marine life already moving in. So, the wreck is now part of Grenada’s chain of Atlantic wrecks, lying in a location where the currents attract rays, nurse sharks and other pelagics.

Regaldive offers packages starting at £999pp for seven nights’ twin-share B&B at True Blue Bay Resort - Grenada including transfers and flights with British Airways from London Gatwick. Our diving packages with Aquanauts start from £232pp for six dives.

To find out more,  call our friendly team on 01353 659999 or visit Diving in Grenada

Roots Red Sea in El Quseir is a popular resort in Regaldive's Red Sea programme.  Run by the well-respected British Pharaoh Dive Club team, Roots is a small friendly resort with an excellent house reef.

The natural building materials, magnificent mountain backdrop and unspoilt beaches make for a wonderfully relaxing destination. Regaldive guests report that Roots offers great hospitality and a welcoming atmosphere - we consistently receive favourable feedback about Roots from happy returning divers.

Pharaoh Dive Club is a PADI 5 Star Gold Palm IDC centre, located on the beach at Roots in El Quseir.  The British owned and managed centre has direct access to a good house reef.  Zodiac and hard boat diving is available from El Quseir harbour, just 10 minutes away.  The house reef has a very shallow area for training, and a dedicated classroom.

GREAT SAVINGS ON PACKAGES AT ROOTS RED SEA

Save £50 per person for packages to Roots Red Sea. This offer is valid for any arrival date in 2017 and 2018. Trips must be booked and confirmed by 31 July 2017.

Packages start from: £689 per person and include: flights, transfers, 7 nights twin share accommodation in a Deluxe Chalet on Soft All Inclusive + 5 days unlimited diving

To find out more, call our friendly team on 01353 659999.

 We offer a range of Red Sea Liveaboards, with itineraries giving you a wide variety of diving options, depending on your area of interest and your level of experience. If you are travelling as a large group, you can even decide your ideal itinerary and pre-book a week of wrecks, or favourite reef dives, according to your group preferences.

It seems that our Red Sea liveaboards are more popular than ever this year. Many of our Red Sea liveaboard trips are already full for numerious dates this summer. The autumn season is also filling up very quickly. 

Regaldive offer a choice of northern and southern Red Sea itineraries. Northern trips include the reef at Abu Nuhas with several wrecks resting at its base. You can also visit the Straits of Gubal and the famous Thistlegorm World War II wreck. There are many world class dive sites in the southern Red Sea, including Fury Shoal, the Brothers and Elphinstone and Regaldive offer several itineraries. 

So, if a Red Sea liveaboard trip is on the horizon for you this summer or autumn, it's the ideal time to book your place, as boat places are filling very fast. 

Call us now on 01353 659999 or request a quote so that you don't miss out on your opportunity to dive this summer and autumn.

Dive into our Red Sea Liveaboard trips here

Diving Regions of Indonesia

  
WORLD CLASS DIVING IN Manado

The dominating volcanic landscape creates a dramatic backdrop to the world class diving available in North Sulawesi. Conditions are generally calm all year round, and the deep waters offer excellent visibility. The seas are home to many unusual species, ranging from the prehistoric ‘coelacanth’ fish through to reef shark, green turtles, napoleon wrasse and dugongs. Diving in the region is concentrated over two areas: Bunaken National Marine Park and the Lembeh Straits.

Dive Bunaken National Marine Park

The Bunaken National Marine Park has won numerous international conservation awards and is home to the majority of the dive sites that are accessible from Tasik Ria. Most of the reefs are rich and unspoilt, offering pristine and abundant soft coral and fish life in huge concentrations. The night diving is spectacular, providing frequent encounters with rare nocturnal creatures. For a change of scenery, the Molas wreck is remarkably intact for a WWII ship.

Diving in and around Bunaken is predominantly wall diving and drift diving. There are also numerous beautiful coral slopes suitable for novice divers. The variety of both fish and soft coral is outstanding, and marks out this area as one of the most bio diverse marine environments in the world. With visibility around 25m and water temperature 26-30 C, this is an excellent destination for underwater photographers and naturalists alike.

Schools of Barracudas and Jacks, Green Sea Turtles and reef sharks, Sea snakes and Napoleon wrasses are among the resident inhabitants of the steep coral walls fringing Bunaken Island.

Dive Lembeh Straits

The Lembeh Strait is world famous for its macro life and is accessible from Dive into Lembeh. This is arguably one of the finest destinations in the world for macro and photography enthusiasts.

Lembeh plays host to a cornucopia of weird and wonderful creatures. Diving is over shallow black sandy slopes where seahorses and nudibranches are found in abundance. Many of the species that are encountered are simply not found elsewhere. Inimicus devilfish, dwarf lionfish, scorpion fish, puffer fish, mimic octopus, pegasus sea moths, frogfish, ribbon eels and flying gurnards to name but a few.

The Lembeh strait is a unique dive destination and a haven for experienced divers who are looking for species that are unusual and rarely seen. The dive guides and instructors are extremely experienced in locating and identifying the many unusual species that are encountered.

DIVE Derawan

Located in the Sulawesi Sea, on the coastal shelf of East Kalimantan, the Derawan Islands offer that rare combination of big and small underwater life. They include Derawan, Sangalaki, Kakaban, Maratua, Panjang and Samama Island and submerged reefs and islets. 

Located in a biodiversity hotspot, the Derawan Islands feature 872 species of reef fishes, 507 species of coral, and invertebrates including protected species such as giant clam, two different sea turtles and coconut crab. Some of the islands harbour the largest green turtle nesting sites in Indonesia. Travel between the months of September - November for increased likelihood of seeing larger species.

Twin Centre Trips

Twin centre trips are a great way to enjoy a diving experience in two contrasting regions, without the need for two separate trips. It’s very rare that you can find a 10 -15 night dive trip offering such wide variety as you can in Indonesia. You can encounter a vortex of barracuda, mantas and turtles in Derawan and combine this with the coral garden of Bunaken, or the critter capital of the world Lembeh. 

We are pleased to offer Twin Centre trips combining Dive into Lembeh Resort and Tasik Ria Resort, Manado. We also offer Twin Centre trips combining Tasik Ria Resort and Derawan Dive Lodge, Kalimantan. You may also want your trip to include a stopover in Balikpapan to see the Orang Utan Conservation, proboscis monkey, the sun bear of Kalimantan or some Dayak culture, if time permits. 

our most popular Resorts for Twin Centre Trips

Tasik Ria Resort

With its onsite dive centre, Tasik Ria Resort is a comfortable diver's resort. The management have a hands-on, personal and friendly approach, making your stay a very welcome one. The resort has undergone substantial investment, with a fantastic dive centre upgrade and new facilities.

Under European management, Tasik Ria is the only centre in Manado that boasts three PADI Indonesian Instructors with a combined experience of almost 60 years. Each dive trip is always led by a dive leader who is an experienced guide and Instructor. The management team has a programme of vessel upgrades and facility improvements in place to enhance guest comfort and enjoyment. 

Dive into Lembeh Resort

Nestled in Kasawari Bay, Dive into Lembeh Resort is a 'boutique style' hotel built with divers in mind. With just nine sea view private bungalows, guests enjoy personal service and great diving on the house reef. The resort has been likened to a comfortable 'land-based liveaboard'.

British owned and managed, this lovely small hotel is located on the mainland of the Lembeh Strait, Indonesia.  A true macro photographer’s paradise, the resort is just off the north east coast of Sulawesi and is famous for its 'muck diving' on black volcanic sand.  Muck diving is all about spotting weird and wonderful underwater critters, species that you would normally not find during a regular dive.

Derawan Dive Lodge

Derawan Dive Lodge is a cosy, intimate island resort just off the coast of East Kalimantan.  Sitting proud on a private, white sandy beach, this small and intimate lodge is guaranteed to help busy minds begin to switch off.

With just 10 beach chalets, clients can enjoy the simply and tastefully furnished rooms finished in Balinese style. The resort is quiet, simple and built for relaxation after diving. The Lodge offers the perfect mix between comfortable, cosy atmosphere and ecology. Derawan's outstanding location offers the chance to see mantas and schooling barracuda. Macro fans can enjoy pygmy seahorses, blue-ring octopus and frogfish.

Derawan Dive Lodge has recently been upgraded. A new, over the water restaurant is nearing completion to enhance the dining experience. Rooms have been enlarged and now offer triple share use. The Lodge has the only purpose built dive boat in the region. She is equipped with WC on board and twin 200HP outboard to access the dive sites with ease and comfort. Nitrox is offered on site.

Kungkungan Bay Resort  

Kungkungan Bay Resort is an impressive and spacious resort occupying an enviable position overlooking the quiet and unique Lembeh Straits. KBR, as the resort is known locally, is a favourite with divers from around the world and is revisited by many of them year after year, retaining its unique local atmosphere and character.

The public areas are set out in an attractive open plan layout, with panoramic views over the water and a visit to KBR's Spa is not to be missed. Clients can enjoy unlimited access to the resort's house reef during daylight hours from its on site dive centre and jetty.

Indonesia will appeal to divers looking for world class diving in uncrowded dive sites. Members of the Regaldive team have visited Indonesia and they would be pleased to help you to plan your Indonesian diving adventure. 

To find out more, call our friendly team on 01353 659999, or visit: Dive into Indonesia