Hi Alex
The two I would suggest are Hoga Island Dive Resort which has 8 rooms on a twin-sharing basis or Tomia Dive Centre - I am not sure how many rooms they have but have been told they are very simple but nice. Both dive resorts have websites and facebook pages you can check. Patuno and Wakatobi Divers are upper end with TV, ac, etc. Alam is not available in August as Operation Wallacea takes over the whole place until some time in September.
Hope that helps.
All the best
Lindsay
Hi Lindsay,
Thank you so much for your very detailed posts!!
My boyfriend and I want to go to Wakatobi at the end of this month. We hesitate between Hoga Island Dive Resort and Tomia DIve Center, cause we can't really afford the high end resorts!
Which one would you recommend? Which one did you stay in? I read Tomia Dive Center accommodation is in a local guesthouse. Do you know anything about this guesthouse? Does it have private bathrooms? Is it located on the beach?
As for the diving, is it safe to dive with either of them?
Is there any other things to do on these islands when you're not diving? We're also interested in meeting locals, visiting villages, climbing up a volcano...?
Thanks a lot for your reply!
Marion
Hi there
I have never dived with Tomia Dive Centre but I believe it is a well-run location. They do not have accommodation but can arrange this for you. I'm afraid I don't know what the accommodation is like. Take a look at their facebook page - this might give you more information.
More details and photos of Hoga Island Dive Resort can also be seen on their facebook page as well as their website (www.hogaislanddiveresort.com). Diving with them is perfectly safe and Geertje who organises the diving here has been doing this for over 10 years so knows the sites well. The diving is beautiful all year round but particularly during September, October and November when the winds calm down, almost stop, before switching from coming from the East to the West.
Things to do on Hoga when not diving: check the resort reference library, bird watching, walk around the island at low tide, visit the bajo sea nomad village of Sama Bahari (Sampela), visit Kaledupa Island and see local weavers, walk to the top of a hill to see the village of Sampela and Hoga Island from another perspective, snorkelling in Sombano brackish water lake, watch pencak silat (type of martial art) performances by local people. Get to know local people. It is a very friendly place.
What you could do is base yourself at Hoga Island Dive Resort and then do a day trip to Tomia Dive Centre (approx 2 hours there, 2 hours back) to see what it is like. If I have time to do this soon, I will let you know what I find. The resort can take you over to Kaledupa where you would take an ojek (motorbike) ride (approx 20 minutes) to the village of Peropa on the other side and from there take the ferry to Tomia (approx 1 hr).
Hope this helps. If you need more info, more quickly just sms the resort phone number: 62-852-4162-8287 or 62-853-9429-0576
I am at HIDR now till mid October so hope to see you soon.
All the best
Lindz
hi lindz96,
your information are really very helpul
i was planning to do the same thing as you suggested fly to bau bau from makassar , which is not that difficult afterall
i would like some info though about the wasage divers? and the patuno beach resort?
anyone else dived with them?at trip advisor the reports on the resort were quite nice for a divers accommodation(not intrested in something more) but how about the diving operation?
thanks in advance
amalia
I would like to add that you will find very useful information here: http://south-sulawesi-and-wakatobi2012.blogspot.co.uk/ - about Wakatobi and South Sulawesi
Im planning to dive in Wakatobi next october. I have read most of the posts here regarding operators in the area. I´m wondering if anyone has some updated information regarding the dive masters experience. Seems there´s one dive operator in Hoga next Wallacea Operation. Tomia Dive Center and Wakatobi resort in Tomia. Since we can´t affort to stay at Wakatobi, i would like to know if the Tomia Dive Center has improved in the last 2 years or so. Would anyone recommend Hoga DM´s instead? Seems Tomia has much more Dive spots than around Hoga. is this true? besides beautiful coral, what kind of fish/turtles/big fish can we expect around october?
My other question is regarding location. I´m travelling with other friends that aren´t divers, so to have a nice beach would be important. I saw on google earth Tomia is way bigger than Hoga, and also the beach that you see on the pics from Wakatobi Resort are in another smaller island next to Tomia so im not sure how the sorroundings of TDC are. what about hoga? why is it the Wallacea operation decided to be based there diving wise? any advice regarding location would be highly appreciated.
Thanks a lot!
Im planning to dive in Wakatobi next october. I have read most of the posts here regarding operators in the area. I´m wondering if anyone has some updated information regarding the dive masters experience. Seems there´s one dive operator in Hoga next Wallacea Operation. Tomia Dive Center and Wakatobi resort in Tomia. Since we can´t affort to stay at Wakatobi, i would like to know if the Tomia Dive Center has improved in the last 2 years or so. Would anyone recommend Hoga DM´s instead? Seems Tomia has much more Dive spots than around Hoga. is this true? besides beautiful coral, what kind of fish/turtles/big fish can we expect around october?
My other question is regarding location. I´m travelling with other friends that aren´t divers, so to have a nice beach would be important. I saw on google earth Tomia is way bigger than Hoga, and also the beach that you see on the pics from Wakatobi Resort are in another smaller island next to Tomia so im not sure how the sorroundings of TDC are. what about hoga? why is it the Wallacea operation decided to be based there diving wise? any advice regarding location would be highly appreciated.
Thanks a lot!