Wakatobi is a dive resort in southeastern Sulawesi, Indonesia. In a tranquil island setting far from crowds and cities, with no other divers for at least 100 miles, Wakatobi seamlessly blends five-star amenities and civilized comforts with a pristine natural environment; a pairing that has secured its reputation as one of the world’s finest diving and snorkeling destinations.  

Wakatobi was created with the vision to deliver the ultimate dive experience and was established following an extensive search to identify the perfect location for a dive resort in terms of geography, climate, oceanic topography and marine biodiversity. To ensure its future we then created one of the world’s largest privately protected marine reserves. That gives you some idea of the extent to which we will go and the attention to detail that goes into every aspect of the Wakatobi experience.

Having identified the premier location, we developed a resort that, despite its remote position, offers a plenitude of facilities and comforts to make a dive trip, and all that surrounds it, an experience that you will cherish.

World-class diving is at your doorstep. From shore or by boat, you have exclusive access to miles of pristine reefs, where diverse and dramatic undersea landscapes harbor some of the highest marine biodiversity on the planet.  Their reefs set the stage for some of the best marine life encounters imaginable.  You’ll not only see beautiful vistas or pristine coral reefs but also abundant colorful reef fish and rare and unusual cryptic ‘critters’. New and undocumented species continue to be discovered there. Wakatobi is blessed with more than 50 mapped and named dive sites all within a short distance of the main resort. 

Wakatobi offers unbounded opportunities for underwater photography and videography, ranging from dramatic drop offs, breathtaking coral gardens and pinnacles for wide angle shots down to the most minute and exotic marine creatures for macro fanatics.

The exuberant vitality of the reef systems means that whether pro or leisure photographer, every dive will deliver an awesome array of images in your viewfinder.

This trip includes the domestic airfare from Bali to Wakatobi. Divers will need to select the unlimited diving package.

Please note: A standard credit card processing fee will apply to payments made by credit card for this trip. Paying directly via bank transfer (ACH) incurs no additional charges. 

 All accommodation packages include:

• Domestic roundtrip airfare from Bali to the resort.

• All meals (delicious and highly varied multi-course chef-prepared meals and snacks)

• Internet access via satellite

• In-room air conditioners

• In-room aromatherapy soaps and lotion

• In-room amenities such as mini-bar, coffee pot, towels, hair dryer and safe

• Afternoon turn-down service and daily housekeeping

• Remoteness from the rest of the world, free of city lights, noise and traffic

Wakatobi provides a direct connection between Bali’s international airport (airport code DPS) and the resort by way of a private guest flight. The flights are dedicated to serving only guests of Wakatobi Resort and Pelagian Dive Yacht, providing attentive onboard service and generous allowances for both checked and carry-on baggage.

Check-in time for our guest flight from Bali’s international airport is at 7:45am. Once we have you checked in, you will be taken to a restaurant for breakfast before boarding the flight to the resort (around 9:00am), arriving in time for lunch.

On the last day of the Wakatobi vacation our charter flight will return to Bali between 3pm – 4pm. We do not recommend anyone to book tickets to leave Bali on the day of return from Wakatobi until after 6pm.

Flights to and from the resort follow a Monday and Friday schedule 

The Zoo 

Another site close by the resort, The Zoo is a patch reef just beyond Turkey Beach on the backside of the resort. Named for the plethora of critters found here, this is one of the true macro dives of Wakatobi. The name indicates an array of interesting resident critters in a small area: Residents include frogfish, ghost pipefish, mantis shrimp, leaf fish, funky hairy squat lobster, different species of pygmy seahorses and more. One of the more unique macro critters found at the Zoo among the mushroom anemones are the mushroom pipefish, a small white pipefish with a triangular head, which makes it look less like a pipefish and more like a small underwater python.

The reef turns into a special place at night. At dusk the mating mandarin fish emerge from the staghorn and rubble zones and later at night a new range of nocturnal animals such as hunting cuttlefish, colorful flatworms and many species of lionfish scour the reef, including the elusive twin spot lionfish. Bob tail squid and octopus seem to be found in larger numbers here than other sites, and a million glowing eyes of various shrimps and crabs peer at you from every crack and crevice in this lattice of life.

Malabea West 

Gentle wall with sandy falls and ridges covered with gorgonian sea fans and massive barrel sponges. Schools of batfish and schooling mackerel pass by feeding on plankton with mouths wide open and turtles can be seen close to the wall. In the sandy areas fire dart fish, juvenile wrasse and blennies are found. 

Trailblazer 

Known to house large frogfish, the protruding ridge is crammed with corals and excellent for wide angle photography. Later in the dive we follow the fringing reef and focus on Macro subjects such as pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs, flatworms and shrimps. 

Fan 38 West 

The second similar part of the long exposed reef section on the other side of the channel, opposite the resort. Here also a spectacular topography with coral growth as far down as one can see! Plenty of space to play for extended range divers and rebreather divers, who can visit huge sponges, black corals, humongous soft corals, dive through a banana shaped tunnel and revel in the overflowing life along the deep overhangs – this is deep diving at its best. Another all time favorite.

Fan 38 East 

A wild topography composed of slopes, walls, overhangs, canyons and small caverns. Impossible to get bored here! The ever changing reef offers macro subjects and larger animals, depending on the current. Schools of fish feed in the current and as many photographers have experienced, there are just too many fans to be captured on film, hence the name. Luckily the digital age is here! 

Magnifica 

This is a dive one could do every day. A stunning beauty from the reef top to the extreme depths. The mooring is at a small stony plateau right at a reef corner with its own habitat. The steep slope explodes with life. And it keeps on being top notch while drifting along the grade 1A reef – even snorkeling is exhilarating on the very top, but to take it all in all the way down, you need to be a trimix rebreather diver. Schools of snappers, skip jacks and many other fish, huge barracudas watching the divers and lots of long toms hunting below the surface. Oh, and don’t forget the plethora of macro stuff – if you manage to change your focus among these opulent surroundings. Mating cuttlefish and table corals with oriental sweetlips below and swirling anthias on top keep us fascinated to the end of the dive.

Magnifica appropriately sums it up; this one is definitely in the top section of the all time favorite list, and guaranteed one of the best reef dives on the blue planet!

Batfish Wall 

This shallow colorful wall with deep crevasses is home to a multitude of critters. We see schools of barracudas, moorish idols and dancing butterfly fish.

Around the next corner the wall shows even more holes and niches. The reef top with tables corals is home to many snappers, groupers and along this section many special nudibranchs can be found.

Roma 

This famous Coral Garden is as fine as any dive site in the world. Large schools of fusiliers, pyramid butterfly fish, sergeant majors, snappers and redtooth triggerfish swirl around you in an endless dance. A compact pinnacle in the center of the reef, crammed with color and life, this is a complete dive in itself.

Roma is a large, wide pinnacle, fringed with beautiful potato coral and adorned with anemones and clownfish rising into the current. Large schools of fishes patrol the water column above the pinnacle, which make for a constant flittering of light on the dive site. Banded sea snakes can be consistently found poking around the coral foraging for food. Like all the sites in Wakatobi, among the healthy coral you can discover fruitful macro life if you focus on the task: The list of residents includes ribbon eels, scorpion leaf fish, winged pipe fish, spindle cowries, carpet anemone shrimps and rockmover wrasses.

During the months of June and July, water temperatures range from 79-81°F. A 3mm wetsuit is recommended. Bringing layers, such as an optional neoprene vest or hood, is a great way to adjust to your needs throughout the trip.

For all travelers joining us on international dive trips we recommend DiveAssure for dive accident insurance and travel insurance. Dive accident insurance can protect you in the event of a dive-related injury and is strongly recommended for all of our guests. Travel insurance can protect you in the event of an unexpected trip cancellation or trip interruption and can also cover lost or damaged luggage expenses, unexpected itinerary changes, and more.   

To set up an account or change your Dolphin Travel password just go to www.WETravel.com. Click on "Sign In" and enter the email you used to book the trip and send yourself a "Set Password" email. Go to your email inbox to find the latest email that will help you set a password. You will be able to manage all of your Dolphin trips and adventures under one account.   

On the morning of our flight, guests are to arrive at the domestic departure terminal of the Bali airport by 7:45am. Guests will meet with Wakatobi staff (holding Wakatobi sign boards) outside the terminal building. Wakatobi staff will give you an entry pass that will get you through the security barrier. On the other side of the barrier, you will meet additional Wakatobi staff.

There is no need for tickets / confirmation documents on this charter as Wakatobi staff personally assists all guests through check-in. Wakatobi staff will take our luggage and escort us to an airport café where we can enjoy a complimentary breakfast while we wait for our flight. When the time comes, Wakatobi staff will then escort us to the departure gate to board the plane to Wakatobi.

You will arrive around 11:30am at Wakatobi Resort, just in time to have lunch.

After lunch you will do your first dive (2:00pm) at the Wakatobi Reef.

After breakfast you will get ready to board the boat at 7:30am, then 10:00am with your last dive after lunch at 2:15pm. Enjoy more than 40 dive sites, with many as little as 10 minutes away from the resort.

Surface intervals are comfortable in spacious and stable boats. Snacks are served between consecutive boat dives (and before the first dive for those who may have skipped the resort breakfast) as well as drinks such as tea, hot chocolate, and water. Dry fresh towels are also available.

Shore diving Wakatobi's famous and vast house reef is available for the rest of the day and is supervised until 10pm. Taxi boat service is provided to get divers to extended parts of the reef.

The resort schedule is as follows:

Breakfast is served from 6:30am to 9:00am

First dive - boats depart at 7:30am

Second dive at or around 9:30am

Lunch is served from 12:30pm to 2:30pm

Third dive at 2:15pm, or at sunset when a night boat dive is offered instead

Dinner is served from 6:30pm to 9:00pm

Experience local culture, markets, and daily life beyond the stunning marine activities, often arranged through the resort to visit nearby communities like Sumbu Village or local markets in Wangiwangi, with guides helping you connect with the welcoming locals and see traditional life. 

On the last day of the Wakatobi vacation our charter flight will return to Bali between 3pm – 4pm and we don’t recommend anyone to book tickets to leave Bali on the day of return from Wakatobi until after 6pm.