Indonesia Diving
What's underneath the surface in this archipelago - the world's largest - brings new meaning to the old expression "the scientists are baffled." That's because in addition to the thousands of varieties of fish and coral, divers are finding unidentifiable marine life in the blue, in the muck and on the reefs, that naturalists are hard-pressed to catalog.
Within 17,000 islands, Indonesia has almost 15 percent of the world's coral and about 25 percent of its fish species. Is it any wonder why Indonesia - occupying roughly the same geographic dimensions as the entire Caribbean - is arguably the world's hottest dive travel destination? And if you're the avid diver you think you are, wouldn't you think it petty to complain about the 24 hours it normally takes to fly to Bali, the storied, idyllic gateway to this undersea Eden?
It's impossible to savor all of Indonesian diving on one trip, so you've got a premade excuse to return another day. And what tempting options: muck diving for macro life in the Lembeh Straits or Sangeang Island; testing your fish ID to the limit on Raja Ampat, Kri or Misool, in the heart of the Coral Triangle; cruising on a live-aboard from Bali to Komodo, or between Flores and Alor, or northern Sulawesi and the Sangihe Islands; or diving 24/7 from an over-water bungalow in Wakatobi.
In Bali, whitewater rafting, tramping around rice terraces, taking in time-honored cultural dances and feasting on babi guling (traditional roasted suckling pig) are all possibilities. Other Indonesian islands have more isolated villages where, if you practice proper etiquette, you'll be enthusiastically and warmly welcomed.
