Does Wakatobi have any Big Stuff

I am considering Wakatobi for a diving holiday. The reefs look fantastic and in great condition which is my main focus. My question is, what is the likelihood of seeing some bigger stuff eg. Schools of Jacks or barracudas, eaglerays or mantarays or any sharks cursing along the drop-offs. My reason for asking is all the footage and pics I have seen focus on the reef and smaller stuff and the possibility of seeing some bigger stuff just adds another element to the diving.

Many thanks

Mark

Spent a week at Wakatobi in 2008.

...fantastic reefs and bommies, great macro, very good food, good service and accommodations.

The biggest animal I saw was a very large frog fish and a small turtle.

If 'long' counts, you'll see a lot of banded sea crates.

I dive Wakatobi EVERY year. Big stuff? NO. Reefs beyond belief? Absolutely. I did get a shoot of a Sweetlips in a cleaning statiion and the occasional turtle. There are lots of W/A opportunities of the reefs, however. It is gorgeous.

I was there a couple years ago and can echo the above statements. It's a tad pricey these days, but the accommodations, service, and food were all outstanding, esp. given how remote the resort is. It's a well-run operation from their man in Bali making sure all the transfers etc. are handled to the detailed dive briefings. The house reef alone would be a 5 star dive in many places and the bar at the end of the jetty is a great place to unwind after a hard day of diving I was a little luckier with big stuff in that I saw an eagle ray and a couple black tips over 10 days, but it's really more of a macro/lush, healthy reefs destination.

You will not be disappointed!

Phil

Mark,

Forget about big fish in the Wakatobi Resort area. Unless you do a liveaboard with the proper access to the right places, pelagics are pretty lacking. You do get a small school of midnight snappers @ Roma during hightide though The corals are nice there but that's not exclusive to that area.

If I were you, head out to Raja Empat (Misool) or Komodo (with a few schooling sharks even) area for a more complete biodiversity picture of the area. If you must have a resort, Misool with a stopover in Bali is your best choice.

See you in 2 mth!

Thanks everybody for the great advice and Wakatobi is still a possibility. My criteria for deciding are given below if anyone has any other suggestions I am all ears.

1. No Malaria N.B.

2. Good family oriented Resort.

3. Good house reef that can be snorkeled Easley.

4. A reasonable Beach somewhere closes by.

5. Good diving (Hopefully with some bigger stuff)

6. Located somewhere in the Pacific (but not mandatory)

P.S. Hi Drew Misool was my first choice but they have Malaria and are not well set up for small children.

I cant wait for the Run this year I have booked 2 weeks with Steve at the end of June beginning of July see you there.

You may want to consider diving Beqa Lagoon in Fiji and stay at the Pearl Resort.

Based on your criteria:

-Very good diving: Beqa Lagoon of course has the fantastic shark dives but also has beautiful & lush coral bommies as well (further out in the lagoon than the shark dives)

-bigger stuff....OH YES...you will see bigger stuff! The bull sharks are OBESE and there is a chance you will see one of the massive tiger sharks that comes around.

-Pearl resort is set up for families and kids (nice pool, adjacent to the beach, etc)

-No malaria (as far as I know - I never take malarone when I am in Fiji)

-definitely in the Pacific

-not a house reef

Of the two diving operations, I much preferred Aqua-Trek (which so happens also to be adjacent to the Pearl Resort as well).

Mark

Wakatobi (the Tukang Besi area, not just the resort) is a malaria area. The chances are low but it is not malaria free for the locals. I don't think any tourists have been hit though.

You don't say what time of year but with your criteria, I suggest the Maldives. Plenty of resorts to choose from and if you want, you can even try your luck with the mad crowds @ Baa Atoll. There are nice schools of fish and also whalesharks in the right seasonm but you already have that in KZN/Moz.

If you must have something in the Pacific,

Bali: Tulamben (wreck with soft coral, 1 giant cuda, 2-3 medium groupers, big school of trevally, smallish schools of snappers/sweetlips), Penida (Mantas, Molas, hard corals). The kids will flip snorkeling with the trevally and the wreck. It's a nice place for the family to fully explore the wreck. Beach is stoney, volcanic sand and of course, Bali doesn't have Malaria but Dengue but not in the areas where the diving is. Still there's a small risk.

Palau: Thick with schools of big fish in the marquee sites like Blue Corner and Peleliu Express. Resorts are nice but not much in terms of beach snorkeling except @ Palau Pacific Resort. Beach is small but the PPR is good for kids (which is why I avoid the place! )

I wouldn't bother with Beqa. You have more species of shark in Moz/KZN anyhow. Given a choice between Fiji and Maldives, the Maldives is more biodiverse but Fiji has the viz.

Thanks everybody for the great advice and Wakatobi is still a possibility. My criteria for deciding are given below if anyone has any other suggestions I am all ears.

1. No Malaria N.B.

2. Good family oriented Resort.

3. Good house reef that can be snorkeled Easley.

4. A reasonable Beach somewhere closes by.

5. Good diving (Hopefully with some bigger stuff)

6. Located somewhere in the Pacific (but not mandatory)

 

P.S. Hi Drew Misool was my first choice but they have Malaria and are not well set up for small children.

I cant wait for the Run this year I have booked 2 weeks with Steve at the end of June beginning of July see you there.

Thanks for the all the advice ,it seems I have opened a can or worms.

Drew I remember you mentioned a place in the Maldives that you said was great but for the life of me I cant remember the name do you happen to recall.