More about the place, Wakatobi.
Wakatobi functions as a modern and efficient and very attractive dive resort....
but it does have quite an extraordinary history, for it was created in the mid 1990s virtually from nothing. That is to say there was no fresh water, there was no electricity and there was no jetty. It was a two to three day journey from Bali. The original building was the longhouse, at the foot of the jetty, but since then 26 rooms have been built along the beach.
The island is small, maybe 2 miles long, with the coral reef no more than a few yards from the beach in front of the dive centre. Thus the reef is very accessible, although at times the current can be quite strong and unpredictable. It varied "from mild to wild" we were told. At the other end of the island there are two villages, one over the water, inhabited by sea gypsies, next to a land based village.
The inhabitants of the two villages speak different languages, neither of them Bahasi (Indonesian). The founder of the dive centre, Lorenz Mader, had agreed with the villagers that he would provide them with electricity, from the centre's generator, provided that they did not fish the local reefs. The generator also powers the reverse osmosis fresh water plant. Many local villagers are employed at the dive centre, and a western girl was employed as an English teacher: an uphill task! Moreover, Lorenz had commissioned his next dive boat from a village on the next island, here shown under construction.
Relations with local communities are very important. Here the local militia are arriving, with wives, for a meal and overnight hospitality.
For divers. Most diving is from dive boats, with two morning dives and one afternoon dive, with the dive briefing at 7.40am. The dive boats are very well organised, and unusually uncrowded. All dives are scheduled for 70 minutes, and most dives sites are within 20 minutes of the jetty. None are more than an hour from the jetty.
Think you might go to Wakatobi and want an opinion? Ask us!
