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I’ve had friends go there with Ultimate Dive Travel although I don’t see anything for 2012 on their website now.
SingleDivers has done trips there, just remember your trip is being planned by a blond or if you have been to BTS, blue hair.
Wakatobi is usually booked a year out so if you don’t find something soon comb the isles this March at BTS, they will be there along with travel agents more than willing to sign you up.
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I just found out that I’m going to be getting some free time in the second half of 2012. I’m up for diving somewhere other than the gulf and caribbean.
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From DiveGirlFWB: I just found out that I’m going to be getting some free time in the second half of 2012. I’m up for diving somewhere other than the gulf and caribbean.
Wakatobi is a PIA to get to and well worth every hour spent on a plane or at a layover. One of the layover’s is Bali and be sure to allow enough time because there is stuff underwater like Manta Point and the Liberty wreck and you’ll never see another island topside like it! We hired a cab for $30 USD a day and toured temples, shopping, hillside rice paddies and he took us to diner that was far better than anything in town. Do not eat at McDonalds, Hard Rock, Pizza Hut or KFC, they are not what’s served at home!
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I agree about the PIA part which is why I was looking to spend time on Bali maybe at the Elephant park along with some diving. Thanks for the tips
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Sounds good. Florida is very accessible for me. Are there any good dives you recommend?
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From blairsp: Sounds good. Florida is very accessible for me. Are there any good dives you recommend?
Well it’s not the south Pacific but I like the Jupiter/WPB area for drift dives and the Goliath aggregation in September is one of my all time favorite dives, another is the Lemon sharks in January plus Blue Heron Bridge is always available for muck diving.
Fort Lauderdale to Miami are wrecks, the upper Key’s are fishy but the reefs worn. Check out a M/V Spree trip from Key West to the Dry Tortugas.
Key Biscayne Park has some great dives and a wall but the new operator only seems to be interested in snorkeling trips.
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I was in Wakatobi this year and it was one of the best dive experiences I’ve ever had. We spent 4 days in Bali before flying to Wakatobi and hired a driver to take us to some temples and rice paddies (sp?). The elephant park was worth the money and just fun to ride an elephant and touch them.
The diving in Wakatobi is by far the best I’ve seen except the Red Sea. The dive masters were incredible and we had 60-80 mins dives every time. They would stay under as long as someone had air and we always had air. The currents can be fast at some dive sites so be weary of split fins as you won’t have much propulsion against the currents. We were at one site where we literally went topsy-turvy until the current broke. It was scary but fun at the same time.
Every day we saw new sea life we hadn’t seen before, including sharks. The dive boats handled the seas really well and I don’t recall anyone getting sea sick, even on bad days.
I hope you get a chance to go. It’s a trip of a lifetime. At least it was for me. :-)
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dkal - 1/03/2012 7:52 PM 
Hi, I am always looking for a vacation dive buddy if you need one.
Debbie
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