Jakarta Travel Forum

Hi,
I am going to be Jakarta for a week for work and I was wondering if there is any good diving nearby? It seems that Sepa and Kotok Islands are the best places to go. How do I get there and where do I stay. Any info will be useful.
Thank you
Kim

Hi, I have been three times to one of the islands of Pulau Seribu, to Pulau Sepa, which is located pretty much in the North of Pulau Seribu. The first time, I went there over a weekend in November 06, and the second time over Christmas 06, the third time beginning of September 07 where I participated in the annual reef cleaning.
The island is not very big, there is nothing else apart of the reception, ca. 40 bungalows, the restaurant and the dive shop. The only busy period of the day is between 10.00 am and 2.00 pm when the day-trip guests are around (on the weekend), but even then the beach is still quiet, most of those guests stayed close to the restaurant.
Accommodation: you can choose between different bungalows, according to how fancy or simple/big or small you want it. They all have electricity (though not 24 hrs if I remember well), running water, A/C, TV, private terrace facing the beach/sea; only some have a fridge. Some have two beds (single beds or a double bed), some three (1 double, 1 single), some four (1 double, 2 single). The rooms are not in very best shape, it’s obvious that they don’t spend too much money on maintenance. Like all the rooms are supposed to have hot water in the shower, but the water heater of the rooms I was in did not work (and they looked as if they had been out of order already for a while). But it’s not on an unacceptable level (but that's relative, I guess).
The restaurant: there is buffet for breakfast, lunch, coffee-break and dinner, means you can eat as much as you want. The food is kind of standard Indonesian food, no big surprises, but good. There is always some kind of fresh fish offered, with the usual Nasi Goreng, chicken, veggies, etc. For breakfast there is Nasi Goreng, fried eggs, but also toast. On the weekends, there are traditional Indonesian dances and a band playing during lunchtime and in the evening until late. For that reason it might be an idea to ask for a room further away from the restaurant, especially when you are there with a child. In case you’re booking a room with fridge, it’s an idea to bring a few treats from Jakarta, like for example for the sunset when you’re sitting on the veranda of your bungalow. But the prices for drinks at the restaurant/bar are not too expensive, seen that the have to ship it all in from Jakarta; like a can of beer Bintang is 20 000 IDR (sorry, that’s the only price I remember :-)
The beach: very nice. The beach faces the South, but there is a lot of shadow due to numerous trees. The water is pretty shallow, and there is a beautiful reef for hours of snorkeling. Other activities are fishing from one of the jetties, banana boat, jetski, kayak, trips with a fisher boat to other islands and diving. Banana boat, jetski and stuff is not my thing, I didn’t do that so I don’t know if it’s worth the money. The diving however is quite good. The dive shop Ody Dive from Jakarta is having a small branch on the island where you can also rent diving/snorkeling equipment. The equipment is in good shape (except a few holes in the wetsuit), the dive master and instructor I dived with were really good. The dive at the “house reef”, means you simply jump off the jetty, is nothing really particular, but I did great dives off the boat, the best one being the one to the Papatheo wreck. You can (but you don't have to) book the diving in advance in their office in Jakarta (021-3921226; www.odydive.com).
The prices: usually, you book a what they call a package that includes the transport from Jakarta/Ancol Marina to Pulau Sepa and back, the accommodation, the food and the 21% tax. Check out this link
http://www.pulauseribu-wisata.com/main.php?wisata=sepa
for the prices.
An important detail is that those prices for the packages are per person, not per cottage! Which is indeed a bit expensive compared to other places I've been to in Indonesia.
The transport: The speedboat is in good condition. The trip to and from Pulau Sepa takes ca. two hours. Daily departure from Jakarta/Marina Ancol (Pier 19) is at 08.00 am; from Sepa Island back to Jakarta is daily at 2.00 pm.
The booking: needs to be done in advance. You can book through a travel agent (that’s what I did the first time, it was not more expensive than direct booking), or in the office of the resort in Jakarta, Jl. Kyai Caringin No. 20-A, JKT Pusat; 021-63863477; HP 08158874482).
I have not been to Pulau Kotok, so I can't compare the two.
Enjoy your trip!!

Hi Kim!

If I have a weekend to dive in Jakarta, I would prefer to do a day trip dive around Sanghiang Island (near Krakatau) than in Pulau Seribu for 2 reasons: 1) the underwater scene in Sanghiang is much better (nice coral growth and sometimes during the boat ride to the island you may have a chance encounter with some dolphins) than what you can see in Pulau Seribu; and (2) the cost.

The dive packages at Pulau Seribu have dramatically increased recently. Last month, a weekend dive package in Sepa would cost Rp 1.9million but now it’s Rp 2.4million (for that amount I can already have unlimited number of dives in Bali on a weekend including the airfare and accommodation!). Starting this month, the dive centers have increased the prices of their dive packages to Pulau Seribu cos the operators of the commercial speed boats have increased their fare – apparently there is this vague new government requirement for them to use only the higher priced fuel (Pertamax)…I don’t know, maybe it was just an excuse to increase the price!).

Having said that, I would still dive at Pulau Seribu for reef check/rehabilitation activities, but not necessarily for recreational diving.

The dive shops in Jakarta usually offer weekend dive packages to the Pulau Seribu islands with accommodations in Pulau Sepa, Pulau Putri and Pulau Kotok. The price of the weekend dive package would include the boat transpo from Marina Ancol, 4meals & 1 night accommodation plus 4 dives. The accommodation and food choices may be better in Putri and Sepa (the standard cottages- Flipper type- has TV and the more expensive cottages-Penyu type-have refrigerator) than Kotok. In Pulau Sepa, I like the short stretch of white sand beach near the pier where you can swim and laze around. I also enjoyed walking on the shore/mangrove around the island. As Katrin said, there are more guests during the weekends and the music from the live band performing at the restaurant at night can be a bit loud if your room is located near the resto. (Ody Dive has a branch in Sepa, but it’s better to make the arrangements with Mike or Glenn Sjukrie (the owners) from Jakarta cos you may end up paying a bit more as you will get charged with retail price for diving, like there’s a separate fee of Rp200,000 if a dive master will dive with you; tank rental of Rp90,000; additional fee for the boat for boat dive sites such as Papa Theo wreck, etc) so it would be better to take their dive package in Jakarta).

Kotok island on the other hand has still more natural feel to it (basic standard cottages, no hot shower, no TV in the room). For the diving, almost everyone would prefer Kotok. Just beneath the pier, it’s nice to snorkel as you can already see a lot of marine creatures – lion fish, barracuda, green sea turtle, moray eel, etc (and lots of crown of thorn!). It’s also more convenient to dive in Kotok cos you gear up on the pier, it’s safe to leave your dive gear on the racks there, you don’t have to carry them back and forth to your room, and there’s also a shower there. the dive sites in Kotok are near (Kotok kecil, besar, belakang) while if you stay in Putri and Sepa, you have to take the boat to get to the dive sites like Papa Theo, Kuburan Cina, etc.

The speed boat to Kotok island leaves Ancol (Marina No. 15) at 8am and arrives at 9:30am (1.5 hrs boat ride) so your first dive will be around 10-10:30am, another dive after lunch around 2:30-3pm, then you can have optional night dive for additional fee. The next day, first dive at around 8:30am or 9am, second dive before lunch. The boat from Kotok to JKT leaves at 3:30pm. I think the boat from Sepa or Putri back to Jakarta leaves earlier at 2pm.

I listed below the cost and schedule (if available) of the weekend dive packages being offered by the different dive centers in Jakarta so you will have an idea:

1. PLANET DIVING (www.planetdivingindonesia.com)
Contact Person: Mr Firman Adiyaksa (Divemaster)-021-98846897
Address: Sahid Jaya Hotel, Shop Arcade S.2, Jl. Jend. Sudirman 86, Jakarta 10220, Phone:; +62 21 7070 3483, Fax: +62 21 568 0186. YM: planet_diving; Email: planet_diving@yahoo.com. Opening Hours: Mon-Fri: 11am - 8pm; Sat: 10am - 4pm)

a) Pulau Putri – Rp 1,300,000 (weekend dive inclusive of accommodation in Pulau Putri, 4 meals, 4x dives, night dive optional – additional Rp50,000 for the tank). Dive sites: Papa Theo wreck, Pamugaran (drift & wreck 30m), Gosong Sepa, Kuburan Cina, Bintang, Matahari, Pulau Tongkeng-drift)

b) Sanghiang Island - Rp490,000 (2 to 3 dives depending on time availability)

c). Krakatau Island – Rp 800,000 (2 to 3 dives)
Check out their website for the schedule.
Equipment rental: Rp 85,000 (BCD+regulator); Rp75,000 (mask, snorkel, fin); Rp160,000 (complete set including wetsuit, boots)


2. BUBBLES DIVE CENTER (www.Bubblesdivers.com)
Contact persons or email:Yeyen – 0816-1696438; Abi – 0811-831576
Address: Cilandak Sport Center & Apartment, Jl TB Simatupang, Cilandak
Jakarta, INDONESIA (will soon open their new dive shop in the Kuningan area)
Tel +62 21 758-16221; Fax +62 21 758-16233

a) Pulau Sepa – Rp 1,750,000 - (including ferry boat fare, accommodation at standard room (Flipper), 4 dives, 4x meals) - trip scheduled this weekend (April 5-6, 2008). Dive sites: Papa Theo wreck, Kuburan Cina, Pulau Satu

b) Pulau Kotok – Rp 2,050,000 (4 dives, 4 meals, accommodation)
Schedule: April 12-13, 2008

c). Sabang, Pulau Weh, Aceh -– Rp5.8 million (inclusive of 9 dives, accommodation excluding airfare – ticket to Aceh would cost around Rp900,000 one way). Schedule: May 16-22, 2008 (5D/4N)


3. KRISTAL KLEAR DIVE (www.kristalkleardive.com)
Contact Persons: Clive: 0813-17598918 (mobile)
Lucas: 0813-81199821
Address: Hotel Kristal, Jl. Terogong Raya, Cilandak Barat, Jakarta Selatan 12430
Phone (62-21) 7581-8025, (62-21) 750-7050 ext. 674; Email kkdtour@indosat.net.id

a) Pulau Kotok – they have a Reef Rehabilitation/Reef Planting dive trip this coming weekend, April 5-6, 2008
Cost: Rp 2,400,000 (including boat fare, accommodation, 4x meals, 4 dives, optional night dive- extra dive for Rp 300,000
Equipment rental: Rp 200,000 - complete set; Rp 70,000 (BCD & regulator)

b) Pulau Putri – Rp 2.5 or Rp 2.6 million – including accommodation in Pulau Putri (better accommodation than in Pulau Kotok), 4 dives Schedule: April 12-13, 2008)
Dive sites: Papa Theo wreck, Pulau Tongkeng (sloping, soft coral, turtle) or Pulau Matahari (sloping, seafan, sponge, green sea turtle)

c) Krakatau Weekend Liveaboard (M/V Cecilia Ann) – US$315 (should leave Jakarta for Anyer on Friday afternoon at 4pm, meet at Anyer around 7pm, boat leaves for Krakatau at 9pm) – unlimited number of dives

4. AQUASPORT / DIVEMASTERS INDONESIA (www.aquasport.co.id)
Address (Aquasport): Jalan Bangka Raya 39A, Jakarta 12720 Tel 7199045
Divemasters Indonesia: Jakarta Hilton International
Indonesian Bazaar Shop 31, Jl Jend Gatot Subroto, Jakarta 10002
57036000 ext 9037, 9006)

Aquasport only offers dive trip to Pulau Putri– Rp 2.5 million ( including accommodation, 4 meals, 4x diving)
Equipment rental: Bcd/regulator - $34 per weekend; US$17 per day
Dive sites: Papa Theo wreck, etc.


5. ODY DIVE CENTER INDONESIA (www.odydive.com)
Contact Person: Mike Sjukrie- 0816 981129
AddressL Jl Panarukan 15 Menteng Jakarta 10310
Ph : 62-21-3921226; Fax : 62-21-31905714
Email : divebox@odydive.com

Pulau Sepa – weekend package Rp. 1.9million (4 dives, accommodation at standard room (Flipper), 4 meals
One-day trip – Rp 1.3 million – one dive only
Day trip – Rp 600,000 for resort only not including diving yet
Dive sites: Papa Theo, Kuburan Cina, karang dalam 15meters)

c) Sanghiang Island –one day trip – Rp 750,000 (3 dives)
Equipment rental: Rp 185,000 – complete set; Rp 45,000-BCD only

ODY DIVE CENTER THOUSAND ISLAND
Sepa Island , North Jakarta
Contact persons: Saca (0815-9247870, saca@odydive.com)
Rachmat (0815-11024670; rachmat@odydive.com)


Hope this helps. If you have other questions, you may send me an e-mail.

Cheers,
Arianne

P.S.
The rupiah-US$ exchange rate is about Rp9,230 to a dollar (so you will have an idea on the prices).

Thank you both for your useful and informative replies.
Kim

Hi, I would like to find out which of the mentioned dive sites are more suitable for divers who have just obtained their basic dive license?

Hi new_diver, Pulau Sepa is for sure suitable for novice divers. When I dived there the first time I had 15 dives only, and did then my AOW course (PADI) there.
I haven't dived the sites mentioned by Astene, so I can't say.

you can scuba dive at seaworld ancol, thats the closest you'll ever get to scuba diving in jakarta:) email me if you want we can go together but im only here until early may