Your essential guide to diving Maumere
Rickard Zerpe
Maumere is a beautiful bay on the north coast of Flores. It is an area that is famous for its diversity.
Sperm Whales, Pilot Whales, Dolphins & Whalesharks cruise the bay, good encounters with Sharks & large Rays are possible and there is a wealth of macro life to keep any diver fascinated for hours.
Maumere once held the title of most diverse spot on earth - a title current held by Raja Ampat. It's diversity has also made Maumere a popular area of study for marine scientists over the years.
Highlights
Best diving spots
In 1992, a huge earthquake released a Tsunami in the area, which, along with months of aftershocks, exacted a huge toll on human life in the area and devastated many small towns & villages.
The quake was so huge that it altered the underwater world as well, with many previously popular dive sites damaged by the quake. Now though, the reefs are recovered to their former glory and offer some superb diving opportunities.
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On the east coast of Palau Besar, there are some nice dives with beautiful coral gardens & plenty of interesting marine life, from Trevally & Mackeral to Flatworms & Shrimps. South-east of Palau Besar is a current-washed channel with the chance to see Sharks & Eagle Rays.
To the east, Palau Bibi also has excellent diving, with abundant soft corals & crevices hiding macro delights such as Frogfish & Pygmy Seahorses, plus occasional Sharks & Eagles Rays cruising by in the blue. There are also reports of Hammerhead sightings here.
Closer to the mainland, some dive resorts have excellent shore dives with Mandarinfish & many types of Frogfish. There is also a small wreck dive.
When to dive
The months between April and October bring the calmest seas and best div ing conditions. January to March are the wettest months.
Getting there
Maumere has an airport which connects to Bali and a few other spots in Indonesia. From here it is not far to most of the resorts or to Maumere town centre.
Maumere is also connected by bus routes to Ende and a few other points on the island and by Indonesia's ageing ferry network to other islands - this is a very slow way to travel though.
Activities
On land, Maumere is surrounded by beautiful scenery. One of major attractions of Flores is Mount Kelimutu, a volcano that has 3 lakes, all of which are a different colour. There are also fascinating villages and peoples dotted around the countryside and an interesting market in Maumere town. There is little in the way of nightlife though and the main reason to visit Maumere itself is to dive.
Resort and liveaboard options
Most accommodation is along the coast near Maumere and the dive shops here tend to be in resorts. The accommodation tends to be mid-range in cottages or bungalows.
Indonesia's liveaboards tend to visit this region between the main Komodo and Raja Ampat seasons. These windows are generally April to May and September to November. Sometimes, these itineraries are transition trips, covering a number of Indonesia's lesser dived regions en route.
We recommend the team at Liveaboard.com to find your perfect liveaboard adventure.
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Komodo National Park
Komodo National Park is the home of the Komodo Dragon - and also some of the best diving in Indonesia.
It is a popular liveaboard diving destination.
The national park comprises of two main islands, Komodo Island and Rinca Island, along with numerous smaller islets. These current swept islands of Komodo are home to a huge amount of diversity, wonderful coral reefs, a profusion of marine life and no shortage of pelagic action.
Sipadan & Mabul Island
Sipadan is Malaysia’s most famous diving spot. Nearby, Mabul Island offers more excellent diving for smaller marine life, and a good choice of dive resorts.
These nutrient-rich waters attract huge numbers of Turtles, while the area is also home to large number of White-tip Reef Sharks, Bumphead Parrotfish, Trevally and Barracuda.
Mergui Archipelago
The 800 islands that comprise the Mergui Archipelago lie just off the coast of Myanmar in the Andaman Sea.
The islands, which can only be reached from Thailand, are only a fairly recent addition to liveaboard diving itineraries, and have not yet been completely explored. Those areas that are now well known to dive operators offer some exceptional diving.
Alor
Alor lies to the east of Flores & north of Timor Island. Divers who venture this far will be rewarded with exceptional diving away from the crowds.
The area is characterised by two main forms of diving - current swept dives with a high chance to find pelagics; and world-class muck diving.
Burma Banks
The Burma Banks in the Andaman Sea are around 200km off the coast of Burma (Myanmar), north-west from the Similan Islands. There are six ‘banks’ - actually the tops of large submerged mountains - Heckford, Coral, Big, Silvertip, Rainbow & Roe.
These underwater mountains were rediscovered in the 1980’s. Before this, their existence was known but their exact location was not.
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