Recommended Dive Centres

I had the great pleasure of undertaking my PADI Divemaster and Instructor Development Courses at Liquid back in 2019, to this day one of the best episodes of my life. Since then this family-run business has always stood out to me as my metric for a great dive centre, with enthusiastic, experienced, professional staff, outstanding consideration towards safety, sustainability and creating memorable guest experiences, a stunning location right on Tofo Beach, and an overall welcoming vibe that makes you feel part of the family there. Not to mention the incredible diving: Tofo is one of the most exhilarating and unpredictable places I’ve ever dived with humpback whales, mantas, whale sharks, fish for days and so much more.

Multi award-winning dive resort chain Scuba Junkie has a great reputation within the dive industry, but still managed to exceed my expectations when I visited in 2022. Many people recommend diving in Komodo National Park by liveaboard- most dive centres in the area are in Labuan Bajo, meaning you’re in for a boat ride of at least an hour before you even get to the park’s edge. The exception is Scuba Junkie Resort, situated right on Komodo’s border, meaning all of the world-class dive sites are super accessible. The service is top-notch, staff are all very knowledgeable and passionate, and go out of their way to ensure that your dives are unforgettable. This laid-back resort has accommodation options ranging from budget to fairly luxurious which are great value for money, the food is fantastic and there’s a real sense of community.

Careful who you tell about this hidden gem- one of the best things about Alor is that the word hasn’t got out yet about how jaw-dropping the diving here is! Despite its incredibly remote location, Tamar and Nico at Lazy Turtle were super helpful in providing all the information needed to get to their tranquil dive centre. The whole team are incredibly passionate about the area- they seemed constantly amazed at their luck to be waking up each day in such a paradise, and immediately made me feel at home there. Every dive here is an adventure, but you’ll be in safe hands with the experienced and friendly Lazy Turtle team. The dive centre is located right next to the central area of the Alor Archipelago, giving great access to countless world-class dive sites via their tiny but charismatic dive boat “The Naughty Nudi”. I had such an incredible time here that after my first visit it was only a couple of months before I came back for round 2!

Nomads enjoys a prime position on North Penida, meaning that they can easily access all of the dive sites in the area, including everything from the spectacular reefs of East Penida to Manta Point in the South. One of the things I like most about Nomads is the emphasis on marine conservation- the dive centre has a long-running partnership with Project Laut, a fantastic turtle and coral conservation NGO which operates out of Nomads, which means the dive centre is usually full of passionate marine biologists who are happy to share their knowledge and in many cases might be your dive guide (they run marine biology divemaster programs which allow the DMTs to learn all about the turtle population and coral conservation in the area as well as becoming dive professionals).

Not a dive centre so much, more of a man with a plan (and a boat), this list would be incomplete without including Jay and Wild Scuba Indonesia. Not only is Wild Scuba Indonesia the only operator taking divers to Belongas Bay in south Lombok, Jay is possibly the only guide I would trust to take me diving in this remote area. Belongas is not for inexperienced divers (or the faint of heart), with some of the most infamously hardcore diving conditions on the planet. Jay’s expertise and passion for the area are unmatched, and if you’re a capable, experienced diver, the stunning, wild diving is worth braving the challenging conditions.

If you want to experience the beautiful diving of South Ari Atoll but prefer a more authentic (and budget-friendly) experience than staying at a resort, I can heartily recommend Maamigili as a beautiful and welcoming local island and Shamar as a great, professional dive centre. The staff were enthusiastic, experienced and a lot of fun to spend time with, and the diving (by traditional Dhoni dive boat) is fantastic with plenty of sharks, mantas, healthy (as of 2022) corals and even whale sharks if you’re lucky. Shamar is also a guesthouse as well as a dive centre (I stayed at different accommodation during my visit so I can’t comment on the guesthouse aspect).