18 replies to this topic

[bossdiver]

WE have a shop trip booked at Wakatobi next November and are looking forward to the trip. We chose the destination because it looked like it would be great for the hard core photographer and also for the wives who might only want to do two dives a day and spend the rest of their time on the beach or geting a massage.

We have recently been informed that there are very stringent rules for photographers including absolutely NO touching of the reef and absolutely no taking more than one picture of say... a frog fish. We are all very experienced divers and photographers. We are also very careful with the enviorment but enought is enough.

Does anyone have any input? Are they really that stringent?

We also have some questions about the food. Some reports are that it is less than great.

Bossdiver

[cor]

They are quite strict on touching the reef. I dont recall any 'no taking more than one picture'. As long as you're careful I think it'll be ok,

Cor

[jlyle]

We just returned from Wakatobi and that's rubbish. Who's the source?

They have a no gloves rule, but if you want to put a finger down, no one is going to stop you.

You are encouraged to try and limit your flash shots of the pygmy seahorses. Like my mentor, RogerC, says, "take a picture of a rock." Get your exposures, flash, etc. set before you blind the critters.

And, photogs are asked to wait until the non-photogs see the critters before blinding them. Just common courtesy.

Take a couple of shots and move away; if you want to take more images, go to the back of the queue.

My pictures and report are here:

http://diver.net/bbs...002/72866.shtml

Edited by jlyle, 07 November 2007 - 06:08 PM.

[expatdiver]

I agree that whoever you got you info from is just full of rubbish.

They are very protective of the reef, but then again don't you actually want dive operators to be that way. That said, if you are a skilled diver you should not have a problem. For photos, again common courtesy for both non-photogs and the creatures.

As far as the food concerned, I have said it before and I will say it again; the food there was the best I have ever had at a dive resort.

[Cerianthus]

there is some activity on the uw-photo email list that does hint in the direction the OP was questioning about. There are several personal tales with bad, but also with good experiences.

I delete the mails after reading, and there is no archive, but maybe another member can set you up with a few email copies.

PS: I've never been there, I am just reporting the existence of these messages....

Edited by Cerianthus, 07 November 2007 - 10:47 PM.

[ornate_wrasse]

maybe another member can set you up with a few email copies..

I, too, have received the messages on the list. As you have said, some have reported negative experiences while diving at Wakatobi, while others report positive experiences. I have not deleted them and may be able to provide you with a few representative email copies

I have not been there myself, although I have a trip planned for next October.

Cheers,

Ellen

[Drew]

I believe the inconsistent stories guest treatment is based on the inconsistent treatment of guests in the early 2000s and late 90s. Some VIP guests were allowed to do things however they wanted... the quote being " a turtle or grouper does the same damage!" and then some lesser others were held to stringent dive rules.
My personal experience from the early days til just before the airstrip opened is markedly different from the resort I saw just last week while sailing by and this may not be the case anymore.
The food at Wakatobi was pretty bad when there was the swedish chef whose name I can't remember but someone I know thought it was good (but he also liked the idea of the loveshack).
There's also the subjective rating of food. For example, we were eating in one of the top restaurants in Bali, a french american haute cuisine restaurant. After 8 courses, a friend proclaims the food was just so so while I was stuffed silly and congratulating the chef.
So to be fair to those who report having bad experiences, I think it's fair to say that it did happen but obviously it is not universal.
As for strobes and pygmies, after witnessing 2 pygmy seahorses collapsing off their perches due to endless strobe attacks, I'd say it's fair to say get your settings right before hitting sensitive marine life.

[rickcavanaugh]

Agree with the pygmy sea horse thing as well, except that it should extend to quite a few creatures.

I recently waited to get a picture of a pygmy seahorse when another photographer was taking a pictures. After about 20-30 shots he noticed me and let me in. I took 2 shots, let a non-photographer take a look and then the jerk went back in.

I think he dedicated an entire dive to that one sea horse. He had his port about 2 inches from the seahorse and he must have taken about 100 to 200 photos. The sea horse was probably blind from all the strobe hits and it would not surprise me if it did not feed for a day after the experience.

Edited by rickcavanaugh, 08 November 2007 - 07:46 AM.

[scorpio_fish]

We had no specific rules given to us. I'm sure they would say something if they say anyone abusing the reef or subjects, though.

The food was fantastic, the best I've ever had at a dive resort, just as expat diver stated. That's the way it was in Oct of 2006 and May of 2007.

I'm leading a group trip in Oct of 2008. I wouldn't go there if it weren't great. Your group will have a great time.

[imasleeper]

I would like to echo the "sounds like a bunch of rubbish" sentiment. My wife and I were just there the first 10 days of October. We had a wonderful trip. The food is good. The facilities are excellent, and the diving/photography is fabulous as long as you are into macro and reef wideangle. Aside from turtles I saw no "big stuff." Didn't care----not into big stuff anyway! My wife doesn't dive and she had an enjoyable time as well. Quite a few people on our trip only dove one or two dives a day... Many were a bit older and I think beyond the days of squeezing in as many dives as possible. However if you wish, you can dive the house reef as much as you like and it truely is a great house reef.

Rules--Just the general ones you should be familar with. Many parts of the reef are so lush that there literally aren't any "dead" spots to put a finger on. So if a photographic opportunity presents itself in one of these areas you'll just have to try your best without a hold. Again good judgement and common sense should rule the day in anyone's journal. The divemasters carry a stainless steel 1/4" rod, about 12" long with them that they use to position themselves off the reef. It seemed to provide great stability yet positioned them slightly further from the reef lessening the chance of touching/damaging the reef. You may wish to look into such an instrument (be aware of its controversial nature!)

As with any trip your relationship with the divemasters can make or break your holiday....This is just my opinion but I think they evaluate each diver during the checkout and subsequent early dives and than decide how best to balance protection of the reef with a guest diver's skill level. At no time did I think the divemasters were overbearing or inappropriate. I think they did an excellent job. However you will only dive with two or three during your stay so my experiences may differ from others who have posted. All I can say is I was very happy with the three I dove with and would dive with any of them again.

Pigmy seahorses---yes the divemasters really do try and limit the number of flashes the little creatures have to endure but only for those of us who "don't get it!" At the same time the divemasters love it when someone gets a great capture because they obviously share in the experience.

Finally, don't worry, be happy! You'll have a great time next year!

imasleeper

[parisgal]

Just to add my two cents - I dove at Wakatobi about 6 years ago. I dive with a camera and my dive partner doesn't.

I found the dive staff a little bit more forceful in enforcing their regulations than most resorts (which I think is a good thing). All resorts / dive shops say they want to protect the reef. In reality, most won't say much to paying customers about behavior that is damaging to the reef. In Wakatobi they would.

That hurts egos. And those hurt egos are the root of some of the more extreme comments about Wakatobi's policy. The "talking to" that I saw was deserved (I'd seen the person in question break coral and not even notice), and the person who received it was very offended and didn't understand why he'd been "singled out".

[fdog]

<snip>

Take a couple of shots and move away; if you want to take more images, go to the back of the queue.

<snip>

Just the fact that there is a queue makes it a place I'd pass on.


All the best, James

[Drew]

I found the dive staff a little bit more forceful in enforcing their regulations than most resorts (which I think is a good thing). All resorts / dive shops say they want to protect the reef. In reality, most won't say much to paying customers about behavior that is damaging to the reef. In Wakatobi they would. The "talking to" that I saw was deserved (I'd seen the person in question break coral and not even notice), and the person who received it was very offended and didn't understand why he'd been "singled out".

What I saw, way back when, was a dressing down in front of people, which is pretty crass and uncalled for. Discretion should be the way to handle these things. Nobody likes a public execution of themselves.
The other issue back then was also the inconsistent application of the rules, which also was part of the reason for the negative comments.
Every resort has its detractors and fan club members. Wakatobi Resort isn't immune to that. And the resort has grown a lot despite these complaints so they must be doing something right. One has to take into account how recent these complaints are. I know they had many issues in the old days. And I'm not interested in going back since there are better places to dive even around Wakatobi national park.

Just the fact that there is a queue makes it a place I'd pass on.
All the best, James

Well 1 is a queue still... so unless you are advocating solo diving, that means you won't be diving anywhere.

[r.m.jackson]

The staff at Wakatobi obviously varies individually, however in general the rules are more stringent than serious photographers prefer. Specifically, we spent a week at Wakatobi in October 2007 and I observed much annoying rule enforcement by the staff (i.e., it did nothing to protect the environment and was driven in part by liability concerns). Dives are generaly guided drift dives making concentration on a subject difficult (think drive-by shooting). The divemasters do not know or ignore the need for photographers to stop, look, think, compose, repeat. They are more atuned to snapshot shooters. While there, I rented a pony tank and apparently by virtue of my NAUI instructor rating, was able to dive "alone." Otherwise, this would have been a very non productive trip. The resort is indeed great and I highly recommend it. If you are an aspirationally serious photographer, find a liveaboard that permits you to dive alone and concentrate. Wakatobi diving is quite typical of the IndoPacific, so you will not miss anything.

[parisgal]

What I saw, way back when, was a dressing down in front of people, which is pretty crass and uncalled for.

Mmm, yes, not a good thing. That's not what I saw (or heard about, since I didn't actually *see* the talk, just heard both parties talking afterwards), but that would be problematic.

[bossdiver]

Mmm, yes, not a good thing. That's not what I saw (or heard about, since I didn't actually *see* the talk, just heard both parties talking afterwards), but that would be problematic.

What other spots in Indonesia do you folks like to dive and have the ability to take great pictures?

[fdog]

<snip>
Well 1 is a queue still... so unless you are advocating solo diving, that means you won't be diving anywhere.

???

I would maintain that 1 is not a queue....it takes people, plural....not advocating solo diving.

I simply hate dive ops that make you follow the leader, surface when the overweight out of shape diver gets low, surface with 2200 still in the tank, surface at a set arbitrary time, etc. These usually have queues as you pass each attraction in the pre-planned tour.

Yuck.

If I'm plopping in the water to specifically get an image of a pigmy sea horse, I'll take a local. Otherwise, I'll find my way back to the boat, I'm a big boy thank you.


All the best, James

[Drew]

What other spots in Indonesia do you folks like to dive and have the ability to take great pictures?

Do a search on Indonesia in the Dive Travel and report subforums. Plenty of great suggestions. The amazing biodiversity of Raja Empat and Ambon/Seram, wonderful mix of fish, coral and historical backdrop of the Bandaneiras, unique places like Gunung Api and its sea snakes.
Then there's Komodo with the mix of critter and pelagic diving.
Even Bali to me offers better choices for diving than Wakatobi Resort. And the topside life on Bali is amazing.

[blackbird]

I have just returned from Wakatobi and can say that I was treated very well as a photographer. The Weather as expected was a bit wet but the guides were good spotters and as far as solo diving I had no problems even off the House Reef.

I last went to the Resort 3 years ago with a group of photographers and whilst the resort has certainly got bigger they certainly are very well organised. The only criticisms i would have is it's difficult to get four daylight dives in if you do the 3 boat dives, i guess thay have now to cater for holiday divers as well as the obsessed. I hope they don't get any bigger as i must admit when the resort is full it's lost the atmosphere it used to have.