Liveaboards Komodo Dancer, Indonesia Pindito, Indonesia Kararu - Cheng Ho, Indonesia MV Ondina, Indonesia MV Siren Paradise Dancer, Indonesia Dive Komodo, Indonesia Mermaid I Mermaid II Pelagian, Indonesia Ocean Rover

Resorts Gangga Island Resort, Manado Kima Bajo/Eco Divers, Manado Tasik Ria, Manado Murex Manado Resort Kunkungan Bay Resort (KBR), Lembeh Lembeh Resort Kri Eco Resort, Raja Ampat Sorido Bay, Raja Ampat Wakatobi, South Sulawes

Despite the national motto `unity in diversity', these cultures are under threat from Indonesianisation as the islands are gradually unified under centralised Javanese rule. The multicultural concept of strength in difference has been a hard one to maintain in the face of such geographic and cultural fragmentation, and the Indonesian government has opted for strong, centralised rule. However, there are two great diving areas that are well known for being able to maintain their distinctive local culture.

Indonesia's fourth largest island, Sulawesi, splays like a drunken octopus on the seas between Borneo and Maluku. The long narrow arm of the mountainous northern peninsula contributes to the island's contorted shape. Home to a predominantly Christian population, the province of North Sulawesi, occupies the majority of this strikingly beautiful peninsula.

The island's physical beauty, with its forested mountains and stunning coral reefs, is surpassed only by its intriguing biology. Sulawesi is the largest and most central island of Wallacea, a unique region of the world where plants and animals from Asia and Australia mix. For example, in Sulawesi, Asian monkeys share the forests with pouched marsupials of Australian origin.

Indonesia has an area of 1,919,443 square kilomtres (sq.km) scattered over about 13,700 islands. The country also claims sovereignty over 3,272,160 sq. km of sea stretching from Asia to Australia. An active volcanic arc runs through Sumatra, Java and the islands of Nusa Tenggara, and then north through Maluku to Sulawesi. It marks the place where tectonic plates plunge one beneath the other. This is an area of intense volcanic activity called the "ring of fire." Off the coast of these islands is a deep sea trench, in places more than 7,000 metres deep. Within the arc is the more stable Sunda Shelf with shallow seas and less dramatic landscape. Some parts of the country remain vast, barely explored regions of dense jungle, and many islands have extinct, active or dormant volcanoes.

How to get there
Indonesia has several international airports. Besides the Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport, which serves both as gateway to the country and hub to all of Indonesia's provinces, international flights also arrive in and leave direct from Bali, and Surabaya. There are direct regional flights from Singapore and Malaysia to several destinations including Medan, Padang, Pekanbaru, Solo, Lombok, Makassar (formerly known as Ujung Pandang) and Manado, and from Australia to Bali. Soon, the once popular Darwin (Australia) to Kupang route will begin operation once more, opening up more opportunities for divers in Eastern Indonesia.

Climate
Like other regions in SE Asia, Indonesia has a typical equatorial climate with two seasons: rainy and dry. Starting in September, cool Northwesterly winds pick up moisture while crossing the South China Sea and arrive in the Sulawesi Sea about November. The wet season lasts from about November to March in this area.
Mean temperatures at sea level are uniform,varying by only a few degrees throughout the region, and throughout the year (25°- 28°C). However, temperatures are decreasing 1°C for every 200 metres of altitude, which provides a cool pleasant climate in upland communities.
Strong cyclones and typhoons, which normally occur in higher latitudes, are absent in Indonesia, but afternoon thunderstorms are common throughout the year.

Cultural information
Indonesia is rich in art and culture, which are intertwined with religion and age-old traditions from the time of early migrants, to the Western thoughts brought by Portuguese traders and Dutch colonialists. The basic principles which guided life include the concepts of "gotong royong" (mutual assistance) and "musyawarah" (deliberations) to arrive at a "mufakat" (consensus). Derived from a rural way of life, this system is still very much in use in community life throughout the country.
Though the legal system is loosely based on the Dutch penal code, social lives as well as the rites of passage are founded on customary or "Adat Law" which differs from area to area. "Adat Law" has a binding impact on Indonesian life and it is this law has been instrumental in maintaining equal rights for women in strong Islamic areas. Religious influences on the community are evident from island to island. Unlike some other countries, art-forms in Indonesia are not only based on folklore. Many were developed in the courts of former kingdoms and, (as in Bali), are part of religious ceremonies.

The famous dance dramas of Java and Bali are derived from Hindu mythology and often feature fragments from the Ramayana and Mahabharata Hindu epics. Bamboo xylophones are used in North Sulawesi and the bamboo "angklung" instruments of West Java are well known for their unique tinkling notes which can be adapted to any melody.
The most Indonesian of all, is the puppet show. The "wayang kulit" (leather puppet shadow play) of Java is performed with leather puppets held by the "dalang" (puppeteer), who narrates the story of one of the famous episodes of the Hindu epics, the Ramayana or the Mahabharata. It is performed against a white screen, and a lantern in the background casts the shadows of the characters (puppets) on the screen through a frontal performance. The "wayang golek" (puppets carved of wood in three dimensional figures) popular in West Java is based on the same concepts, but not using a screen. "Unity through diversity" exists on a daily level.

Diving
Underwater, the depths of the Indian and Pacific Oceans meet, forming a series of distinct seas that separate the two giants. In the centre of the Indonesian archipelago, where Asia and Australia meet, is a geographic triangle with more marine species than anywhere else in the world. The points of the triangle are roughly from the southern Philippines, southwest to Bali and southeast to West Papua. This rich volcanic area combines miles of coastline, warm equatorial currents, nutrient-rich upwellings and a tropical climate that come together to create a biological wonderland.

Areas such as Bunaken Marine Park off Northern Sulawesi, is known for wall diving and clear waters. Lembeh Strait, (also accessed from north Sulawesi) is famous for unsurpassed muck diving.

Wakatobi, off southeast Sulawesi is endowed with magnificent coral gardens. Wakotobi is well know for its unique marine life and the variety of it, especially the smaller creatures.

Komodo Marine Park, east of Bali and Lombok in the central part of the country, supports a variety of marine life that thrives on upwellings. Bali has some of Indonesia's best beach diving, especially at Tulamben in eastern Bali which is famous for the Liberty Wreck.

One of the best combinations of fish and coral is found in the Raja Empat Islands of West Papua-formerly known as Irian Jaya. Manta Rays and a jellyfish lake are hallmarks of diving at Sangalaki on the southern part of Borneo.

Indonesia is surrounded by water and much of the best diving is accessible only from liveaboards, although there are areas like Lembeh Strait, Tulamben, Wakatobi and West Papua, where the land-based diving is superb. It's nice to do both in one holiday-a liveaboard for a few days, and then on land at one of the wonderful dive resorts.