Kalimaya: Off the Beaten Path Between Bali and Komodo

Indonesia is not generally considered "out of the way" for scuba diving. For divers, it's one of the most popular and most visited countries. But with over 17,000 islands spread across more than 3,200 miles, it is not hard to get off the grid. Kalimaya is a full service dive resort located on the eastern side of Sumbawa, the large island located between Bali (actually Lombok) and Komodo. It seems a bit strange that this area is undiscovered, given the tourist traffic and diving in Bali, Lombok and Komodo. We discovered Kalimaya after seeing so many great photos posted on the internet and tracking them back to this location. Unlike many other out-of-the-way places, except for spotty to no internet connections, we were surprised to find a fully functional dive resort with 24 hour power and a wonderful camera room. But make no mistake it is not easy to get here and it is the only diving resort in this area. The island of Sumbawa has seen very little tourist development but has a small airport served by internal flights, mainly served from Bali. Then, it is a 2-hour ride through wild mountains over marginal roads. You can also reach it by private boat from Komodo (Labuan Bajo). Once there, you find a modern luxury resort, air conditioning, pool and a great staff. The food was wonderful, but in this remote and still primitive area, there is no alcohol although you can bring your own. As one would expect, the diving has similarities with Komodo as the geography is similar and is subject to the same tidal and ocean-exchange currents, for which Komodo is renowned. But much of it is unexplored and there is the opportunity to do exploration diving in addition to a number of developed sites. Besides uncrowded dive sites (no other land based dive shops, but some liveaboards are beginning to stop there), pristine reefs and fantastic muck diving, it has a unique dive opportunity: a very active volcano! Our film focuses on the resort and getting there and then shows the magic of diving there, especially under the volcano. Kalimaya is definitely out of the way and not easy to get to, but we think it is well worth the effort.