Wakatobi, Indonesia: The World’s Most Remote Dive Resort
Indonesia’s Wakatobi Dive Resort proudly claims the title of being the most remote dive resort in the world. And for good reason: It used to take an arduous 23-hour boat ride just to get there. Today, guests are flown in from Bali via a two-and-a-half-hour VIP flight that touches down on a private runway Wakatobi built on the neighboring island of Tomia. From the airfield, it’s a 10-minute minibus to the harbor, from where Wakatobi’s dive boats ferry guests for another 15 minutes to the resort.
A renowned house reef lies less than 60 feet from the main lodge, which can be dived or snorkeled any time of day or night. Lorenz Mader, Wakatobi’s Swiss founder and on-site manager, simply refers to the turquoise sea lapping against the resort’s shoreline as the “pool” and has decreed it remain open to divers 24 hours a day. Swarming with an endless procession of sea life, Wakatobi’s reefs are home to some of the most diverse and striking marine life to be found anywhere. Below is some of what you’ll see if you make it out there.