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Selayar Dive Resort

The island of Selayar - rediscover nature!

Selayar, a secluded island, far away from mass tourism, lies in the Celebes Sea to the south of the Indonesian Island Sulawesi. Myths have been kept alive on this small island which once lay on the Chinese trade route. The west side of the island is mainly inhabited by fishermen, who live in small villages that continue to follow their traditions largely unaffected by western influences. Besides traditional fishing, the growing of vanilla and tangerines generate the main sources of income on the island.

Selayar is a fascinating destination owing to its unique landscape, unusual rock formations - full of caves and waterfalls - and its beautiful unspoilt beaches. The almost uninhabited east side of the island, where our resort is situated, is still covered with original rain forest. It is possible to find numerous species of birds, small reptiles, marsupials, varans and even wildboars. Furthermore, when one is lucky, the world's smallest monkey, the tarsius, that is in danger of extinction, can be seen in his habitat.

This eastern side of the island is surrounded with a reef - and our resort is proud that it owns this longest house reef in Indoneisa. Thanks to our efforts this last idyllic destination, where few human traces are yet visible, has now been put under protection. With the help of the Indonesian Government, a marine park has been founded that makes diving in our resort a unique experience.

We aim to preserve the island's natural resources on land and in the surrounding sea for future generations.

Diving at the most beautiful places...

Not everyone wants to spend half their vacation on a slow dive boat sitting in a wet suit! And here on Selayar, the resort is not just close to the marine park, but in the middle of it. The longest boat trip is 30 minutes. As a consequence, there is more time to spend outside the water on a well-kept and beautiful beach. If your appetite has been wet, then read on:

Here are some more facts about the basis, the boats, the equipment and the guides:

The dive center
The dive center is sited right next to the restaurant in the middle of the resort, only a few steps from the jetty. We have 40 121-tanks with INT connections, ready for use at any time. Guests are invited to take these tanks whenever they wish to dive on the house reef. Tanks are already on board the boats for dive trips. We use high-quality Bauer compressors that operate in the jungle far from the resort so that the tranquillity of the resort is not disturbed. Since safety is a great concern to us, an emergency kit with oxygen is however always present at the dive center. We have dive equipment available for rent at a reasonable price. DIN adaptors, weights and a surface market buoy are provided on request free of charge. Facilities in the form of two big freshwater tanks for rinsing equipment and cameras etc stand in front of the dive center.

Diving boats: speed combined with comfort
We have 3 speedboats with up to 400 PS, equipped with Volvo and Yamaha motors. They offer fast and comfortable trips to the dive sites. The fastest of the three boats is also used to bring guests to the resort from Sulawesi. Each seat has space under it, where staff will put the tank and equipment of each diver before a trip. Each guest will be provided with a coloured plastic box at his or her bungalow on arrival. Use of these, makes it easier to keep everyone's individual equipment together. We even have some padded boxes for cameras. Long ladders on each boat make it easy to climb back on board.

Going diving

We meet at the dive center, the time of departure and the dive sites are fixed the day before and written on a blackboard in the restaurant. There are no fixed dive times as we always try to offer the best for our guests and therefore we choose the times in accordance with the moon, respectively the tides.

In the morning at the dive center you get a briefing which is repeated briefly when we arrive at the dive site. The complete dive equipment is already on the boat. Getting to the dive sites normally doesn't take very long. When the trip takes longer or when we go for a day tour we tell you in time! You find your box under your seat in the boat. When everybody is ready the boatsman takes the group to the exact dive point and the guide gives you the sign to let yourself fall from the boat!

Back on board you disassemble your equipment and store it in the boxes under your seat. After the second boat dive the staff take the boxes to the dive center and rinse your equipment if you like.

The new Jetty is ready!
Good News for all those who felt in love with our housereef!!! 145 meter long does it now reach the drop-off. What means from now on housereefdiving is not only nice and exiting, but also comfortable....

Our Journey to Sulawesi

No matter at which international airport you arrive in Indonesia, we will help you to organise the rest of the journey. We will book your domestic flights, your hotels and inland tours e.g. to the Toraja. No matter where you wish to go or what you want to see, we can organise your trip for you at a competitive rate.

Arrival in Makassar
Makassar (Ujung Pandang) is the basis for your journey to Selayar. Depending on the arrival time of your flight from Bali, Jakarta or any other airport, the journey will either continue the same day or you will spend the night in Makassar. We recommend the hotel 'Pantai Gapura'.

This hotel is situated right next to the sea, with comfortable rooms and a well-groomed park with tropical flair. After a long flight, you can relax by the pool. The hotel restaurant is built in Pinisi style, like a traditional ship. At night you can dine in the hotel, have a drink at the Sunset bar or go for a walk around the city. For anybody interested in culture there is Fort Rotterdam. The best place for buying souvenirs is Jl.Somba Opu - the street parallel to the one with the hotel. For breakfast there is a choice of an American or Indonesian breakfast at the hotel buffet.

Journey to Selayar by boat
You can reach Selayar by boat any day of the week. At about 8 am the guests are picked up from the hotel lobby or the airport in Makassar and taken to Bira by airconditioned minibus. During the 4-hour journey you are offered an insight into the culture of South Sulawesi, passing through places where the traditional Pinisi ships are built as well as through small villages where sea-salt is gathered in the traditional way. When there is enough time, you can take a break and have lunch. In the coastal village of Bira, the resort's speedboat and its crew are waiting to receive guests. The trip along the picturesque and untouched coast of Selayar to the resport will take about 2.5 hours.

Journey to Selayar by plane
The plane to Selayar goes only twice a week. It is best to check which days as they can be changed at short notice. The guests are picked up at the hotel at about 6.30 am and taken to the airport in Makassar. The plane has 24 seats and it takes 45 minutes to get to Selayar. From the airport that is close to the Capital Benteng, you will be taken by car to a small harbour in about 1.5 hours. A boat will be waiting there also to take guests to the resort.