By Warren Miller (edited by Jamie Farris)

Everyone wants to be treated like a VIP. There is a certain thrill in having people cater to you especially when you are away from home. So what would make for the perfect VIP dive trip? How about a resort that makes sure that you arrive where you need to be? Or a resort that offers 5-star treatment at dinner. How about a dive boat crew that not only remembers how you like your dive gear laid out but will have it ready and waiting on all your dives? Sounds too good to be true...but not at the Wakatobi Resort. Here you get all this and more.

The VIP treatment started as soon as we stepped off the plane in Bali, Indonesia. After 32 hours of traveling, the sight of a person holding a sign with your name on it is welcoming. Getting your visa, finding your luggage, zipping you through immigration and into a taxi; the resort staff had it all covered. The charter flight is just as seamless with people meeting you at each point and escorting you to a VIP lounge. A hop to the island of Tomia and a short boat ride and we are at Wakatobi.

The resort is nestled on a beach called Onemobaa in the Tolandono/Wakatobi Archipelago. Once at the resort guests are greeted on the jetty by staff and escorted to their bungalow or villa. Bungalows are located on the beach or back into the palm trees. We spent little time in our bungalow but they were extremely comfortable.

The dive operation at Wakatobi is well organized and efficiently run. All gear is carried by staff and after you set up your equipment for the first dive, the boat crew remembers how you like it and sets it up for each dive after that. There's always a mug of water waiting for you at the start of the dive and afterwards the dive the boat crew brings you a drink, remembering if you prefer a cup of tea or hot chocolate to warm you up.

Dive briefings were held at the Longhouse or on the boat, with detailed drawings of the sites used to explain the dive plan. There was a good deal of time spent focusing on what you would likely see, with a Wakatobi Fish Identification card set used to give you an idea of what to look for. The dive sites varied from steep walls reaching up to 15 ft of the surface, to pinnacles or sea mounts with sloping walls ending in sandy bottoms. Often there was no current but at times you would pick up a gentle current that would just carry you along the wall as you watched the corals and fish life go by.

On some dives it seemed like there was more to see than one could take in. The excitement on the boat at the end of the dive seemed contagious as the guests exchanged stories of what they had seen – a green turtle cleaning its shell, a peacock mantis shrimp going from one entrance of his home to the other arranging the coral pieces, an eagle ray gliding down the wall or a frog fish and leaf fish on the same little piece of coral posing for photographers; there was much to see and all on one dive. Oh and let's not forget the five pigmy seahorses!

Our boat was divided up with one dive guide for every four divers. The dive guides would spot critters and point them out to us. They know where the unusual critters reside. The guides also carried slates, writing the names of the fish you were seeing. The staff is dedicated to maintaining the health of the reefs so one of the things the dive guides do is offer themselves as human tripods. When an unusual critter is found in a difficult position to photograph, the guide secures themselves using a pointer in a bit of sand or on another nonliving surface and then extends their arm out for photographers or videographers to use to balance. Now that is personalized service.

With three 70-minute day dives and a dusk or night dive from the shore, you have 4 dives a day for exploring the corals and fish. The hundreds of anthias swimming near the surface, the schools of barracuda, batfish and trevally turtles swimming the wall, blue spotted rays dashing out from under a coral ledge banded sea kraits rising from the reef to the surface and down again to continue their hunting, shrimp in bubble corals, nudibranch species too many to remember, eels sticking out from under coral heads and on and on and on....

Above the water was incredible as well with a large open resort dining room overlooking the ocean on three sides and a staff that did their best to meet every need. The food was amazing, plentiful and of such a wide variety even the pickiest eater could always find something to eat. Most meals had a large buffet with multiple choices of hot and cold foods.

Of the dive resorts that I have visited, this resort is definitely on my top dive resorts list. Whatever you desire in a dive destination, the Wakatobi Dive Resort has it. Great food, incredible service, spectacular diving and that feeling that you are their only guest is what this resort specializes in. Who could ask for more? ■

Here’s what other people are saying about the Wakatobi Resort 
“The ultimate in so many ways. Reef quality, species variety, attention to diver’s needs, facilities, food, accommodations, it’s all here.”
-Chuck Stavoe and Laurie Horiszny
September 2010

“We just completed 17 days of our 4th trip to Wakatobi. All in all, Wakatobi is the best ‘all around’ dive resort anywhere in the world!”
- Tom and Arlie White September 2010

“Wakatobi is in a league of its own!”
-Chris Goodwin
September 2010

“After diving here, everywhere else will seem like a pile of rubble. The food is so good you’ll want to sneak the chef into your suitcase and take
him home with you.”
-Amanda Chalfant
August 2010

“Wakatobi is the pinnacle of destination dive resorts.”
- Joan and Jim Coopman
July 2010