Recompression chambers near Sulawesi liveaboard routes: what can be confirmed

By Sulawesi Liveaboard Editorial Desk

An Indonesian dive operator lists hyperbaric options in Manado and separately in Makassar, and a February 2021 DAN bulletin counts 10 recompression facilities nationwide, reaching as far as Manado. Neither listing shows what operates today, and DAN says remote trips can mean delays of often 24 hours or more. Confirm with DAN or your operator before relying on either.

This page reports what two listings say and how old they are. It is not medical advice, and it does not tell you how to treat a diver. It gives no phone numbers, because a number copied onto a web page can go stale without anyone noticing. Your insurer, your operator and DAN are the people to ask for the current contact.

Where are chambers listed near Sulawesi?

Two listings are on record. They differ in date, in author and in level of detail.

For a North Sulawesi trip, then, Manado is the place both listings point to. Sulawesi.com names Makassar and Manado as the island's two international gateways, which is useful to know because a patient may need onward travel by air as well as by road and sea.

Neither listing tells you whether a hospital's chamber is running this week, whether a trained operator is on call, or whether it accepts a foreign diver's insurance. A listing tells you where to direct your first question. It cannot tell you that the answer will be yes.

Neither listing names a chamber on Buton, in the Wakatobi islands, in the Togians or in the Sangihe group. That is a limit of these two sources, so do not read it as proof that none exists. Ask the operator running your route which facility it would plan to use from each part of the trip.

How old is that information?

The DAN count dates from February 2021, which makes it more than five years old at the time of writing. A chamber can close, move, lose staff or return to service in that time. Treat the figure of 10 as a historical snapshot, and check the current position with DAN itself.

The operator list is harder to date. We read it in November 2026, and its entries are the operator's own. The sensible reading is that those hospitals were worth asking about. It would be a mistake to assume that any one of them will be able to treat you on a given day.

Before you rely on any entry, try to establish three things: when someone last confirmed that the chamber was working, who confirmed it, and what the arrangement is out of hours. If your operator can answer all three for its route, you have better information than either listing here.

How long can reaching one take?

The DAN bulletin's warning is the most useful line on this page: reaching a chamber from remote trips can mean delays of often 24 hours or more. Mikumba Diving describes medical facilities as minimal and says evacuation to the nearest major hospital, Bali, can take 12 to 24 hours in good conditions. The same passage mentions Sorong, so ask for the figure on your own route. That is one operator's statement about a hospital, and neither chamber listing gives an evacuation time for a specific Sulawesi route. For the rest, other sources describe ordinary travel between these places, which at least shows the scale.

Read this table with care. These are guest and public transport details, and an emergency may move faster or slower. A boat might head for a nearer port, or a flight might be chartered, or the weather might rule out either. Even so, the pattern is clear. Trips based around Bitung sit relatively close to Manado, while the Togians, Wakatobi and the far north involve much longer legs before you reach either city on these listings. Our page on the Togian route explains what else that distance changes.

Communications add to the delay. White Manta says mobile signal becomes intermittent not long after leaving port, and it lists satellite Wi-Fi as a paid guest extra. Ask each operator how the crew would reach shore in an emergency, since a guest internet card does not answer that question.

What should a boat carry?

One operator has published a statement. La Galigo says in its FAQ that it carries a 12-hour bank of emergency oxygen and an AED. That is a claim about one boat, and we have not verified it on board. It is useful mainly as a yardstick: an operator can state its oxygen supply in hours, so you can ask every other operator to do the same.

Set that answer against the DAN warning. If a route can involve a delay of 24 hours or more, ask how the oxygen on board relates to the time it would take to reach shore, and what the crew would do if the supply ran short. Whether a given supply is adequate is a question for the operator and for dive medicine specialists. We are not in a position to set a figure.

What should you ask before departure?

Send these to the operator in writing before you pay the balance, and keep the reply with your insurance papers:

1. Which chamber would you plan to use from each section of this route?
2. When did someone last confirm that it is working, and who was it?
3. How many hours of oxygen are on board, and is there an AED?
4. How does the crew call for help when there is no mobile signal?
5. Which ports or airstrips would you head for on each section of the route?
6. Who decides on an evacuation, and who pays at the moment it happens?
7. Which of my documents do you need to hold on board in case of an emergency?

Then put the matching questions to your insurer, including whether the policy covers evacuation from a remote boat and treatment in a chamber in Indonesia, and how the claim is started. Our guide to dive insurance and evacuation cover sets out what operators ask for. Finally, confirm the chamber position with DAN directly, as that bulletin is your starting point and no more.

What other questions come up about chambers and evacuation?

Is there a recompression chamber in Manado?

A dive operator lists hospitals in Manado among hyperbaric options, and DAN's 2021 bulletin describes facilities spread as far as Manado. Whether one is working on your dates is something to confirm with DAN or your operator.

Is there a chamber on a Togian or Wakatobi route?

Neither listing names one in those islands. Ask your operator which facility it would plan to use from those waters, and how long it expects the journey to take.

Can I rely on a chamber list found online?

No. A list tells you where to start asking. Listings age, and the only useful confirmation is a recent one from DAN, from your insurer or from the operator running your trip.

Do liveaboards publish their evacuation procedures?

Not that we have found for a Sulawesi route. Mikumba Diving states an evacuation time of 12 to 24 hours to Bali in good conditions, and we have read no procedure with it. Ask for the procedure in writing, along with the oxygen supply and the means of calling for help.

Does this page tell me what to do if I have symptoms?

No. It covers access and planning only. Follow your crew's emergency procedure, and contact your insurer's emergency line or DAN for medical guidance.

Which sources support this page?

• DAN: RCN Bulletin No. 5, February 2021
• Underwater Tribe: hyperbaric chambers in Indonesia
• Sulawesi.com: top dive sites
• Mermaid Liveaboards: Lembeh
• White Manta: Lembeh and North Manado trip
• Luwuk Banggai guide: Togian or Banggai Islands
• Neptune Liveaboards: Wakatobi liveaboard guide
• La Galigo: Sangihe, Bangka and Lembeh route
• Wikipedia: Sangihe Islands
• La Galigo: frequently asked questions
• Mikumba Diving: Sulawesi trip information and sample itineraries

How do I reach the desk?

If you are comparing routes and want to know what an operator has published on emergency planning, ask the desk on WhatsApp +62 811-3941-4563 or at bd@juaraholding.com. Include the route and your travel month. In a medical emergency, do not message us. Use your crew, your insurer or DAN.