Bali diving - Nusa Penida/Lembongan 2d 6Dives or 1d Nusa 1 day Tulamben

[ocdiver1]

Well, no less my personal experience making me right than your personal experience (or 6000 posts) making you right. I'm not talking about someone risking their lives here..you have dove other NP sites than Crystal Bay, right? Are you saying NONE are suitable for newer divers? The poster didn't express any upfront concerns about wanting to dive in zero current, etc. You're own advice is to spend one day diving there, the other in Tulamben! For a two day holiday that makes no sense..the individual will be in Bali during mola mola season and, I'm sorry, really the best time spent is a full two days there to take advantage of it, also seeing the mantas at Manta Point, etc. If it were a longer holiday, I might say something different. I'd hate the poster to come away from reading this thread being scared off from diving NP because you're almost saying there's a chance he's going to die there. He should be able to have a discussion with the dive operator as to which sites are suitable for his experience and comfort level, and make his own decision. Sometimes there exists a "cookie cutter," "one size fits all" mentality that I think you are displaying here, that then holds people back from the best diving and gaining valuable experience. Note I'm saying once again "being challenged," not doing a dive like Crystal Bay which would clearly be unsuitable for the posters experience level.

 

[Quero]

Well, no less my personal experience making me right than your personal experience (or 6000 posts) making you right. I'm not talking about someone risking their lives here..you have dove other NP sites than Crystal Bay, right? Are you saying NONE are suitable for newer divers? The poster didn't express any upfront concerns about wanting to dive in zero current, etc. You're own advice is to spend one day diving there, the other in Tulamben! For a two day holiday that makes no sense..the individual will be in Bali during mola mola season and, I'm sorry, really the best time spent is a full two days there to take advantage of it, also seeing the mantas at Manta Point, etc. If it were a longer holiday, I might say something different. I'd hate the poster to come away from reading this thread being scared off from diving NP because you're almost saying there's a chance he's going to die there. He should be able to have a discussion with the dive operator as to which sites are suitable for his experience and comfort level, and make his own decision. Sometimes there exists a "cookie cutter," "one size fits all" mentality that I think you are displaying here, that then holds people back from the best diving and gaining valuable experience. Note I'm saying once again "being challenged," not doing a dive like Crystal Bay which would clearly be unsuitable for the posters experience level.

ocdiver, let me try once more.

As is very common among advice-givers, you appear to be making recommendations as if it were YOU who were going to be on Bali for just two days of diving. For somebody of your dive background, I would agree that going to Tulamben is a long slog from Seminyak and that two days at Penida would be more logical. But the OP is not you with all your thousands of dives. He's a new diver, and two days on Lembongan is practically guaranteed to include Crystal Bay during mola season; he will not be in a position to demand that a Bali-based operator NOT go to Crystal Bay. (I'm fairly certain he's talking about two daytrips, not an overnight stay on Lembongan.) Further, the OP lives virtually next door to Bali, so while for you it would be most logical to make the most of a "once in a lifetime" opportunity traveling halfway around the world, it's simply not the case for a guy who lives in Singapore. Finally, my perspective does not grow from my personal experiences as a diver but rather from my NOT imagining the OP is me. I am a very experienced diver with multiple visits to Bali, Lembongan, Tulamben (and other Indonesia areas), so what I would recommend for somebody like me, or even for somebody like you with your thousands of dives is far different from what I recommend for somebody with 0-24 dives. I am a dive professional, and as such, I must ethically put the welfare of any diver I offer advice to before any consideration of convenience. It's simply the only morally correct thing to do.

My advice remains:

Penida for less challenging dives (NOT Crystal Bay for the mola-molas) for one day and to Tulamben for the other day.

Obviously the OP will make his own choice, but I felt under a moral obligation to point out that Penida has an outsized share of dive accidents and that somebody with as limited experience as the OP has and living as near as he does, there's no rush at all to put the notch in the bedpost for chasing down molas. And besides, seeing ribbon eels, harlequin shrimp, schooling bumphead parrotfish and other wonders commonly found in Tulamben is just as much a thrill as seeing a mola-mola, even if they are not notch-in-the-bedpost worthy in your estimation.

 

[gee13]

From my experience with the OP having only 2 days, I wouldnt recommend Nusa Penida. Diving is based out of Lembongan and most Dive Ops mainly do a 2 dive schedule because of the tides.

Once we had to miss the morning dive because the boat couldnt get out being very low tide!

In Tulamben you can do as many dives as the beach conditions will allow pretty much.

OR I would probably recommend Padang Bai for the OP, its not as far as Tulamben and the diving isnt too challenging.

 

[Quero]

I would have made that sort of recommendation, too, gee, to go to Padang Bai or even Gili Air for the day, but didn't since he said his only two choices were Penida x 2 or Tulamben x 1 and Penida x 1. It's good that you looked past that and gave him some different options to think about.

 

[ocdiver1]

I am not as concerned with getting in the "last word" here...I kept on this thread to give another viewpoint to what I felt was a rigid perspective. Just because the viewpoint expressed is not your own it doesn't mean it's not correct. I incidentally am not looking at this from my own dive experience, I'm looking at it from any diver's perspective...mola molas in season with only two days to spend make NP the logical diving choice. Another poster indicated that you have to dive NP from Lembongan.. there are plenty of dive operators that dont go from Lembongan...it's easy to stay anywhere in greater DPS and do daily trips there, leaving evenings free for nightlife or whatever a person wants to do. By the way I actually like Tulamben BETTER than NP in general..but it can be done any time. I'm still not understanding how one day diving NP is ok for you, yet two might be dangerous? Better to spend all that travel time out to Tulamben on a road that's continually being worked on and do neither place justice, having only two days?

I stand by what I've stated as well, concentrating on the best diving during the period the poster is visiting Bali, with a nowhere-else-in-the-world viewing opportunity of a spectacular fish thats rarely sighted. I'm not going to respond in this thread again (although I'm sure you will!). I know the OP will enjoy diving in Bali no matter where he decides to go.

 

[zivva]

Gili Air for the day

Don't see the point here to loose half a day (minimum) in transport just to dive Gili ... If time consuming transport is an option, diving Nusa Penida (not necessarily Crystal Bay ...) from Lembongan would be a better option IMO as most of the dive sites are totally divable by unexperienced divers and the local ops are not totally obsesed by MP + CB ...

If time does matter, Tulamben + Padangbai on the way back to Kuta Airport seems a way better solution indeed.

 

[brianloh91]

Hi guys, Thanks for the prompt replies. Really appreciate all the time it takes to reply. Will take into consideration what all of you have said especially about safety as well as diving within my ability.

Understanding that safety is the main concern, but at the same time due to the limited time i have there. i highly doubt i will dive tulamben this trip round and stick to 2x NP/NL. probably do a total of 5 or 6 dives. since it is only a 45min boat ride away compared to a 3-4 hrs car ride to tulamben.
Which Dive sites would you guys recommend? we are not really into macro diving and prefer seeing like huge schools of fish and big stuff as well as beautiful and diverse coral gardens.

And yes guys it is very fortunate that i live here in singapore where i am so close to so many great and exciting dive sites in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and phillipines. Hope you guys get the same opportunity to come dive these areas!

 

[gee13]

Hi Brian

If you do choose to dive NP/L from Sanur you will get 2 boat dives for the day. They will probably take you to Crystal Bay on the first dive.. and maybe Mangrove for the second. If you stay in Lembongan you get 2 dives if the tides in the afternoon allows you may be able to get a 3 rd dive in. If you go to Crystal Bay then take care, I think if the currents are not the biggest issue though Ive experienced some strong downcurrents there..the biggest risk factor is the zillion dive boats zipping past on the surface, stay safe and stay with your guide at all times. Once the tank bangs it becomes a wall of bubbles.easy to lose your group.

I still think if you are looking for schools of fish and great coral gardens you will be better off in Tulamben..

 

[ocdiver1]

Actually Brian, I always dive with Blue Season Bali (www.baliocean.com), and they do a three tank trip each and every day with free pick up and drop off anywhere in greater DPS..so you can easily get in more than 2 dives per day with the limited time you have available, and there is no reason to stay out on NL. While I've always been happy enough with them never to have had to try anyone else, I'm sure you could find plenty of other operators who do the same thing. Crystal Bay is typically, but not always, one of the sites...Manta Point is usually in the mix (especially if there are also snorkelers coming along that day), with Toyakapeh, Gamat and others included. They usually set the schedule the night before, so you know where they are going (although that's sometimes subject to change of course depending on conditions).

 

[Lp]

Hi Brian,

Just got back from East Bali and can say that Penida was awesome but perhaps not for the faint of heart. It was low season and we had pretty much every site to ourselves, the few boats that were out there stayed away from each other. We had a 6kt "washy" current (10km/hr) and if your buoyancy is anything less than second nature and the dive sits is crowded, you entire dive will be about navigation not observation. Perhaps there are easier dive sites on NP but i only did the ones highlighted above?

Secondly, in terms of large schools of fish, don't get your hopes up. You'll see Manta's, Mola Mola's and maybe even some avg size sharks but don't expect a 100kg tuna or Cod to swim by let alone a school of them. The Indonesians eat a lot of fish but the reefs are very healthy and the macro life superb.

Finally, my 2c of what I would do if I were you? Either bail on your mates for 2 days or convince them to come with you to Candidasa or Tulumben. There's a lot to do as a non-diver around those parts and its great diving for you (can still do NP too). Seminyak is all about tourism while East Bali has a lot more culture and still some very nice accommodations if that's important. You live in Asia so i'm sure your aware of issues that arise trying to get from A to B - not sure why you would want to do that, you'll get back to Seminyak and be totally wasted each night just to wake up in the morning and do it again?