Chug
Guest
This was our third trip to Indonesia, the second time in 2 years. We have already been diving at Tulamben and Menjangan twice before and been to Permuteran, Amed and Padang Bai. This year we added Nusa Penida and Bunaken.
We arrived in Bali in August 2009 and spent a week decompressing in Ubud at a great place we found on vrbo.com.
From there we went to Padang Bai and spent four nights at the Padang Bai Beach Inn, a place I cannot recommend. We had tried to find a place to stay on Nusa Lembongan but couldnt find lodging. We planned to dive Nusa Penida with Absolute Scuba for our first day but weather had prevented diving there the day before so we went local to Mimping and Tepekong. The seas from the previous day were still surging a bit and the conditions were challenging and less than ideal. On the second dive my wife got caught in an upswell and went from 40 feet to the surface in a matter of seconds. One of the divemasters was right on it and brought her back down. She suffered no ill effects but spent the better part of the afternoon sucking on the O2. For safetys sake we skipped diving the next day.
When we returned to diving the weather allowed a trip to Nusa Penida. The first stop was Manta Point where we really enjoyed the show. While the visibility could have been better for the feeding station, we got some great views of the giant Mantas by turning around and watching the ones on approach. From there we went to Crystal Bay in search of the Mola Mola. The dive plan was for the DM to leave us at 60 ft while he went down to colder water in search of the Mola Mola. If it was there he would come and get us. Just as he was getting ready to descend the fish appeared. It was an amazing sight and convinced me I really need to get an underwater camera. The third dive was at Jepun and was enjoyable but a bit of a disappointment after the first 2 dives.
From Padang Bai we made our way Gili Trawangan. Right after we checked out of the Padang Bai Beach Inn we walked to a restaurant 100 feet closer to the boat landing. We ordered lunch. Before our drinks arrived I went to check the ipod touch for the name of our lodging on Trawangan and discovered the ipod was missing. As I mentally retraced my steps I realized I had gotten distracted packing the ipod up while giving it a final charge before leaving the room. The cables and electrical adapter where in my bag but I know I left the ipod on the bed, right next to the outlet. In the 10 minutes that had passed since I had initially left the room I was back in it, greeted by the maids who could not manage to find their way into our room the day before. The sheets were already off the bed and neither of them claimed to have seen the ipod. I learned later what I should have initially done was offer a reward. Thankfully, of all the time we have spent in Indonesia, that has been our closest encounter with any kind of crime.
We decided to save a few bucks and took the Perama boat to Gili Trawangan, a decision we would come to regret. The waters were a bit choppy, there were some decent sized swells, and it was not a smooth ride. Thankfully we had taken a seasickness pill provided by the ticket seller. Many did not. About 90 minutes into the journey a pod of dolphins appeared off the port side. Those hurling off the side lifted their heads and joined those rushing over from the starboard side to enjoy the spectacular show. The naturally top-heavy boat starting heeling over sharply to the port side to the point where water gushed over the gunwale and into the lower passenger compartment. This led one panic-stricken woman to scream Get the life boats! as the crew tried to people back in their seats to balance the boat. It was a bit hairy to see the water flowing into the boat but it only happened once and the crew didnt seem too concerned, like it happens all the time. They were kind of laughing as they passed out life preservers to the most hysterical passengers. By the time we got off shore of Gili Trawangan the sun had long disappeared and we had to transfer to a pitch-black tender boat with our bags in order to get on the island. Fortunately I had a headlamp a made many fast friends. The experience also convinced my wife she needs to get her own headlamp, despite the fun she has teasing me about mine. The whole ordeal took closer to 7 hours than the 4-hour crossing that is advertised. The trip got us there too late and too knackered to arrange diving for the next day. Needless to say we took the fast boat back and would advise anyone to take the fast boat both ways. I figured that in the time they loaded all the luggage and passengers on the Perama boat, the fast boat would have already arrived on GT.
We really liked Gili Trawangan and enjoyed diving Hans Reef and Hidden Reef. We had trouble finding a place to stay and stretched our budget for a room at Lutwala Villa. We dove with Trawangan Dive.
We returned to Bali and flew on Garuda to Manado for our visit to Bunaken. I had tried to buy the tickets online but I do not have an Indonesian credit card. Trying to buy them in North America revealed a price twice that quoted online. The best solution was to buy them at the airport when we initially arrived. We stayed at Bunaken Village for 5 nights and really enjoyed the diving. But for the diving, I would not stay in a place like Bunaken. There is very little to do, the food is included and lacked variety, and the cold saltwater shower was useless. The wonderful diving was certainly worth the effort to get there and any hardships (it really wasnt that bad) we endured were forgotten underwater. Additionally, there are few places on Earth that provide such great value for your diving buck. The reefs are in fantastic shape, are teeming with life, and there is plenty to see at every depth. Youll really enjoy your safety stops at 15 feet as you swim over the top and edge of the reef. If you plan to dive Bali, do yourself a favor and take a side trip to Bunaken.
Chug
We arrived in Bali in August 2009 and spent a week decompressing in Ubud at a great place we found on vrbo.com.
From there we went to Padang Bai and spent four nights at the Padang Bai Beach Inn, a place I cannot recommend. We had tried to find a place to stay on Nusa Lembongan but couldnt find lodging. We planned to dive Nusa Penida with Absolute Scuba for our first day but weather had prevented diving there the day before so we went local to Mimping and Tepekong. The seas from the previous day were still surging a bit and the conditions were challenging and less than ideal. On the second dive my wife got caught in an upswell and went from 40 feet to the surface in a matter of seconds. One of the divemasters was right on it and brought her back down. She suffered no ill effects but spent the better part of the afternoon sucking on the O2. For safetys sake we skipped diving the next day.
When we returned to diving the weather allowed a trip to Nusa Penida. The first stop was Manta Point where we really enjoyed the show. While the visibility could have been better for the feeding station, we got some great views of the giant Mantas by turning around and watching the ones on approach. From there we went to Crystal Bay in search of the Mola Mola. The dive plan was for the DM to leave us at 60 ft while he went down to colder water in search of the Mola Mola. If it was there he would come and get us. Just as he was getting ready to descend the fish appeared. It was an amazing sight and convinced me I really need to get an underwater camera. The third dive was at Jepun and was enjoyable but a bit of a disappointment after the first 2 dives.
From Padang Bai we made our way Gili Trawangan. Right after we checked out of the Padang Bai Beach Inn we walked to a restaurant 100 feet closer to the boat landing. We ordered lunch. Before our drinks arrived I went to check the ipod touch for the name of our lodging on Trawangan and discovered the ipod was missing. As I mentally retraced my steps I realized I had gotten distracted packing the ipod up while giving it a final charge before leaving the room. The cables and electrical adapter where in my bag but I know I left the ipod on the bed, right next to the outlet. In the 10 minutes that had passed since I had initially left the room I was back in it, greeted by the maids who could not manage to find their way into our room the day before. The sheets were already off the bed and neither of them claimed to have seen the ipod. I learned later what I should have initially done was offer a reward. Thankfully, of all the time we have spent in Indonesia, that has been our closest encounter with any kind of crime.
We decided to save a few bucks and took the Perama boat to Gili Trawangan, a decision we would come to regret. The waters were a bit choppy, there were some decent sized swells, and it was not a smooth ride. Thankfully we had taken a seasickness pill provided by the ticket seller. Many did not. About 90 minutes into the journey a pod of dolphins appeared off the port side. Those hurling off the side lifted their heads and joined those rushing over from the starboard side to enjoy the spectacular show. The naturally top-heavy boat starting heeling over sharply to the port side to the point where water gushed over the gunwale and into the lower passenger compartment. This led one panic-stricken woman to scream Get the life boats! as the crew tried to people back in their seats to balance the boat. It was a bit hairy to see the water flowing into the boat but it only happened once and the crew didnt seem too concerned, like it happens all the time. They were kind of laughing as they passed out life preservers to the most hysterical passengers. By the time we got off shore of Gili Trawangan the sun had long disappeared and we had to transfer to a pitch-black tender boat with our bags in order to get on the island. Fortunately I had a headlamp a made many fast friends. The experience also convinced my wife she needs to get her own headlamp, despite the fun she has teasing me about mine. The whole ordeal took closer to 7 hours than the 4-hour crossing that is advertised. The trip got us there too late and too knackered to arrange diving for the next day. Needless to say we took the fast boat back and would advise anyone to take the fast boat both ways. I figured that in the time they loaded all the luggage and passengers on the Perama boat, the fast boat would have already arrived on GT.
We really liked Gili Trawangan and enjoyed diving Hans Reef and Hidden Reef. We had trouble finding a place to stay and stretched our budget for a room at Lutwala Villa. We dove with Trawangan Dive.
We returned to Bali and flew on Garuda to Manado for our visit to Bunaken. I had tried to buy the tickets online but I do not have an Indonesian credit card. Trying to buy them in North America revealed a price twice that quoted online. The best solution was to buy them at the airport when we initially arrived. We stayed at Bunaken Village for 5 nights and really enjoyed the diving. But for the diving, I would not stay in a place like Bunaken. There is very little to do, the food is included and lacked variety, and the cold saltwater shower was useless. The wonderful diving was certainly worth the effort to get there and any hardships (it really wasnt that bad) we endured were forgotten underwater. Additionally, there are few places on Earth that provide such great value for your diving buck. The reefs are in fantastic shape, are teeming with life, and there is plenty to see at every depth. Youll really enjoy your safety stops at 15 feet as you swim over the top and edge of the reef. If you plan to dive Bali, do yourself a favor and take a side trip to Bunaken.
Chug
