DMT Options: Lembognan/South Lombok

[adventureswithwill]

Hello, I'm finally wanting to do my DMT - I have around 100 logged dives and my S&R already completed. I'm due to fly to Bali in mid May, but I really have up until the end of October before I wanna have it finished (I can kill some time travelling around to wait for better conditions). I'm pretty sure I've narrowed it down to two locations:

• Nusa Lembognan
• Sekotong Tengah (Belongas Bay)

Last year I did some diving from Nusa Penida which shares most of it's dive sites with Nusa Lembognan, I really liked it there but I don't think any of the dive schools there run DMT programs. I don't really have any interest in going to the main stream Gili's, Tulamben could be an option I guess but I generally prefer big stuff (I know I'm there to learn, but nice diving is always a plus).

I'm really looking for some advice on who good operators are and especially those with good DMT courses. Also in terms of South Lombok, do most places even offer DMT courses? A lot of places seem to require at least 100 logged dives during the hammerhead season, so not sure if that would even be an option.

It'd be great if I could find some place that would let me dive for free after the course is completed as well, I know this is common in Thailand but not sure how common it is in Indonesia (obviously would help out, I also have a business in internet marketing on the side).

Would people recommend waiting until the start of August until it's peak season? Or am I better off doing it sooner rather than later. Any other suggestions on where else to dive before/after would be fantastic.

 

[Bubble Junky]

For Lembongan, check out Big Fish Diving... The dive centres in Sanur are also worth considering as you would get to dive Lembongan and Penida, but would also get more trips to Tulamben and Pandang Bai too, learning to asssist and guide in differing conditions on different sites - macro and pelagic diving, currents, shore dives and boat dives, making you a well rounded DM... Check out Blue Season Bali too.

 

[Tippytoes12]

Two Fish and World Diving are two excellent operators on Lembongan...I am sure they do Dmt courses. We love the island and the diving is fantastic.

 

[matts1w]

The point of divemaster training is to get you ready/started with assisting instructors with their classes, working in a busy dive center, guiding certified divers, and getting your skills up to check. That being said, why would you not want to be in an area like the Gilis where there are tons of dive centers that focus on teaching, tons of new divers, daily OW/AOW/DSD classes, and relatively benign diving where you can focus on DM skills?

Honestly, the divers heading to areas like Belongs Bay and (for the most part) Lembongan are not taking classes or interested a non-local/inexperienced guide. Honestly, if you are hell bent on training in Indonesia, I would reconsider the Gili Islands and Bali based training centers. Personally I would push the Gilis as you will spend a whole lot less time traveling in a van or boat, but Bali is absolutely a good choice too.

Good luck with your training.

 

[adventureswithwill]

The point of divemaster training is to get you ready/started with assisting instructors with their classes, working in a busy dive center, guiding certified divers, and getting your skills up to check. That being said, why would you not want to be in an area like the Gilis where there are tons of dive centers that focus on teaching, tons of new divers, daily OW/AOW/DSD classes, and relatively benign diving where you can focus on DM skills?

Honestly, the divers heading to areas like Belongs Bay and (for the most part) Lembongan are not taking classes or interested a non-local/inexperienced guide. Honestly, if you are hell bent on training in Indonesia, I would reconsider the Gili Islands and Bali based training centers. Personally I would push the Gilis as you will spend a whole lot less time traveling in a van or boat, but Bali is absolutely a good choice too.

Good luck with your training.

I'm not hell bent on doing my training anywhere, diving in Indonesia just seemed to fit my dates better - more than open to other suggestions for that date range. When I was last in Nusa Penida there were quite a lot of people still doing courses, I figured that this would be even more so in Nusa Lembongan as it's larger and more accessible for most people.

Never been to the Gili's before, so maybe my criticism is unfair but it seems like the Koh Tao of Indonesia and I'm not really a fan of that conveyor belt style of teaching. Looks like Belongas Bay is definitely off the cards, I'll just head there to do some fun dives instead. Thanks to the other two replies, I tried doing a quick search to see if anybody had completed their DMT in Lembongan but haven't been able to find anything yet.

 

[divedesign]

Hi, If you really want to get off the beaten path but still have a lot to do learning about being a divemaster and great diving the Togean Islands are the spot. I will be there middle of May to October. If you need more info contact me on my e-mail. Best of luck to you.
Diving - Fadhila cottages - Togian islands

 

[cmneus]

A scubaboard user named mikeynl did his dmt with Big Fish on Lembongan....he answered some questions for me when I was thinking about doing the same thing. Try giving him a PM. He seemed to really love doing it there.

 

[Crowy]

Hi, If you really want to get off the beaten path but still have a lot to do learning about being a divemaster and great diving the Togean Islands are the spot. I will be there middle of May to October. If you need more info contact me on my e-mail. Best of luck to you.
Diving - Fadhila cottages - Togian islands

Hi
This place looks VERY interesting. Got time off in May.
Could not find a lot about getting there, Is it difficult to get to ? I'm located Australia.
Have you got any more info you can share ?
Thankyou

Sorry about the highjack AdventuresWithWill

 

[zivva]

Honestly, the divers heading to areas like Belongs Bay and (for the most part) Lembongan are not taking classes or interested a non-local/inexperienced guide. Honestly, if you are hell bent on training in Indonesia, I would reconsider the Gili Islands and Bali based training centers. Personally I would push the Gilis as you will spend a whole lot less time traveling in a van or boat, but Bali is absolutely a good choice too.

Was true for Lembongan ... 2 years ago but tourism on the island is developping fast and many now learn to dive or get Advanced / Rescue certifications. It's still not as busy as the Gili Islands (hopefully never will ...) but main dive ops teach dozens of DMT & hundreds of entry level certs every year.

Main ops include Blue Corner Dive (not sure if they teach more entry levels than the others but definitely the busiest DMTs training facility on the island. Probably due to the bar attached ), World Diving, Big Fish & Two Fish.

I guess Belongas might not be the best option for DMTs training as it is quite remote & not the first option not yet certified divers might think about ...

 

[divedesign]

Best way is usually to come on the night ferry from Gorontalo to Wakai then take a small private boat or let them know you're coming and they can get you. Check out their website. 404 - Page Not Found There is a lot of info. I'll be there myself around middle of May.
Water Crystal clear at 40-50 meters vis. Temp. 29°-30° Never another diveboat on the sites.
Flights to Gorontalo from Jakarta, Makassar, Manado.