Which dive operators to choose in Bali for safety

[divewench1]

My wife will probably not be taking the course, she will just do Introductory dives and snorkeling. I know it is a bit expensive, She will probably do2-4 dives through her stay and sometimes just accompany me on the boat (is that possible?)
My wife will do Intro dives (1-3), does LDR have good DMs to take good care of her?

If your wife is planning to do 2-4 DSD/Intro dives, surely it would make more sense for her to take the full Open Water course. She could even start with the on-line e-learning now, to save time during your vacation. (SSI e-learning is free of charge, PADI has a fee)

She may be able to accompany you on the boat (maybe for a small fee) as long as she is not taking the space of a full paying diver (depending on dive centre)

Your wife's Intro/DSD dives should NOT be conducted by a DM, but by a qualified Instructor in the ocean.

FYI Bali Scuba is in Sanur, NOT Denpasar.

 

[Wingy]

No totally different operations...scubali / bali dive academy can organise diving for you in your specified locations and some others and are not based in denpassar. They can organise accomodation and all transfers between locations Diving Bali an Official Website of Bali Diving Academy

Long established company with a great safety record.

 

[boy22ban]

Had a great experience with scuba dooba do. Funny name but hey they were great. Dove in tulamben. Look for Tunas (the name of the dm)


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[dmal]

We have been in Tulamben for about 2 weeks now and will stay for one more. As you are wondering about safety of diving, I have to say choosing the correct diveshop seems to be the key element here. Our first dives we did with a large resort, and there was no briefing of any sort, no hand signals during the dive, no debriefing or filling out logbooks and the rental gear had not been maintained. It was truly a shock after diving years around Thailand where all the diveshops seem to emphasize on safety. We changed to another dive shop, small operator without big company hassle and with experienced dive guides we felt safe with: Bali Dive Quest - Trying to be fish

I would suggest you to stay in one place during your stay since most diveshops can organize trips to around the island to reach all
locations, some on daytrips and the furthest ones with one night stayover. The place to stay in depends on whether you want to stay in a relaxed small village with a few restaurants (Tulamben), medium size village (something in Kubu or Amed area), or bigger towns like Candidasa. Tulaben for us is a nice relaxed town perfectly located within easy reach of the northeast coast sites. There are plenty of great divesites in Tulamben area just by walking to the shore (The wreck, Tulamben slope, Coral garden) or driving for 5-30 minutes (Seraya, Amed sites, Kubu sites), longer daytrips are only needed when going to Candidasa area (Gili Minpang, Gili Tepekong, Gili Selang) or West Bali (Puri Jati, Menjangan).

Out of all the sites here we came upon strong current only on a dive in Candidasa area at Gili Tepekong. If you go to the divesites between Bali and Lombok, watch carefully if your dive guide is working against the current or just going with it to not to stress yourself too much. The water temperature was down to 24c at the bottom so 3mm suit is what you should wear at the least, in shore reefs around Tulamben area you could dive most dives in just shorts as it was 28-31c. I would recommend Gili Minpang and Tepekong only to those which have more than 30-40 dives and have a good frogkick. There was also medium to strong current on one of the dives in Tulamben area reefs, but during our stay the current on the shore reeds was max medium strength and was only in certain spots on the reef lasting for a short while on the dive. Did not experience strong currents at Amed area neither. You are still quite certain to experience some type of current on any of your dives and should discuss with your dive guide how to handle it, go through current handsignals etc.

 

[imkeshav]

Our first dives we did with a large resort, and there was no briefing of any sort, no hand signals during the dive, no debriefing or filling out logbooks and the rental gear had not been maintained. It was truly a shock after diving years around Thailand where all the diveshops seem to emphasize on safety. We changed to another dive shop, small operator without big company hassle and with experienced dive guides we felt safe with: Bali Dive Quest - Trying to be fish


.

Which large operator was that? I checked Bali Dive Quest and their introductory dives are a little expensive(Euro 60 for 1 dive). Although their dive packages for certified divers is ok Euro 175 for 10 dives

 

[imkeshav]

Thanks all for inputs. I contacted LDR as they are so highly recommended here. I want to stay at Tulamben/Amed for a few days and then go to either Padangbai or the nusas

When I asked specific question about who will do my wife DSD, LDR informed me that it will be a DM. Wouldn't it be safer with A Instructor? Maybe local DM are good and Tulamben is a "safe" dive site. But I'm still worried

Who conducts DSDs in Tulamben strictly with instructors?

I'm finding it hard to get responses from Geko dive center

Aquamarine gave me an entire package cost but I don't know the breakup of dive and stay costs to compare them with others

Sent from moto X

 

[divewench1]

Unless the DM is DSD qualified they cannot conduct a DSD, and even if they ARE DSD qualified it can only be in a swimming pool, not the ocean. Beware of being offered a local DM without knowing their qualifications, as a lot of local dive staff are not even OW qualified.

It would be unusual for Cedric at Geko dive not to answer emails promptly; maybe drop him another in case they are dropping into his junk box, or contact him through here.

 

[Wingy]

The people at LDR would be more than proficient at providing your wife with a good DSD. The staff there have a pool on site and are very experienced with the area - I stay at LDR but dive with BDA and spent a great morning watching the DMs at LDR give a DSD course (very thoroughly) to a family with kids included. They obviously enjoyed the experience as I saw the kids with their junior bubble maker and the wife OW certified at the end of the week.

 

[imkeshav]

Unless the DM is DSD qualified they cannot conduct a DSD, and even if they ARE DSD qualified it can only be in a swimming pool, not the ocean. Beware of being offered a local DM without knowing their qualifications, as a lot of local dive staff are not even OW qualified.

My wife is not a complete Newbie, she has done 6 DSDs till date (3 last month) but they were in India with no current and good visibility. Are the conditions in around Tulamben calm and safe? Should we avoid any sites that are prone to currents?

I will make sure that the DM allocated to us has the proper credentials and the experience, my assumptions is that he will have plenty of local experience. I will keep a careful eye and if I have any doubt, I will not hesitate to pay extra for an instructor. I'm hoping my wife will do 3-4 DSDDs

It would be unusual for Cedric at Geko dive not to answer emails promptly; maybe drop him another in case they are dropping into his junk box, or contact him through here.

I'm communicating with James, I initially called them direct and talked to James followed by an email. After 3 days of no reply, I posted a message on their FB page and got a response. I then asked a few questions (actually a lot) but no reply. I PMed Cedric today

I was very happy when in reply they planned to allocate a dive guide (I didn't think of it) for her to snorkel and life jacket. That is exactly what would make her comfortable and maybe I could go for a dive leaving her in safe hands. I only have 20 dives experience and wanted to try out Manta Point, but I will trust them to give me the proper advice for diving the hard sites.

But I'm torn between staying the second half of my trip in PadangBai or Nusa lembognan or 2 days in PB and 2 Days in NL. What would you advice? Nusa lembognan looks like a nice island with nice beaches for my wife, but if the seas are rough and not ideal for a non diver, then maybe PB is better.
Any advice?

---------- Post added June 7th, 2014 at 08:24 PM ----------

The people at LDR would be more than proficient at providing your wife with a good DSD. The staff there have a pool on site and are very experienced with the area - I stay at LDR but dive with BDA and spent a great morning watching the DMs at LDR give a DSD course (very thoroughly) to a family with kids included. They obviously enjoyed the experience as I saw the kids with their junior bubble maker and the wife OW certified at the end of the week.

After so many great reviews here and TripAdvisor, I do trust them do a good job. But I wanted someone who has seen them in action to give their inputs. Thanks for the thumbs up!

I also believe the sites in Tulamben are very safe i.e calm and no current. But a small challenge for her would be to do a shore dive, hopefully the waves will be tiny

 

[divewench1]

My wife is not a complete Newbie, she has done 6 DSDs till date (3 last month) but they were in India with no current and good visibility. Are the conditions in around Tulamben calm and safe? Should we avoid any sites that are prone to currents?
But I'm torn between staying the second half of my trip in PadangBai or Nusa lembognan or 2 days in PB and 2 Days in NL. What would you advice? Nusa lembognan looks like a nice island with nice beaches for my wife, but if the seas are rough and not ideal for a non diver, then maybe PB is better.
Any advice?
I also believe the sites in Tulamben are very safe i.e calm and no current. But a small challenge for her would be to do a shore dive, hopefully the waves will be tiny

Having lived in Padang Bai for 3 years whilst running Absolute Scuba and Padang Bai Beach Bungalows Resort I am obviously going to suggest PB!

When the waves are large at Tulamben, the beach entry can be a b1tch, but a good Instructor will assist her to put the equipment on in the water if necessary, rather than walking through the waves fully kitted up.

I have experienced strong currents on the wreck and a strong drift at coral gardens but usually below 12 metres (12 metres is the maximum depth for an Instructor lead DSD), and sometimes the visibility can be like diving in milk. Hopefully you will get good conditions, like most days.

I still think it would be crazy to let your wife continue to take multiple DSD's as she could be fully qualified by now, but, hey, that's only my opinion and it's your money :madamy: