Which dive operators to choose in Bali for safety

[imkeshav]

Believe me I will be the happiest to see her become certified. But she is not a swimmer (95% in India are not) and afraid of skills especially removing mask underwater. But hey there was a time I thought she will never try scuba. At least she is there with me now.

Eventually I will get her around.

Sent from moto X

 

[gekodivebali]

Hi Keshav,

Sorry for the delay in replying to some emails. I trust that James has now replied to all your emails. Replying to emails can be a lengthy and time consuming process and we wish to reply to all legitimate questions in person rather than send automatic, non individual answers or just throw superlatives at you. Please do bear in mind that we are a small company with only a few of us answering emails while attending to other tasks. Geko Dive is not a large factory diveshop!

Being able to swim is a requirement indeed for any PADI Scuba diving courses. Any standard-conscious instructor will not accept someone, who does not swim, in a dive course. DSD programs do not have this requirement, but it is advisable to have a minimum level of in-water comfort, as for any in-water activity.

From looking at what you have indicated on the various threads, I would personally recommend to keep options simple by choosing only one destination for the 4 days you plan to spend outside Tulamben. Trying to do 2 dive destinations in 4 days makes little sense once you factor in the commuting involved in such an undertaking. Both Lembongan and Padang Bai are great locations for both divers and non-divers.

Here are IMHO the advantages that Padang Bai offer:
- Great white sand beach called Bias Tugel where you can get massage and/or enjoy a nice fruit juice.
- Possibility to go on daily excursions to some great places around Bali in the afternoon after the dives (Tirta Gangga, Ujung, Seraya area or even Ubud).
- Atmosphere of a real, traditional Balinese village with rich culture and friendly people.
- Ability to share a great time with locals.
- Some infrastructure (restaurants, bars, etc) to cater for travellers' needs.
- Great diving within a stone's throw. White Sand Beach, Ferry Channel or Tanjung Sari have offered me some of the very best dives of my life, especially for larger fish. They are reachable within 2 minutes (literally).
-Amazing macro. The Jetty is quickly becoming a worldwide phenomenon within the macro-photographer community. I hope it won't get crowded this high season as operators from outside East Bali have now found out. Luckily, we still have a few aces/macro dive sites up our sleeves...
- Possibility to dive all Nusa Penida dive sites, plus Tulamben, Amed, Padang Bai, Jetty, Tepekong, Mimpang and Biaha with the furthest dive sites within one hour of our base.
- Geko Dive is here ;-)

Nusa Lembongan also has advantages of its own, which I am sure operators from that area will be happy to detail for you at great length.

Please let us know if you wish to make a booking or if you have more questions.

---------- Post added June 8th, 2014 at 12:33 PM ----------

Ooops, I forgot to mention the new statue garden with more than 15 different statues already underwater or about to be placed there!
More info here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.650810611607783.1073741828.426363607385819&type=3

 

[zivva]

Nusa Lembognan/Nusa cenignan (2 or 3 days?)
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1) One my main goals in this trip is to see Mantas,sharks and maybe a mola and I've heard there is a good chance to see them around these islands. Want to do safe drift dives here
2) But I do have concerns with currents as I have 20 dives experience, so looking for a professional operator who can help me
3) Are there any safe dive sites for my wife to do Intro dives or snorkeling in these sites?
4) I was adviced to stay in these islands to be closer to dive sites rather than do boat trips from Bali? What do you think?
5) Lastly, my wife believes that these islands are much prettier than bali Tulamben,PadangBai and the resorts also are looking nice. Is that true? (in <$70 range)
6) Are there resorts in Nusa Ceniganan, and do dive centers pick us up from there as well OR should we stay only in nusa lembognan
7) Here are some of the resorts in Nusa cenignan - Secret Point Hut, Le Pirate etc (Compare Hotels - Best Hotel Deals Guaranteed | HotelsCombined)

Dive Center: Prefer a less crowded DC but safety conscious one. Options given are 2 Fish or world diving (someone said that they are too busy to give personal attention)
Stay: Not decided. Looking for advice. Should I stay in lembognan or cenignan

Hi there,

1. Mola² season lasts from July to September. They can be seen year round in the area, but your best bet is during the season.
Apart from the Crystal Bay circus during the season, Nusa Penida dive sites such as Sental, Pura Ped, Toyapakeh & Manta Point are the best options to see some Mola². Do not get too much expectations about sharks in Bali waters ...

2. Most of the local dive centers are used to not so experienced divers : groups are small (a ratio of 2 to 4 divers per guide is pretty standard here, 1 to 1 is easily doable in low season, might be possible in high season with a surcharge) and most of the guides are natives from the island with thousands of dives around the island.

3. Each dive center got its own policy on Introduction Dives but the most popular dive sites for DSDs are Lembongan Bay, Crystal Bay, Manta Bay, Mangrove Point. Choice is weather / moon phase / tides depending. Crystal Bay & Mangrove Point MUST be avoided during half & full Moon and at ebb tide. I would personnaly not recommend Manta Bay as a first intro dive in the area : surge & low depth are an issue.

4. Nusa Penida dive sites are a 15 to 30 minutes ride from Nusa Lembongan.

5. Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Ceningan are indeed much prettier than Tulamben

6. We do pick-up for guests staying in Ceningan. I guess Laurent & John do but this needs to be confirmed with them.

7. I would pick Le Pirate if I had to pick a resort in Ceningan as it is close to the bridge leading to Lembongan & a good value. There is some more remote options such as the Trevally Resort but it's a hell of a scooter ride to get there (but you got rewarded by the view on Nusa Penida ...).

PS : during high season, Two Fish is generally less busy than World Diving and their boats are way faster than World Diving's ...

 

[gekodivebali]

Do not get too much expectations about sharks in Bali waters ...

I beg to differ. There are lots of reef sharks in Bali waters. My favorite spots to spot them are Tanjung Sari, Tepekong and Mimpang and the Coral Garden (often 2-3m depth) in Tulamben. Mostly blacktips or whitetips. Wobbegong are also here when there is cold water. Catsharks and nurse sharks also join the party on night dives.
Now for the very rare sightings, I've had a guitarshark, whale sharks, a thresher shark and even something that looked like a silky but I'm told they don't dwell here. Of course, that is over a few years and a few dives. Contrarily to the species in the first paragraph of this post, you should not expect to see them if you only dive a few dives. Hope is however permitted!

 

[divewench1]

There are also Bull Shark around the Pemuteran area,(ask Indra) my husband used to regularly see an oceanic Whitetip hunting on night dives in Padang Bai, ( a good reason NOT to go with him on night dives) and there were Threshers in the Ferry Channel for a while :cool2:

 

[imkeshav]

Contrarily to the species in the first paragraph of this post, you should not expect to see them if you only dive a few dives. Hope is however permitted!

How many dives do you suggest to increase the odds of sighting Sharks and Mantas? BTW I will be diving with you guys for 3-4 days next week!