Doing it Wrong on Bali

[jiveturkey]

Ok...this is weird. The EXACT same thing happend to me when I was diving in Bali last summer. Granted, it was Nusa Penida and not Tulamben but I too ran out of air with my guage showing lots left. Very strange. Anyway, it was what convinced me to get my own reg and stop using rental shiite.

 

[drbill]

Although I had been warned off diving on Koh Tao, Thailand, I decided to go anyway. I was told the operator I chose was one of the better ones. On the way down to my deepest dive (Chumphon Pinnacle) I hear a pop and noticed air pressure dropping quickly. I immediately tapped the DM, signalled I was going up and pointed to the first stage, and he accompanied me up.

The first stage had blown (I've never seen that happen" said the DM, me either). We went back down with a new tank and reg.

The same operator gave me BC's that were so ratty that I could barely find the arm holes in them. They learned, after I returned a number of them, to give me better equipment.

Although I travel for long periods of time as a backpacker, I will be carrying my own safety equipment (reg, bc) with me in the future.

Dr. Bill

 

[jiveturkey]

drbill once bubbled...
Although I had been warned off diving on Koh Tao, Thailand, I decided to go anyway. I was told the operator I chose was one of the better ones. On the way down to my deepest dive (Chumphon Pinnacle) I hear a pop and noticed air pressure dropping quickly. I immediately tapped the DM, signalled I was going up and pointed to the first stage, and he accompanied me up.

The first stage had blown (I've never seen that happen" said the DM, me either). We went back down with a new tank and reg.

The same operator gave me BC's that were so ratty that I could barely find the arm holes in them. They learned, after I returned a number of them, to give me better equipment.

Although I travel for long periods of time as a backpacker, I will be carrying my own safety equipment (reg, bc) with me in the future.

Dr. Bill

Which operator did you go with?

 

[LUBOLD8431]

This is exactly why I will NEVER rent an air delivery or a BCD again. I always take mine with me whenever I am diving. If I am only doing two dives, and I cant pack my BC and air delivery with me, I wont be diving...

 

[TedJ]

I've owned my own regulator, depth gauge and dive watch and carried them since 1972 when I was certified. That's all we really had then. With the advent of new gear, BCs, computers, etc. they have also been carried where ever I dive. I wouldn't trust anyone's rental gear expect weights and although I don't like it, tanks. I've heard too many stories like those above and then there's always that old adage, "Why share somebody elses spit, you wouldn't use their toothbrush."

TedJ

 

[annie]

I spent 6 weeks diving in Flores and Bali last October. I had my own gear. However I would have to say that it's not just the rental gear that is a problem, it's the cultural thing too. I found (forgive me for generalising here) that Indonesian dive professionals/operators simply do not have the same safety standards that we would expect.

 

[jiveturkey]

annie once bubbled...
I spent 6 weeks diving in Flores and Bali last October. I had my own gear. However I would have to say that it's not just the rental gear that is a problem, it's the cultural thing too. I found (forgive me for generalising here) that Indonesian dive professionals/operators simply do not have the same safety standards that we would expect.

I don't think it's just indonesian. I've found it in all Asian countries except Japan and it's not just with diving.

 

[annie]

The only way to be safe is to know what you're doing, try to be as responsible for yourself as possible, dive within your limits and ask the relevant questions in advance. Some of the western operators in Asia are complete cowboys too, they all have to be watched out for.