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Most of the business for Lembongan based dive ops seems to come from the manta dives, so you'll likely have access to those daily. What may be more tricky is getting enough people for a trip to some other site than their choice of manta diving spot. However, since you are two people already that...

It might not have taught you all that much, but the AOW is more of an introduction to the various specialties PADI (or your agency of choice) has to offer. I took it when I had something like 15 dives and found the navigation and search and recovery (one of my optionals) interesting. As for the...

You could always round the sharp edges with a careful application of some heat (eg. warm up a piece of metal over a lighter flame and use that).

Thanks for the answers! I spent some time in Tulum, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel last year and never saw whale sharks even mentioned, so I was a little confused. But if they arrange the trips from Cancun that should make it easy to see them after the flight in or on the way back.

As an interesting side note, with a SAC like that and a typical rig that people use around here (double 12 liter / 230 bar) you would get that same 2 hours at 30 meters at a fraction of the cost, but at twice the weight of the Explorer. 2 hours at 30 meters would put you so far into deco though...

All valuable info about the rebreathers and thanks for it. Don't want to nitpick, but where did you get the 6 mins from? When I calculate my bottom time for 30 meters (100 feet) using my average SAC I get about 25 mins, with 50 bars left in the tank. Still way less than 2 hours for sure.

^- I stand corrected. The Explorer actually seems to be smaller than your average scuba tank. Still quite an investment compared to regular nitrox, though. But that should answer the original question.

Just in case the OP is not familiar with the ideology behind rebreathers, let's say that yes, theoretically they could offer you a longer bottom time than any other solution I know of simply because they can dynamically adjust pO2 to a higher value than compressed air like NetDoc said (and I...

That would depend on at what depth the bottom is. As long as you can substitute oxygen for an inert gas (meaning nitrox for all intents and purposes) without risking oxygen toxicity, you gain more bottom time for the same amount of decompression, or with no decompression obligation, if that's...

I don't know much about sharks, but I would be very careful when approaching a wounded or distressed animal of any kind (well maybe not a squirrel, though they can bite as well), so I can't really blame them. Obviously they alerted the authorities and in the end it looks like the shark might...

Or the whole quarry / area could be private property of a company maintaining it and providing services to divers, which is what I actually assumed from some of the things said in the thread. In which case it would be in their interest to monitor safety for liability purposes. Of course I don't...

So it is a matter of principle (at least to a degree). I can appreciate that, but don't think it is worth discussing (because people don't tend to change their principles). Suffice to say, I don't find them checking that you follow their rules and sanctioning you for breaking them any different...

Okay, fair enough. I missed that, probably because I use a computer to measure depth, not a gauge. Still, I find it a little odd reason to shun them. Sure, if you absolutely have to go deep without the training for it, that place is probably not for you. Just like Indonesia is not for you if you...

Yes, I mean of course guided dives. Every PADI shop I have dived with in the past has been very clear about it: if you have only OW cert you can only join the group going to 18m max, if you have AOW you can join the one going to 30m max. In fact I have never seen an op that would arrange dives...

Those are some pretty sweet shots! Although I have visited a few places where whale sharks are seen, they have this far eluded me. Where did you see them exactly, in case I go back to Mexico one of these days?

I don't think PADI, or any other major training organisation for that matter, allows people to dive below 40m with only recreational training. As for the dual first stages, most people don't bring their own tank when they travel. Renting a second first stage could be a little extra, but...

I should definitely get one those as well. The only problem is that if the shop has old tanks and has just let the part sit in without ever removing it for maintenance it is likely that it can no longer be removed or a DIN first stage attached in its stead due to corrosion in the thread from...

I use DIN and regardless of whether I ask the dive shop in advance or not, almost always they have DIN tanks or can covert one for me. After all, most yoke-style tanks are just DIN tanks with an insert screwed in, and provided the shop has maintained them somehow they should be able to remove...

Not just torture, but a hazard. All kinds of problems become more likely when you are hypothermic or in risk of becoming hypothermic, including likelihood of developing DCS. Granted that I have often dived in <10 degrees C with just a wetsuit, proper exposure protection is as much an investment...

Toothpaste mixed with some water. Immaculate results every time. I think all you need is to leave a small residue of something on the lens which will prevent fogging, and toothpaste seems to work just as well as any soap solution that I have tried.