1 month Indonesia itinerary advice

[ChernoJP]

Hey all,

Currently traveling and working in Australia! I am however looking at what i can do after this adventure before i go back to university.

I was thinking 1 month of diving in Indonesia. I got certified 3 months ago and got kind of addicted. I don’t have alot of dives (34) hence why i am looking at diving for a month, to get more experience in different conditions.

Is February, march or April a good time to go? Is a budget of 6500 AUD (4380 USD) enough for 1 or maybe even 2 months of backpacking and diving almost every day? And what places would you recommend? Hoping to see some big fish (Sharks, rays and maybe mola mola). An instructor i know has a friend on Nusa Penida which i can message and maybe arrange something.

Or am i better of doing a DM and internship? By that time i will have more dives under my belt (~45), it feels wrong to even begin a DM or rescue course even though i feel extremely confident in water while diving.

Thanks,

Ben

 

[Indah]

Hey all,

Currently traveling and working in Australia! I am however looking at what i can do after this adventure before i go back to university.

I was thinking 1 month of diving in Indonesia. I got certified 3 months ago and got kind of addicted. I don’t have alot of dives (34) hence why i am looking at diving for a month, to get more experience in different conditions.

Is February, march or April a good time to go? Is a budget of 6500 AUD (4380 USD) enough for 1 or maybe even 2 months of backpacking and diving almost every day? And what places would you recommend? Hoping to see some big fish (Sharks, rays and maybe mola mola). An instructor i know has a friend on Nusa Penida which i can message and maybe arrange something.

Or am i better of doing a DM and internship? By that time i will have more dives under my belt (~45), it feels wrong to even begin a DM or rescue course even though i feel extremely confident in water while diving.

Thanks,

Ben

Hi Ben, sounds as a great plan. Here some, what I think, costs in USD (USD 1 = IDR 15.000):
Accommodation and meals per day: 25 - 50
1 day diving with 2 dives, rental equipment not included: 40 - 90
Rental full set: 13 - 25 per day.
Do not underestimate the costs for travel within Indonesia.
Expect western prices for western products.
Those 3 months are good for most of the places in Indonesia.

 

[Centrals]

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[Tippytoes12]

This amount of money is plenty for one month, you may well get two months. Don’t move around too much and ask the guides in each shop where they eat. It’s very wise not to contemplate doing your DM until you are a lot more experienced. It a serious business taking a bunch of strangers down to 30mts and I have seen some inexperienced western DMs in Asian countries that are absolutely not capable of doing so.

 

[ChernoJP]

This amount of money is plenty for one month, you may well get two months. Don’t move around too much and ask the guides in each shop where they eat. It’s very wise not to contemplate doing your DM until you are a lot more experienced. It a serious business taking a bunch of strangers down to 30mts and I have seen some inexperienced western DMs in Asian countries that are absolutely not capable of doing so.

This is exactly why i am not doing my DM until i feel comfortable of having a higher task load and way more experience. I was thinking around 200 - 400 dive range for starting my DM, is it overkill?

 

[Indah]

This is exactly why i am not doing my DM until i feel comfortable of having a higher task load and way more experience. I was thinking around 200 - 400 dive range for starting my DM, is it overkill?

I do not know of any standardized and recognized course which really helps you to acquire the knowledge and skills to guide guests in Indonesia.

 

[ChernoJP]

I do not know of any standardized and recognized course which really helps you to acquire the knowledge and skills to guide guests in Indonesia.

Its not about leading guests it’s more about getting more experience just diving hence why i am doing 1 month of just diving.

 

[McmScuba]

I am going to do a similar thing in September. The difference is, I have only 18 logged sives so far. I am going to be in Bali/Lembongan for 5,5 weeks, diving almost every day and your budget is more than enough for 1 month of intense diving including a rescue course and another skills improvement treat like intro to tech diving or etc. For two months money might become a bit tight if you want to go to Raja Ampat or Komodo, but I haven't really looked into this, so I can't say for sure. Wrong season for me and I'm going to go there when I have the skills to fully enjoy what those places have to offer.
People on here are generally against dm programs for newbies and I absolutely get it from a professional point of view. But I still think they are a valid and budget friendly option to get as much time as possible in the water and get some experience that goes beyond just doing fun dive after fun dive. Also, you don't necessarily have to get certified just because you're doing the program. I've contacted some dive centers that offer dm internships, told them that a) I don't have time for a normal internship b) have zero interest in becoming a certified DM and c) don't care about collecting cards but want to dive as much as possible and learn from experienced divers. This way I got a few phone calls to see if our expectations matched (+vibe check) and some really good offers for a personalized internship.
If you bring your own gear, you won't have any issues to spend 1-2 months hardcore diving without going bancrupt.

 

[matts1w]

Outside of the theory, the Divemaster course isn't about becoming a better diver. Its about guiding customers, assisting with classes, and selling stuff. There are a gazillion other places to learn the theory, and unless one is going to do an IDC, it really isn't a great investment of time or money. If one wants to take courses and improve their diving, find an instructor who teaches a great Rescue course, and then start down the tech path with a solid mentor.

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