5/31-8/13/09-Trip Report: Budget Diving Adventure in SE Asia!

[kathydee]

Kathy you need to minor in Anthropology with all the culture you are absorbing...

Humm or Cultural Geography ;-). Think I figured out Geography Maters Thesis topic using scuba research in SE asia - which means lots more diving trips for "research" ;-). Now lets see if the prof's buy it ;-)

Great pics and super reports, Kathy.I'm pretty sure I've never seen anyone in full scuba gear on a bike. I may have to pull out the harley and head to the local quarry one morning just for the gaping stares :-D

Scuba gear & a harley - sexy! Now I want a picture of that!! Will you post it here?

 

[mikeguerrero]

Kathy,

I took these three pics at Lover's Point, Pacific Grove on Saturday... Hoping to entice you to come back even though your adventures are stellar and I wish I was there...

 

[ilookold]

those are some incredible pics mike. i have got to get me a good camera to take diving.

 

[Nohea]

WOw Kathy looks like you are having a great summer. I just went thru most of the 14 pages and it is some wonderful images you share. Images from both the words and jpg's. Keep living and sharing the life to those of us single island bound.
Thank You and Aloha,
wil

 

[drbill]

As always, a fun read on the updates. $6 fills per tank though... I can get that here on Catalina.

 

[kathydee]

Kathy,

I took these three pics at Lover's Point, Pacific Grove on Saturday... Hoping to entice you to come back even though your adventures are stellar and I wish I was there...

Mike - beautiful pictures - great detail! Thanks for posting!

As much fun as I am having on this vacation - I am sooo looking forward to comming home and diving local! You all are making the what could be a very depressing end of a spectacular dive vacation sooo much easier ;-)!

Thank for the reminders of just how beautiful our underwater landscape is!

BTW - I have my 200th dive planned for tomorrow !

 

[ilookold]

Kathy, I cant wait til its my turn to do what you have been doing. I am saving my pennies. hope to get to do it soon. enjoy whats left of it.

 

[kathydee]

Three flights to reach northern tip of Sumatra from Bali. A very strict muslim region of Indonesia

I was soon to learn that Banda Aceh the city that once inspired fear in travelers has been tamed by the force of the tsunami. 250,000 people lost their lives in this terrible natural disaster but on a positive note the tsunami brought an end to the political tension and opened the area for safe tourism.
.
Soon I was on another ferry bound for Pulau Weh & the Lumba Lumba resort and the tiny “town” of Gapang.

The diving – well I have only done a few boat dives and they amazingly beautiful!

Here's the boat - deffinately not luxury resort but the bungalows are quite nice.

It it is remote and beautiful here:

No I didn’t bring a camera underwater. But the underwaterscape is just as remote and untouchd as the landscape. Our boat is the only one in vision and the shores lined with impenetrable jungle.

Huge rock canyons, not so different from Lobos but much larger – are everywhere. The deep blue 75ft vis water seems endless – So easy to keep diving. Currents are said to be unpredictable and scenery only gets better after 100ft. IMO this is not for the beginner diver (although there are some beginner sites).

But I believe those of you who seek adventure, have experience and are comfortable with depth and current will find this little known dive destination a hidden gem!!!

 

[kathydee]

While Pualu Weh has great potential for exploration. I must admit the beautiful dives are quite outside my comfort zone. A huge wreck below 160ft that they do with single tanks of air. They drop tanks for decompression stops, however there are unpredictable currents and a decompression chamber off shore down south somewhere on an oil rig – Is it even working? What happens if you are blown off target?

Yesterday I limited my depth and stuck to 80 ft – saw lots of fish, beautiful rocky landscape and deep, deep blue. But the currents switched constantly and made me a bit dizzy. I passed on the opportunity to join a group of experienced divers who dropped down below 150ft to enjoy the dramatic geology and outrageous sea fans. (I will try get some of their pictures to post here) Unexpectedly, they encountered a strong down current and said if it was any stronger they said they probably wouldn’t have made it back. Who wants to encounter that--at those depths, with only a single tank, while narced?

I love beautiful diving and deep blue water and here I am sitting on some very amazing sites --- for the guides here 140ft deco dives on a single tank of air is an everyday practice – for me the idea sounds quite risky – especially without access to a chamber in the presence of unpredictable currents, poor surface support and without a trusted partner.

I met a 20 year scuba veteran CMAST diver (CMAST divers are often quite good ) and we will partner today in the calm shallows for a 30ft dive to look for ghost pipefish, frog fish and seahorses and later for a night dive at the same site.

So yes ScubaSam -- I am being careful ;-). And to keep myself intact, I will pass on the outrageous beauty. I have seen so many amazing things on this trip underwater- I am certainly not lacking . In the name of self preservation then I’ll just let the magic of this location slide because I’d like to make it back to my friends in the US and to my drysuit intact . Sometime I think it is important to step back and look at a situation objectively - after all it's all just underwater sightseeing and not worth the risk of diving with divers that engage in risky behavior .

Regardless, topside Pualu Weh is a very beautiful, relaxing place to end such an amazing trip!

 

[tc]

I have the kelp ready and waiting for your return.