Bali December/Jan Thoughts?

[fdpdrum345]

I am looking to take a trip with my wife and baby. Both the lady and I love to dive, but with the little being about 1 year when this trip happens, we need to figure out how to have a relaxing trip, get some diving in and possibly do a live aboard to get out away from the highly trafficked sites. I have been doing some research here, but I'm not really finding what I'm after.

The lady likes things to be nice and when we dive we are looking for a good ratio for us preferably one dive guide for us both. Personally I've dove RA and Lebeh and loved them. She really wants to do Komodo, but not sure if the timing is good.

Would love your recommendations. Can you please advise on how we should structure this trip? We'd live to stay on land for a week and be under water the other week. Keep in mind we have the little one so any suggestions there too would be helpful!

Thanks!

 

[matts1w]

Much to process here, and some things I don't get... I have a three-year-old, and I absolutely understand trying to figure out how to do a Bali trip with a little one.

Some thoughts and questions:

1. Are you looking for a babysitter/nanny in Bali so you two can dive together? There are "freelance" nannies/babysitters, so this is certainly an option. Keep in mind Bali diving is far away from the usual tourist areas and would require some planning and negotiating.

2. December isn't the best time for Bali or Komodo; rain is gonna happen. Rough seas are very much part of the equation, too.

3. I'm not sure bringing a baby on a usual liveaboard is even an option. I would have concerns about safety, privacy, disturbing other guests, distance from doctors, etc... Who is going to watch the baby when you are diving? If you have the means, maybe you could buy a nanny a spot on the boat if the company were open two having a baby on board...or maybe charter a whole boat. Seriously, it just seems like a bad idea all around.

4. Komodo would be feasible if you had a full-time nanny who could stay in Labuan Bajo while you went diving all day. Depending on the provider, you would leave around 7 or 8 in the morning and return in the late afternoon.

5. Tulambed and Amed would be another option as one dives on his/her own schedule. You could divide and conquer: One babysits, the other does a dive, then alternate and repeat. The good news: you are diving. The bad news: you ain't diving together.

I will enjoy seeing other people's ideas as hopefully, there will be stuff I can use too.

 

[fdpdrum345]

@matts1w Thank you for the feedback.

The whole logistics of diving and brining the little one make things super complicated I know. A few things based on your thoughts.

1) We wouldn't do the liveaboard with the baby. Too complicated.
2) Mom is super attached and doesn't want to hire someone.
3) Shore diving is an option but for me, I really like to get to some of the more remote sites.
4) I dove Lembeh and RA in Dec/Jan and yeah it rained a bit but mostly it was nice. Guess I was lucky.
5) We aren't dead set on doing a liveaboard so shore diving seems more feasible based on this.

We'll see what others have to say. Thanks again!

 

[stiebs]

Not sure what you're trying to ask? Thread title asks about Bali, but in your post you're talking about Raja Ampat, Lembeh and Komodo.

So your wife is super attached to your baby and doesn't want to hire someone to look after it while you're in the water? Well pretty sure the only way that's going to work is by staying at a diving resort that has a good house reef and boats that leave from the immediate vicinity, and you and your wife alternate diving and parenting.

Bali is not the destination for you. Most of the resorts are in and around Denpasar at the south of the island, where there isn't much diving. It's a 3hr drive up to Tulemben where the USS Liberty wreck is probably the pick of the diving on Bali itself, but IMO not a great place to stay with a 1yo.

 

[Luko]

Bali is not the destination for you. Most of the resorts are in and around Denpasar at the south of the island, where there isn't much diving. It's a 3hr drive up to Tulemben where the USS Liberty wreck is probably the pick of the diving on Bali itself, but IMO not a great place to stay with a 1yo.

Huh ???
Have you been lately to Bali as it looks like we're not speaking about the same island. (FWIW I spend holidays in Bali twice a year since ... erhh... decades ).

There are more in Bali than the southern tourist resorts like Nusa Dua or Sanur (I'd certainly not dive from Sanur based ops that barely know where the hot spots are in Tulamben area ). There's a place for everyone all around the island especially on the diving spots like Tulamben. I wouldn't see any issue staying in Tulamben with a baby at Tauch Terminal, Ocean view, Liberty dive resort, Mimpi, Seraya, Toyabali or Siddaharta resort and there are many MORE mid market/comfortable range hotels.
On the contrary, since you can have your private guide and schedule your dives AS YOU WANT, you can alternate diving you or your wife on your own.

That said january is not the best season, I often spend Xmas holidays in Bali but it can be variable weatherwise, not so much rough seas though, more like gray skies and rainy days. (AFA I remember 2018 and 2019 were perfectly sunny, the water was even too warm, 2022 was rainy as it comes).

Komodo is out of question, strong seas and raining bucketloads until feb. Come back from April to november.

 

[fdpdrum345]

@Luko solid thank you.

@steibs, I appreciate your input. We are weighing all options here. Just trying to sort through the dearth of info. Everything helps.

 

[Madacub]

I was on the Mermaid LOB, and there was a couple with a baby. The Mermaid had arranged for a nanny, a Balinese woman who used to work on the boat in the past. Everyone was happy (including the baby). I did not hear any complaints about baby noise/disturbance. The mother did skip a few dives. You could keep an open mind about this if you want to.

 

[fdpdrum345]

Thank you @Madacub this is perfect!