Bali diveprices

[DownUnderwater Dan]

In this case I don't think so, it was highly commented by the Bali dive community at the time..
Not anyone plans diving one of the most currenty spots like Mangroves/Blue Corner in the afternoon nearby full moon falling tide.
Not anyone schedules a junior DM who had her first drift dive guiding on this spot.
Not anyone does groups of 7 divers for 1 guide on this site.
A drama that could have been anticipated.


Firstly, go for local dive centers ie. dive Tulamben using Tulamben dive centers and Tulamben dive guides, a big part of them is just like family where they pass the information on what's hot or what's down.
Probably it's not sufficient, there are cheapo dive ops in Tulamben that won't lead you to further away dive sites like Nusu, Batu Ringgit or Gerombong, because cutting petrol/car cost is also part of the reason why they cut their prices.
I can give names and operations I regularly see on these sites.

Firstly, go for local dive centers ie. dive Tulamben using Tulamben dive centers and Tulamben dive guides, a big part of them is just like family where they pass the information on what's hot or what's down.
Probably it's not sufficient, there are cheapo dive ops in Tulamben that won't lead you to further away dive sites like Nusu, Batu Ringgit or Gerombong, because cutting petrol/car cost is also part of the reason why they cut their prices.
I can give names and operations I regularly see on these sites.

Thanks for the advice @Luko !

I'm not a big macro type diver, but I'm always keen to see new sites and critters

 

[rexman24]

Hi Luko, I'm aware of the said incident, although I'm not 100% sure, I think it was around 10 years ago.

I also think that you may have some of the facts mixed up with another incident at that same site Mangroves, where in 2014 a group of "7" Japanese divers including 2 instructors went missing for 3 days, and sadly 2 of the divers perished. Whereas other incident involved less divers & no injuries or illnesses. That being said, even the most experienced divers or high-end dive centre can suffer misfortunes.

I recently bought a a copy of the classic "Diving Bali" with Wally Siagan, and in there, there's another story of an incident at Blue Corner/Mangroves where a Japanese diver was seperated from his dive group and boat when he surfaced, and dive boat went back to Sanur for the night. The diver decided he wasn't going to wait around and swam all the way back to Sanur and made land the following morning and booked to dive again next day as soon as he reached his dive resort.

Also the harsh reality is, and I'm very certain of this, is many unreported incidents and some fatalities have occurred in Indonesia and Bali over the past few years, but never is everything ever mentioned here on Indonesian scubaboard or the operators involved, and understandably it wouldn't be fair to blame every incident on the dive operators.

I've been to sites in Komodo etc., where instructors have perished, but DSD is done there, which I don't see a problem if the operators know about site and conditions.

You'll be surprised that even in "western" countries, Australia, USA etc., how often incidents still occur where divers are separated from group and boat for hours, in shark infested waters until rescued

Thanks all for filling in the details. Why I always carry a PLB! Like American express, don't leave land without it!!!!!
All things I expected- usually these stories have a common theme- wrong place wrong time for tides and currents, unexperienced locally divers,guides, and/ or captains, Poorly maintained boats, bad decisions making, Poorly equipped or prepared, etc.

 

[Wisnu]

Or meaning a guide is legally required and self discoverer wannabes are not permitted to dive (neither in buddy pairs nor as solo divers (with card)?

(I generally wonder about the same in the Philippines as well)

Yes, legally, a dive guide or instructor is required to accompany or supervise recreationally scuba diving (even snorkeling/skin diving) in Indonesia. Solo diving is not allowed. Clearly stipulated in the minister regulation no. 7 2016, appendix SOP.
Someone here might argue whether make sense or not but that's not the point.
I agree, in unlikely event somebody will stop or prevent you for diving without guide. The worst case; the dive shop will not rent you tanks.
Almost similar like riding motorbike in Bali, many people rent scooter without having license; and no issue unless incident or accident happened.

 

[Wisnu]

I'm guessing that you're talking about Pak Made @ Widana Dive Service in Padangbai? If so, he's an absolute gentleman and legend!

Yes, he is. Great guide, and avid photographer too.

 

[rexman24]

Thanks all for filling in the details. Why I always carry a PLB! Like American express, don't leave land without it!!!!!
All things I expected- usually these stories have a common theme- wrong place wrong time for tides and currents, unexperienced locally divers,guides, and/ or captains, Poorly maintained boats, bad decisions making, Poorly equipped or prepared, etc.

I have a friend, used to hang with Wally sangiani(sp), the hairy squat lobster carries his scientific name. The friend and his wife were lost at sea off south lombok diving magnet. They managed to get to the jaggEd shore before drifting into the channel to be swept into oblivion in the Indian ocean. They were quite injured landing on the jagged rocks. Stranded on a beach, eating snails. They eventually climbed to a mountain man's hut. He returned and screamed at thier trespassing, they eventually convinced him to go get the authorities and they were rescued after 4-5 days. Quite the fascinating read. His name is Joseph Summers. Great story!

 

[DownUnderwater Dan]

Yes, legally, a dive guide or instructor is required to accompany or supervise recreationally scuba diving (even snorkeling/skin diving) in Indonesia. Solo diving is not allowed. Clearly stipulated in the minister regulation no. 7 2016, appendix SOP.
Someone here might argue whether make sense or not but that's not the point.
I agree, in unlikely event somebody will stop or prevent you for diving without guide. The worst case; the dive shop will not rent you tanks.
Almost similar like riding motorbike in Bali, many people rent scooter without having license; and no issue unless incident or accident happened.

Hi Wisnu, yes I believe you're correct regarding regulations for solo diving in Indonesia, and I've tried multiple times and no dive shop has ever rented me tanks when I said I wanted to solo dive.

But I believe that regulation, which prohibits solo diving only applies to recreational diving operators or "wisata selam", which I interpret as a recreational diving business prohibited from facilitating unguided/unaccompanied dives from a boat?

I think in training and research purposes it may be allowed, and of course, if anyone has a tank and gear can go for a dive if they want to without going through a dive centre.

 

[Luko]

I also think that you may have some of the facts mixed up with another incident at that same site Mangroves, where in 2014 a group of "7" Japanese divers including 2 instructors went missing for 3 days, and sadly 2 of the divers perished.

I'm talking about the one involving DC, people are not clear whether it was Mangroves and/or Blue Corner (knowing that BC is at the end of Mangroves, hence I would say it's a matter of current speed...). The number of divers was 12 including a group of 5 and a group of 7, each led by a guide (senior CD and junior DM), that was in the afternoon and they were rescued,thanks to a dive light the junior DM said, while they were 10 miles adrift from their entry point.

Clearly the planning and the staffing didn't make any sense apart for cutting costs, esp. for the junior DM and the low budget boat. In this case, clearly DC's was part of the problem. I talked with one of Lembongan operator dive manager a year after this event : he said the local operators warned them several times about safety issues, even when DC started to run their operation on Lembongan.

I've been to sites in Komodo etc., where instructors have perished, but DSD is done there, which I don't see a problem if the operators know about site and conditions.

I dived in Komodo with the Dive center whose intructor had been lost a year before with 4 or 5 divers who had managed to reach a beach struggling to steer away the dragons .
I'm glad I didn't dive with her because I found she wasn't very receptive on any kind of requests or observations, one of the best quote she told me "Don't you think I have more important things to do than dive with the customers" while she didn't have any guides and her main instructor was on strike (Imagine that was coming from an instructor, managing her own shop).
This anecdote might not have any relationship with the incident, though with the hindsight... one diver who happened to be a mechanics engineer told her by ear the engine of the diveboat was about to break, she laughed at him, eventually the engine broke while we were underwater Batu Bolong, the exact place were she had been lost. Karma or cause? Humility should be a mandatory PADI specialty.

For a parallel with IT business where they're using the term PEBCAK, Problem Existing Between the chair and the Keyboard. I guess the diving equivalent could be PEBRAF R for regulator, F for fins. People don't listen enough.

 

[Wisnu]

Hi Wisnu, yes I believe you're correct regarding regulations for solo diving in Indonesia, and I've tried multiple times and no dive shop has ever rented me tanks when I said I wanted to solo dive.

But I believe that regulation, which prohibits solo diving only applies to recreational diving operators or "wisata selam", which I interpret as a recreational diving business prohibited from facilitating unguided/unaccompanied dives from a boat?

I think in training and research purposes it may be allowed, and of course, if anyone has a tank and gear can go for a dive if they want to without going through a dive centre.

Correct, the regulation is intended for recreational diving & tourism, It's issued by ministry of tourism.
Industrial and technical diving is covered by other regulation issued by ministry of man power ( i think).

 

[DownUnderwater Dan]

I'm talking about the one involving DC, people are not clear whether it was Mangroves and/or Blue Corner (knowing that BC is at the end of Mangroves, hence I would say it's a matter of current speed...). The number of divers was 12 including a group of 5 and a group of 7, each led by a guide (senior CD and junior DM), that was in the afternoon and they were rescued,thanks to a dive light the junior DM said, while they were 10 miles adrift from their entry point.

Clearly the planning and the staffing didn't make any sense apart for cutting costs, esp. for the junior DM and the low budget boat. In this case, clearly DC's was part of the problem. I talked with one of Lembongan operator dive manager a year after this event : he said the local operators warned them several times about safety issues, even when DC started to run their operation on Lembongan.


I dived in Komodo with the Dive center whose intructor had been lost a year before with 4 or 5 divers who had managed to reach a beach struggling to steer away the dragons .
I'm glad I didn't dive with her because I found she wasn't very receptive on any kind of requests or observations, one of the best quote she told me "Don't you think I have more important things to do than dive with the customers" while she didn't have any guides and her main instructor was on strike (Imagine that was coming from an instructor, managing her own shop).
This anecdote might not have any relationship with the incident, though with the hindsight... one diver who happened to be a mechanics engineer told her by ear the engine of the diveboat was about to break, she laughed at him, eventually the engine broke while we were underwater Batu Bolong, the exact place were she had been lost. Karma or cause? Humility should be a mandatory PADI specialty.

For a parallel with IT business where they're using the term PEBCAK, Problem Existing Between the chair and the Keyboard. I guess the diving equivalent could be PEBRAF R for regulator, F for fins. People don't listen enough.

Cheers for sharing your knowledge of the story. I've had some very challenging situations with other dive "companion/s" during rip roaring conditions at Mangroves, but mostly all very fond memories. And it's a site for all levels of divers, just a straight forward drift dive mostly.

Funnily, I do kinda miss seeing the hordes of Chinese tourists on the floating watersports platforms out there daily, they were always great entertainment to watch and have a laugh seeing them coming out of their shells and riding banana and donut boats,...good spirits all around.

 

[Luko]

Funnily, I do kinda miss seeing the hordes of Chinese tourists on the floating watersports platforms out there daily, they were always great entertainment to watch and have a laugh seeing them coming out of their shells and riding banana and donut boats,...good spirits all around.

I went back diving NP last Xmas after 3 years, I was horrified how Toyapakeh was busy at surface level with all kinds of snorkelers, banana boaters, etc. and that is before the chinese invasion to come!

Can you remember how Wally or Kal Muller described Toyapakeh looking through the cristal clear waters up to the surface skylined with the small cliffs and tree foliage. One of the best dives around Bali.
In a month time, all you might see looking up are those chinese bums in the middle of a yellow donut buoy.