Bali diveprices

[Blackcrusader]

How many dive boats have you been on that have 2 engines? It does sound like you had an unfortunate experience and its sounds like the boat should have turned back.

When I dove in South Lombok at with Wild Scuba Indonesia in September 2022 the boat has two engines, also with Tamarind Divers in Lembongan. Also we had our own satellite beacons if we got separated in the fast current dives. On one of the planned dives to the cleaning station to see hammerheads, the divers often surface more than 1.5km away from the boat. My dive buddy had a longer and wider DSMB that I was able to spot as myself and the wife of the owner did our own dive from the drop off point. I doubt Luko has anger management issues. If you are left stranded in the water by any dive op then you have a right to be critical.

OK for prices... I stayed at Matahari in Tulamben. We were offered to just rent tanks and do local shore dives without a guide but we decided use a guide as so cheap anyway. They had a fixed priced for doing dives so you could do 5 dives a day and pay no more than 2 day and one night dive would cost. In South Lombok there was cost of getting from resort to the boat 400k a day and the first day I think 2.4million for each diver then 1.7million for following days. 3 dives a day.
Tamarind Divers in Lembongan I forgot the dive costs maybe for the two dives a day. Was happy that they allowed divers better on air to group up and do 75 - 80 minute dive times. On one of the drift dives after 80 mins we surfaced. Another dive boat cruised past asking who we were and they notified the boat caption where we were. Seems the ops there look out for others divers.

 

[matts1w]

Returning more closely to the original thrust of OP's query, I would like to ask for advice from some of the more experienced SB Bali regular divers re dive prices. I am much more familiar with the setup in the Philippines having dived there many times over the years, but have only been to NP once just prior to the pandemic and enjoyed Manta Point but missed the Molas as it was the wrong season.

I am planning a 5 day dive trip in Aug/Sep and was originally thinking to base my family (all 4 divers) in Candidasa/Padang Bai in order to do a range of dives (2 days Tulamben/Amed, 1 day Gili T/M/Biaha, 1 day NP Crystal Bay/Manta Point, 1 day PBmuck/macro). I found that the average dive prices in Tulamben to be around USD$20-30, while the same in Candidasa/PB seem to be around the $40-45 range? Cost is not the number one consideration(safety and quality come first for me), but when one is paying for everything x4, costs quickly add up! Could some of the old hands please chime in on the following:

Is my initial assessment of the price difference accurate? If so, what is the reason for the almost doubling of prices? I assume the macro in Tulamben is just as good, if not better than that in PB?
Could we do a similar multi day/place dive schedule based in Tulamben to save some costs? Or does that mean that we are basically only doing (great)macro+wreck?
Can we dive the nearby Gilis T/M/B as a day trip from Tulamben?
I understand that the trip to NP will cost more due to the longer boat ride etc, but is that doable if we are staying in Tulamben instead of Candidasa/PB? Would love to try for the Molas this time around and Manta Point is definitely worth a 2nd visit!

Thanks in advance for any and all help!

I hope I am not stating the obvious as you seem to know the area, but the prices in Tulamben are all shore dives and involve no boat- you and a guide walk down the beach and hop in the water. At Liberty, they have a price for dives in Tulamben, then a bit more outside of Tulamben as a ride in a truck is involved. There are some coral dives in Tulamben, so it won't all be muck and sand. Diving Gili Biaha and the others would be a heck of a run from Tulamben. I suspect if you tried to arrange it from Tulamben they would put you in a car and drive you to Padang Bai.

All of the diving in Padang Bai and Candidasa are boat dives, hence the higher prices- marine fuel, captain, boat crew, guide, etc...

 

[rexman24]

Returning more closely to the original thrust of OP's query, I would like to ask for advice from some of the more experienced SB Bali regular divers re dive prices. I am much more familiar with the setup in the Philippines having dived there many times over the years, but have only been to NP once just prior to the pandemic and enjoyed Manta Point but missed the Molas as it was the wrong season.

I am planning a 5 day dive trip in Aug/Sep and was originally thinking to base my family (all 4 divers) in Candidasa/Padang Bai in order to do a range of dives (2 days Tulamben/Amed, 1 day Gili T/M/Biaha, 1 day NP Crystal Bay/Manta Point, 1 day PBmuck/macro). I found that the average dive prices in Tulamben to be around USD$20-30, while the same in Candidasa/PB seem to be around the $40-45 range? Cost is not the number one consideration(safety and quality come first for me), but when one is paying for everything x4, costs quickly add up! Could some of the old hands please chime in on the following:

Is my initial assessment of the price difference accurate? If so, what is the reason for the almost doubling of prices? I assume the macro in Tulamben is just as good, if not better than that in PB?
Could we do a similar multi day/place dive schedule based in Tulamben to save some costs? Or does that mean that we are basically only doing (great)macro+wreck?
Can we dive the nearby Gilis T/M/B as a day trip from Tulamben?
I understand that the trip to NP will cost more due to the longer boat ride etc, but is that doable if we are staying in Tulamben instead of Candidasa/PB? Would love to try for the Molas this time around and Manta Point is definitely worth a 2nd visit!

Thanks in advance for any and all help!

For the most part the dives in A/T are shore dives, or diving from a very,very small fishing boat. Where as, the dives in PB and the Nusas are mostly from a proper dive boat. I think that is why you see the price difference.

I don't think the Gillis are really doable from Tulamben.

 

[wsar]

Thanks for all the helpful info, I guess either we bite the bullet and budget more funds for all the diving around Candi/PB, plus the options of trips out to Gilis and NP, or just chill at Tulamben and dive up and down the shore from Kubu to Amed. I just thought since some of the operators in Candidasa offer day trips to Amed and Tulamben that the reverse would also be doable (day trip to PB and Gilis from Tulamben) but from what you guys say I guess that's not really viable.

 

[rexman24]

Thanks for all the helpful info, I guess either we bite the bullet and budget more funds for all the diving around Candi/PB, plus the options of trips out to Gilis and NP, or just chill at Tulamben and dive up and down the shore from Kubu to Amed. I just thought since some of the operators in Candidasa offer day trips to Amed and Tulamben that the reverse would also be doable (day trip to PB and Gilis from Tulamben) but from what you guys say I guess that's not really viable.

It can be done but you are just going to pay them for a ride every day. We are going to do 5 days A/T, 4 days in PB and 3 days in Nusa Lembongan. Maybe try that?

 

[wsar]

It can be done but you are just going to pay them for a ride every day. We are going to do 5 days A/T, 4 days in PB and 3 days in Nusa Lembongan. Maybe try that?

That's a good suggestion, maybe I will try a 3/2 days or 2/3 days split between staying in Tulamben/Candidasa and see how that works out. Wish I had the 12 days you've got to play with but unfortunately for us it will have to be 5 diving days max this time around! Likely Tulamben first for some easier diving, then Gilis/Penida for more challenging dives, and then a shorter ride back to the airport.

 

[rexman24]

That's a good suggestion, maybe I will try a 3/2 days or 2/3 days split between staying in Tulamben/Candidasa and see how that works out. Wish I had the 12 days you've got to play with but unfortunately for us it will have to be 5 diving days max this time around! Likely Tulamben first for some easier diving, then Gilis/Penida for more challenging dives, and then a shorter ride back to the airport.

Yeah I think that's a good plan!

 

[hedonist222]

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!

Joseph recounted that story to me in person.
Bewildering.