bmaither
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In need of something a bit more exotic than the Caribbean, or Egypt for the fifth time, I could not resist the draw of an open spot that popped up on scuba board for a Komodo live aboard ... Which turned out to be even more exciting an anticipated!
Started off with a day in Singapore, just wandering around, to acclimatize to the 12 hour time change from Canada - it took me 3 days to get my sleep cycle adjusted. A little ambien on the trip over surely helped. SIN is Hot and humid, with amazing food and great diversity. The shopping really is high density on Orchard road - don't forget to ride the escalators, you may find another 8 levels to the building. I stayed at the Porcelain in Chinatown, very central for sightseeing. By far the smallest hotel room I have ever been in, but very functional and funky decor; I would stay again. Online deal was 95 US for a single.
A quick flight to Bali the next night, and an overnight in Sanur. Advice - don't stay at the Stani Puri Gopa. Nice pool and grounds, but the musty rooms and mothball scented towels are a bit nasty. Advice - from the airport, stand in line for the taxi ticket, or make sure you check the price before you start talking to the independents that will charge you double the rate. I paid 95 (all prices in 000's of rupiah) from the airport to Sanur, 240 from Sanur to Padangbai, 250 to Ubud and then 150 back to Sanur. Could have probably done a bit better, but still pretty cheap for a private car. Chat with a few of the drivers to gauge their english, and then you can pepper them with questions along the way.
In Padangbai I stayed with Absolute Scuba, and would highly recommend them. The bungalow was spacious, clean, and a fabulous change from Sanur. As it was a slow week I had private guides for 7 dives over three days. They have a great beach location, pool, and a fun crew. Dive hilites included two tanks at Liberty wreck, an easy day trip in a comfortable bus to Tulamben. Considering the volume of divers it gets, it's in amazing condition. Also excellent was a night dive at Blue Lagoon, with a wall and sandy beach combo.
Over to Ubud for a night, to check out this cultural Mecca. A bit busier than I was expecting, but still enjoyable. Stayed at the Tegal Sari, and highly recommend it. Get a morning massage in the pagoda by the pool for 85. I did not actually go into the Monkey Forest, but was still able to witness their wild antics. These are wild animals, and have some wily ways. Don't bring food, and hold on tight to cameras, bags, hats, etc., otherwise it's gone. In my short time I did not have a chance to get out to the surrounding countryside, which is apparently quieter ... Next time. Back to Sanur to meet up with the live aboard group, and then the flight to Bima the following morning ... To board the maiden voyage of the Indo Siren!
Hosted by Frank, the very entertaining principal of WWDS, we were in for a fun and exciting 10 days. The boat is a brand new build, full of modern conveniences. Computers in every room, sound, lots of storage space, well stocked drink fridges, camera tables and recharge stations, and a unique U shaped covered outdoor dining area. The dive prep deck in the front of the boat gives everyone fair space, but I would recommend grabbing a spot at the very front versus one of the sides. A few steps down to the dive platform on the side of the boat, and then into the zodiac for all dives. The deck crew will give you as much or as little assistance as you wish, and are always right there.
Excellent and plentiful food - I think that we spent more time eating than we did diving! The evening ritual with Ivan (sp?) is hilarious, when he explains the menu ... Attack!
Stella gives great massages in the afternoon, for a very reasonable 15 euros. Book early, because the spots fill up when word gets out. First day and last afternoon are great times.
Poor Suki (sp?), the apprentice Oddjob gets a seriously hard time from his teachers, but always with a massive smile on his face. He looks 14 but is actually 21.
The plan is generally for four dives a day - we managed 33 on the trip, due to arrival/departure times, and oh yes, the CURRENTS. A bit about this ... They are deserving of significant respect. I have a paltry 170 dives, and many of the instructors/masters on the boat were also challenged by some of the situations. Have an SMB and know how to use it. Save sufficient air for the ascent, in case a downdraft snatches you as you are moving away from the reef. Apparently they have the VHF beacon system on order ... I would be the first in line.
And the diving? Something for everyone here, and the diversity is why I came - drift, macro, pelagics, walls, muck, and a sunset/night dive every day. For all except the night dives, expect any thing to happen with the current.
We also had Chris Tan on board from Scubazoo, collecting video footage for a promo video - can't wait to see this, and find out what I missed on the other side of the dive site.
Hilites for me included:
Unusual Suspects - in Bima bay, with zero vis, garbage strewn, but an amazing assortment of creatures - classic muck
Cannibal Rock - a fantastic pinnacle, rich and dense with life, and spectacular for a night dive (a total of four dives at this site)
Yellow Wall - a vertical wall into the depths, covered by a stunning array of soft corals and feather stars
Hot Rocks - at the base of a volcanic island, complete with bubbling sand, Pygmy sea horses, and truly spectacular growth and density
Current City - a well deserved name - we probably could have water skiied off the back of the boat (while we were anchored). This is where a few divers lost their way a few years back and ended up overnighting with the dragons. Watch for downdrafts, an advanced site.
Tatawan Besar - a smoking drift dive that makes Maldives seem like a splash in the bathtub
Shotgun - woohoo!! - start out in the inlet, work your way into the converging channel, and when ready, step into the slipstream for a wild ride - put your camera in video mode to get a manta point of view
Batu Bolong - a small pinnacle in the Current City area, with astounding life - white tips, jacks, big tuna, napoleons, turtles. Try very hard to stay behind the pinnacle as the side, down and updrafts batter you around. Again, respect the currents, be ready for anything ... An advanced site.
Castle Rock - a large pinnacle, and the pinnacle of the Komodo trip for some - hit the currents right and it's big fish city - white, black, grey, trevally, tuna, and dolphins
General stuff:
- wine and spirits are very expensive in Indonesia due to heavy government duties - beer is reasonable, but wine starts at 30 US a bottle
- coffee aficionados will have trouble with the Balinese coffee (TFG the Siren has a proper machine
- walking down the street anywhere in Bali you will get asked a thousand times " transportation?" ... Get over it
- the wildlife in the bay at the bottom of Rinca was great - eagles that would fly down to scoop up things from the water, dragons, wild pigs, monkeys
- a strong pointing stick / something to keep you from getting pushed against the reef / something to leverage under hard coral to keep you from getting sucked into the blue in strong currents will get lots of use
- pack light - lightweight clothing, that is ... Very hot and humid. Pick up a sarong in Bali for less than 10US, you will get a lot of use out of it
A very special thanks to Marco Gervasi, who pulled this together for the group, yet slept on the couch or dining bench every night. This first group gave the boat, crew, and beer fridge a good workout, and I'm sure that future trips will be even better than ours. I've got my fingers crossed for Palau in Nov '12, and another new boat from WWDS.
Photos: Bali Komodo - a set on Flickr
Started off with a day in Singapore, just wandering around, to acclimatize to the 12 hour time change from Canada - it took me 3 days to get my sleep cycle adjusted. A little ambien on the trip over surely helped. SIN is Hot and humid, with amazing food and great diversity. The shopping really is high density on Orchard road - don't forget to ride the escalators, you may find another 8 levels to the building. I stayed at the Porcelain in Chinatown, very central for sightseeing. By far the smallest hotel room I have ever been in, but very functional and funky decor; I would stay again. Online deal was 95 US for a single.
A quick flight to Bali the next night, and an overnight in Sanur. Advice - don't stay at the Stani Puri Gopa. Nice pool and grounds, but the musty rooms and mothball scented towels are a bit nasty. Advice - from the airport, stand in line for the taxi ticket, or make sure you check the price before you start talking to the independents that will charge you double the rate. I paid 95 (all prices in 000's of rupiah) from the airport to Sanur, 240 from Sanur to Padangbai, 250 to Ubud and then 150 back to Sanur. Could have probably done a bit better, but still pretty cheap for a private car. Chat with a few of the drivers to gauge their english, and then you can pepper them with questions along the way.
In Padangbai I stayed with Absolute Scuba, and would highly recommend them. The bungalow was spacious, clean, and a fabulous change from Sanur. As it was a slow week I had private guides for 7 dives over three days. They have a great beach location, pool, and a fun crew. Dive hilites included two tanks at Liberty wreck, an easy day trip in a comfortable bus to Tulamben. Considering the volume of divers it gets, it's in amazing condition. Also excellent was a night dive at Blue Lagoon, with a wall and sandy beach combo.
Over to Ubud for a night, to check out this cultural Mecca. A bit busier than I was expecting, but still enjoyable. Stayed at the Tegal Sari, and highly recommend it. Get a morning massage in the pagoda by the pool for 85. I did not actually go into the Monkey Forest, but was still able to witness their wild antics. These are wild animals, and have some wily ways. Don't bring food, and hold on tight to cameras, bags, hats, etc., otherwise it's gone. In my short time I did not have a chance to get out to the surrounding countryside, which is apparently quieter ... Next time. Back to Sanur to meet up with the live aboard group, and then the flight to Bima the following morning ... To board the maiden voyage of the Indo Siren!
Hosted by Frank, the very entertaining principal of WWDS, we were in for a fun and exciting 10 days. The boat is a brand new build, full of modern conveniences. Computers in every room, sound, lots of storage space, well stocked drink fridges, camera tables and recharge stations, and a unique U shaped covered outdoor dining area. The dive prep deck in the front of the boat gives everyone fair space, but I would recommend grabbing a spot at the very front versus one of the sides. A few steps down to the dive platform on the side of the boat, and then into the zodiac for all dives. The deck crew will give you as much or as little assistance as you wish, and are always right there.
Excellent and plentiful food - I think that we spent more time eating than we did diving! The evening ritual with Ivan (sp?) is hilarious, when he explains the menu ... Attack!
Stella gives great massages in the afternoon, for a very reasonable 15 euros. Book early, because the spots fill up when word gets out. First day and last afternoon are great times.
Poor Suki (sp?), the apprentice Oddjob gets a seriously hard time from his teachers, but always with a massive smile on his face. He looks 14 but is actually 21.
The plan is generally for four dives a day - we managed 33 on the trip, due to arrival/departure times, and oh yes, the CURRENTS. A bit about this ... They are deserving of significant respect. I have a paltry 170 dives, and many of the instructors/masters on the boat were also challenged by some of the situations. Have an SMB and know how to use it. Save sufficient air for the ascent, in case a downdraft snatches you as you are moving away from the reef. Apparently they have the VHF beacon system on order ... I would be the first in line.
And the diving? Something for everyone here, and the diversity is why I came - drift, macro, pelagics, walls, muck, and a sunset/night dive every day. For all except the night dives, expect any thing to happen with the current.
We also had Chris Tan on board from Scubazoo, collecting video footage for a promo video - can't wait to see this, and find out what I missed on the other side of the dive site.
Hilites for me included:
Unusual Suspects - in Bima bay, with zero vis, garbage strewn, but an amazing assortment of creatures - classic muck
Cannibal Rock - a fantastic pinnacle, rich and dense with life, and spectacular for a night dive (a total of four dives at this site)
Yellow Wall - a vertical wall into the depths, covered by a stunning array of soft corals and feather stars
Hot Rocks - at the base of a volcanic island, complete with bubbling sand, Pygmy sea horses, and truly spectacular growth and density
Current City - a well deserved name - we probably could have water skiied off the back of the boat (while we were anchored). This is where a few divers lost their way a few years back and ended up overnighting with the dragons. Watch for downdrafts, an advanced site.
Tatawan Besar - a smoking drift dive that makes Maldives seem like a splash in the bathtub
Shotgun - woohoo!! - start out in the inlet, work your way into the converging channel, and when ready, step into the slipstream for a wild ride - put your camera in video mode to get a manta point of view
Batu Bolong - a small pinnacle in the Current City area, with astounding life - white tips, jacks, big tuna, napoleons, turtles. Try very hard to stay behind the pinnacle as the side, down and updrafts batter you around. Again, respect the currents, be ready for anything ... An advanced site.
Castle Rock - a large pinnacle, and the pinnacle of the Komodo trip for some - hit the currents right and it's big fish city - white, black, grey, trevally, tuna, and dolphins
General stuff:
- wine and spirits are very expensive in Indonesia due to heavy government duties - beer is reasonable, but wine starts at 30 US a bottle
- coffee aficionados will have trouble with the Balinese coffee (TFG the Siren has a proper machine
- walking down the street anywhere in Bali you will get asked a thousand times " transportation?" ... Get over it
- the wildlife in the bay at the bottom of Rinca was great - eagles that would fly down to scoop up things from the water, dragons, wild pigs, monkeys
- a strong pointing stick / something to keep you from getting pushed against the reef / something to leverage under hard coral to keep you from getting sucked into the blue in strong currents will get lots of use
- pack light - lightweight clothing, that is ... Very hot and humid. Pick up a sarong in Bali for less than 10US, you will get a lot of use out of it
A very special thanks to Marco Gervasi, who pulled this together for the group, yet slept on the couch or dining bench every night. This first group gave the boat, crew, and beer fridge a good workout, and I'm sure that future trips will be even better than ours. I've got my fingers crossed for Palau in Nov '12, and another new boat from WWDS.
Photos: Bali Komodo - a set on Flickr
