diving on own initiative?

[jopperdepopper]

Hi,

I'm hoping to go to Thailand/Malaysia/Indonesia beginnning of 2006.
I was wondering if it's possible (and/or permitted?) to dive outside of the diveresort-based routines: can you go out on your own (with ur buddy) and go diving? Either shore-based or by getting/renting a boat somehow?

Best,
Job

 

[Bali-Freak]

One of the dive operators in Tulamben (Bali, Indonesia) used to rent out tanks, weights & equipment to divers even when they insisted they didn't want a guide (usually dive guide is included for small additional fee).

However over the years she found this wasn't cost-efficient because two of these divers died in separate incidents, and when these divers died the equipment couldn't be recovered (it was lost along with the corpses).

The part about the equipment is why she doesn't do it any more, and the part about the corpses is (in my opinion) a good reason you shouldn't.

 

[jopperdepopper]

Hi, thanks,

The part about the equipment is why she doesn't do it any more,

Well, I have my own equipment, so for that part there would not be much lost..

and the part about the corpses is (in my opinion) a good reason you shouldn't.

On this one I would have to totally agree with you...

It's not that I'm really planning to do so (go out on my own), and I'm certainly not so stupid to oppose local experience!
I'm planning to stay in the region for a few months, and would like to dive as much as possible. I'm just wondering if there are ways to do this a bit more cost-efficient? Going with a diveshop/guide costs at least around $30 per day, and then my bank account reaches rock-bottom pretty quickly...

Any other suggestions?

Best,
Job

 

[Bali-Freak]

Any other suggestions?

How about doing a Divemaster internship somewhere like Koh Tao in Thailand, or Lombok in Indonesia?

This will give you a chance to dive almost daily for free for as long as you stay (you gotta pay for the course itself, obviously) and you get a good qualification at the end of it too which may get you cheap / free dives in the future.

 

[jopperdepopper]

Doing a DM-course is one thing I'm thinking about, but leaves some extra time to fill...
Would you have any recommendations on doing a DM on Lombok? I was a bit put off by a story of Koh Tao being very, if not overly, crowded sometimes... do you have any Koh Tao experiences?

Thanks, best,
Job

 

[Bali-Freak]

Hehehe ... yea Koh Tao is kinda crowded, but depends which season you go. I do have experience of Koh Tao, 'cos that's where I learned to dive. But when I did it many years ago only a very few dive centres. Now new dive centres seem to pop up there like mushrooms after rainy day. Perhaps I can recommend www.masterdive.org/, though other people may have other recommendations.

I know a little about Lombok, because I used to work on Gili Trawangan in Lombok as diving Instructor. This is also very crowded, depending on season. There are several good quality dive operators there; Blue Marlin, Dream Divers, Big Bubble, Dive Indo. I don't recommend any one in particular, rather I think these four should all be good.

WARNING: Koh Tao & Gili Trawangan are party islands. If you don't party maybe you can easily get irritated by too much noise and drunk people.