First time to Indo, want to do my divemaster, based on my preferences where do I go?

[cmneus]

Hello!
I'm ready to do my divemaster and since I have only been to the Caribbean before I would love to do it in Indonesia but am having a hard time choosing a location. I have spent the last week reading threads in this forum and am still confused, there are just so many choices! Since I will be spending a decent amount of time in one spot I want to make sure it has what I like.
So, I love the small stuff, especially nudis and searching for all the things that cannot be seen simply drifting by. I love lush coral gardens and walls covered in brilliant fish. I'm especially excited about Indo because of the awesome biodiversity it boasts compared to the Caribbean. Just as equally I love big schools of fish (my dream is to be caught in the middle of a sardine run) and I need to be able to see something big, mantas, sharks, etc.


So since I wanted pretty badly to see the mantas I had decided on Nusa Lembongan (specifically Big Fish) but haven't figured out how good it will be for the small stuff and lush corals that I love equally since most of it is drift diving and I like to take my time and hunt in every crack and crevice for the itty bitty stuff too.......
Is Nusa Lembongan the wrong choice for me considering that (also I hear the water can be pretty chilly....)

As for a dive op, I want a safe, reliable and smaller operation where I will get personal attention and not be amongst a herd of others doing their divemaster certs. It would be nice to have the sites very near the dive op. I would very much like to see what muck diving is all about since the weird and wonderful fascinates me but I haven't seen it other than on You Tube! However, I don't want it to be ALL muck diving.

I have no interest in late-night partying, in fact I don't drink alcohol at all. I am interested in sitting around with other divers at the end of the day (maybe at a beachside bar or restaurant) and talking about the days events and going to bed early.

I think that is a pretty good description of my preferences......so......where would be best for me?!

Thank you!

Christine

 

[Lorenzoid]

From reading your list of things that you want to do--mantas, muck diving, etc.--why not just go to Indonesia and dive? I mean, why do you want to be a divemaster? Internal flights around Indonesia are not expensive. You could get in weeks of great diving in Bali, Komodo and Sulawesi all in the same trip, rather than be tied to one place while you slave away as a tank monkey during an internship. I apologize if I am reading too much into your enthusiasm for Indonesia, but it sounds like seeing all the amazing stuff Indonesia diving has to offer is number one on your priority list--above learning to be a divemaster.

 

[dirtfarmer]

Check out TwoFish they have 3 resorts. Lembongan for your manta's, Lembeh for your muck, and Bunaken for your walls. They also don't have hordes doing divemasters or C-cards.

 

[cmneus]

I appreciate you sharing your thoughts, I really do, but I knew I would get comments like this. Maybe I should have left the part about wanting to get my divemaster rating out of it and then I probably would have gotten the answers I wanted. So start over and lets pretend I just want to go for fun diving, where would I go to fit all of my preferences?
Thank you!

From reading your list of things that you want to do--mantas, muck diving, etc.--why not just go to Indonesia and dive? I mean, why do you want to be a divemaster? Internal flights around Indonesia are not expensive. You could get in weeks of great diving in Bali, Komodo and Sulawesi all in the same trip, rather than be tied to one place while you slave away as a tank monkey during an internship. I apologize if I am reading too much into your enthusiasm for Indonesia, but it sounds like seeing all the amazing stuff Indonesia diving has to offer is number one on your priority list--above learning to be a divemaster.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Raja Ampat liveaboard.

I'm pretending just like you asked.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I appreciate you sharing your thoughts, I really do, but I knew I would get comments like this. Maybe I should have left the part about wanting to get my divemaster rating out of it and then I probably would have gotten the answers I wanted. So start over and lets pretend I just want to go for fun diving, where would I go to fit all of my preferences?
Thank you!

Well, I do think it's a different question, because it you're going to do a divemaster internship, you would probably want to pick a place more by the reputation of the instructor who's going to be teaching you and not so much by the location. If the question were just "where to go to dive in Indonesia," there must be many threads. dirtfarmer's reply above seems good. As I mentioned, you would probably want to visit more than one island to get the best of the various things you want to see. Yeah, on Sulawesi you could hit Lembeh for muck and Bunaken for walls, and you could get your fill of mantas over near Bali or Komodo. If you have several weeks or months to devote to this trip (which your inquiry about a DM course suggests you do), the thing to do is definitely island hop. Heck, chillyinCanada's suggestion of a liveaboard is far from crazy, if you've got the budget.

 

[cmneus]

Doing the three locations with TwoFish was my initial thought, they seem like a great dive op from everything the threads say and seeing all three places and getting experience in three different environments sounds like a great idea but they are super expensive and I only have a month if I don't want to quit my job here at home (I do want to but I know that divemasters don't make money, once I do the IDC I would have a better chance at getting at least a low paying instructor job).

So here is another question.....is there actually only drift diving in Lembongan or is a decent amount easy diving where I can see beautiful reefs and the itty bitty stuff too?
Would I be better off in North Sulawesi for the most diversity and best growth of critters/coral and see the occasional big guy out in the blue?

Check out TwoFish they have 3 resorts. Lembongan for your manta's, Lembeh for your muck, and Bunaken for your walls. They also don't have hordes doing divemasters or C-cards.

---------- Post added June 11th, 2014 at 10:15 PM ----------

Yes.....the holy grail. I should have put a budget amount in my post!

Raja Ampat liveaboard.

I'm pretending just like you asked.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Will Two Fish let you move between their locations while you are doing the DM course? If their DM internship is like most I'm familiar with, the course is going to take up most or all of your four weeks, and you'll be expected to do some work, helping take care of their guests, etc.--in other words, learning DM-ish things beyond what's in the course itself. If like most internships, your ability to wander off elsewhere for fun dives is limited. Sorry I keep going back to questioning the ease of mixing DM training with fun diving, but it strikes me as a poor tradeoff to attempt both when you only have four weeks in an incredible (and big) place like Indonesia. I'll have to bow out at this point, as my knowledge of Indonesia really is pretty thin. I've only taken two trips there (but Raja Ampat in 2016 is a goal). Whatever you decide, I'm sure it will be a great experience.

 

[victor]

Christine
Maybe you should look into where will provide the best training.
That may or may not be in Indonesia or Thailand.
Many would say that if you can be DM in the great lakes then being a DM anywhere else is a walk in the park.
Concentrate on the quality of the training establishment more than on the dubious benefits when not doing your day job.
Just my 2c worth

 

[MA]

Like others have said you really need to consider what you are going for. Doing a DM internship you will be busy watching your guests, not searching for nudis. It is a fantastic and challenging course. But forget about what you may see. You are there to learn skills, assist on courses, deal with the gear, lead dives where your focus will depend on the skill of the divers, do rescue scenarios, learn a lot if theory etc. you may get a few fun dives in and of you're lucky get the opportunity for the creatures but the majority of the time it is just plain hard work - but very rewarding!

wnjoy whatever decision you make!