Gillis and Lembogan

[Dan]

Ssearch A&I for Penida.

Got it! Thanks!

Here’s an interesting one, Bad weekend in Indonesia

2nd diver was caught in a down current in Crystal Bay out at Nusa Penida while doing a Mola Mola dive. It was a female diver from Thailand and unfortunately she is no longer with us. She was found 4 days later on Sanur beach.

 

[Dan]

Here are links to other dive accidents at Crystal Bay dive site (thanks to @DandyDon for guiding me on where to look). There may be more, but you, @DownUnderwater Dan, would get my drift about the slope that is facing the blue water, outside the bay of Crystal Bay is not the place for beginner, the inexperienced divers.

Danish dive fatality - Bali

Second Foreign Diver Drowns Off Bali Beach | The Jakarta Globe Denpasar. A 44-year-old Danish man drowned off of Crystal Bay beach on Balis Nusa Penida island on Tuesday, marking the second diving fatality there in the past three days. Henrik Ent Jensen reportedly boarded a speed boat at...

scubaboard.com

Japanese tourist missing in Crystal Bay (Bali)

First of all, I've reported in the other thread on a discussion I've had with prominent Bali/Lembongan dive industry leaders. One of my questions was specifically whether a code of conduct might help the situation at Lembongan. I was told that this is one of the ideas, but it's a slow process...

scubaboard.com

Close Call in Bali - know your DM and Dive Operator very well

My friends and I just got back from what we thought would be great mola mola dive trip. We planned our dive to the dot. We had a very rigid selection process for our dive operator. Aside from price and the feedback other divers gave, we checked out their website, facbook, location, etc...

scubaboard.com

Nusa Penida, Bali accident

An Indonesian newspaper (The Jakarta Post) has a report of a diving accident at Nusa Penida that resulted in the 'departure' of a Japanese citizen. Details are sketchy. Does anyone have any more information from a credible source?

scubaboard.com

Bali: Beware

As in any tourist/dive meccca, there are good and bad operators; please read below and judge for yourself. Diving company in the spotlight over Czech woman's disappearance Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar Rescuers questioned Monday the decision of a diving company to allow...

scubaboard.com

 

[DownUnderwater Dan]

Here are links to other dive accidents at Crystal Bay dive site (thanks to @DandyDon for guiding me on where to look). There may be more, but you, @DownUnderwater Dan would get my drift about Crystal Bay is not the place for beginner, the inexperienced divers.

Danish dive fatality - Bali

Second Foreign Diver Drowns Off Bali Beach | The Jakarta Globe Denpasar. A 44-year-old Danish man drowned off of Crystal Bay beach on Balis Nusa Penida island on Tuesday, marking the second diving fatality there in the past three days. Henrik Ent Jensen reportedly boarded a speed boat at...

scubaboard.com

Japanese tourist missing in Crystal Bay (Bali)

First of all, I've reported in the other thread on a discussion I've had with prominent Bali/Lembongan dive industry leaders. One of my questions was specifically whether a code of conduct might help the situation at Lembongan. I was told that this is one of the ideas, but it's a slow process...

scubaboard.com

Close Call in Bali - know your DM and Dive Operator very well

My friends and I just got back from what we thought would be great mola mola dive trip. We planned our dive to the dot. We had a very rigid selection process for our dive operator. Aside from price and the feedback other divers gave, we checked out their website, facbook, location, etc...

scubaboard.com

Nusa Penida, Bali accident

An Indonesian newspaper (The Jakarta Post) has a report of a diving accident at Nusa Penida that resulted in the 'departure' of a Japanese citizen. Details are sketchy. Does anyone have any more information from a credible source?

scubaboard.com

Bali: Beware

As in any tourist/dive meccca, there are good and bad operators; please read below and judge for yourself. Diving company in the spotlight over Czech woman's disappearance Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar Rescuers questioned Monday the decision of a diving company to allow...

scubaboard.com

If Crystal Bay isn't a place for the beginners/inexperienced, then why would dive shops in Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Penida regularly do open water & advanced OW courses there if it was so dangerous? Also DSD's regularly done at Crystal Bay.

And all those reports you linked are from 1 or 2 decades ago. There hasn't been any reported deaths there for more than a decade.

Not trying to argue your point that Crystal Bay can be difficult in certain conditions, but for diving tourists avoiding it because they heard it's dangerous is misinformed. It's actually one of the most popular dive sites in Indonesia.

The Blue Corner dive site on the other hand, has a lot more potential for danger. It used to be dive shop's policy, not sure about now, that you needed minimum 100 logged dives before they allowed you to dive it.

 

[Dan]

If Crystal Bay isn't a place for the beginners/inexperienced, then why would dive shops in Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Penida regularly do open water & advanced OW courses there if it was so dangerous? Also DSD's regularly done at Crystal Bay.

They probably do it in the bay (shallow), not at the slope, as I mentioned earlier (inside the red circle in the Google Earth picture of Crystal Bay, below). The slope would be to the west of Pulau Batumenjinong.

Diving inside the bay is pretty safe. They even bring snorkelers there.

I added the following qualifier to my earlier post on which part of Crystal Bay is more for the experienced divers: “the slope that is facing the blue water, outside the bay of Crystal Bay”

P.S. Have you dove the Bat Cafe on the north side of Crystal Bay? It’s a cool dive when the water is relatively calm.

 

[Dan]

And all those reports you linked are from 1 or 2 decades ago. There hasn't been any reported deaths there for more than a decade.

Perhaps dive operators learned from the past and take experienced divers to the slope at the right “conditions”?

 

[Centrals]

Perhaps dive operators learned from the past and take experie.......

"Perhaps"!

If Crystal Bay isn't a place for the beginners/inexperienced, then why would dive shops in Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Penida regularly do open water & advanced OW courses there if it was so dangerous? Also DSD's regularly done at Crystal Bay.

And all those reports you linked are from 1 or 2 decades ago. There hasn't been any reported deaths there for more than a decade.

Not trying to argue your point that Crystal Bay can be difficult in certain conditions, but for diving tourists avoiding it because they heard it's dangerous is misinformed. It's actually one of the most popular dive sites in Indonesia.

The Blue Corner dive site on the other hand, has a lot more potential for danger. It used to be dive shop's policy, not sure about now, that you needed minimum 100 logged dives before they allowed you to dive it.

I am afraid there is NO definity answer to your question. Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion.

 

[Centrals]

...... I wouldn't categorize Penida as "washing machine" either. Strong drifts, sure, but JohnnieB's comment made me think he's never been to, say, Alor, or even Pulau Weh and Komodo.....

You should never ever took his/her comment seriously.

 

[DownUnderwater Dan]

Perhaps dive operators learned from the past and take experienced divers to the slope at the right “conditions”?

Yes, also internet accessibility, and networking between dive operators has improved, so as to plan dive trips around the tides and dive conditions.

A lot of divers with <20 dives go Mola hunting down the slope, they're usually low on air earlier. But dive operators group divers reasonably well, so not any fatalities for a long long time.

They probably do it in the bay (shallow), not at the slope,

Advanced open water and deep speciaty (40m) are done at slope. Just depends on the divers and the conditions.

P.S. Have you dove the Bat Cafe on the north side of Crystal Bay? It’s a cool dive when the water is relatively calm.

No, I've never had the opportunity to, would like to one day.

I've had night dives at Crystal Bay, but not in the "cold water" season, but would love to.

 

[JonnieB]

Exactly, all the conservation programs in North Bali were closed. Not sure what's so confusing about that?

Yeah, I wouldn't categorize Penida as "washing machine" either. Strong drifts, sure, but JohnnieB's comment made me think he's never been to, say, Alor, or even Pulau Weh and Komodo. Diving without my kid, I don't even think about navigating currents in Penida, whereas Komodo requires more brute force, Weh requires a lot of feeling and thinking and strategizing sometimes to get around currents, and Alor requires knowing one's limits to know when to quit lol. It's just that having a very ADHD OW teen diver on my watch was nerve-racking. I also imagine that even if we want to stay on Bali island, Menjangan would be a nicer place to take him than Amed (more reef and fish, less macro/muck).

Menjangan is mostly wall diving...not sure how much a junior diver would like it. The nearby Purmuteran area has more variety. You sure have a bee in your mask about Amed...so many wonderful dives with lots of fish, corals, massive sponges, and artificial reef structures (in addition to all the macro sites). You seem to be of the mind that you have to go far out and remote to find good diving. Just look at some of the YT videos of Jemuluk Bay and Pyramids sites to see some of what's on offer.

 

[Centrals]

Menjangan is mostly wall diving...not sure how much a junior diver would like it. The nearby Purmuteran area has more variety. You sure have a bee in your mask about Amed...so many wonderful dives with lots of fish, corals, massive sponges, and artificial reef structures (in addition to all the macro sites). You seem to be of the mind that you have to go far out and remote to find good diving. Just look at some of the YT videos of Jemuluk Bay and Pyramids sites to see some of what's on offer.

LOL.
What do you really know about diving in Bali?

Such easy relaxed diving in Amed with lots of fish, sharks, and turtles and little to no currents and great vis. Why do people take kids to washing machines like Penida/Lembongon? Do your research divers!

How much research have you done on Homestay in Raja Ampat? ZERO.