Raja Ampat, Komodo, Wakatobi, or elsewhere?

[Luko]

Maybe that was just one diveop?

Well... it seems that this particular op had specialized in this kind of run-of-the-mill guides, it just takes a walk down the street to witness that many of the other centres hire their clones.
To me it looks there's a Dahab - KoTao - Gili Trawangan - Labuan Bajo - Utila wanker trail

 

[Tippytoes12]

As I have got older I have become less tolerant of gringo guides. We had one recently who spent the dive fiddling with his computer and looking out into the blue. At the end he swam over a blue ring octopus and my husband spotted it.....GRRRR....far far prefer local guides. It seems though that more experienced divers get allocated local DMs, they seem to grasp that when we fly half way around the world they should make some effort to look for things. We have been back to several of our favorite places recently and have been very very lucky with experienced local guides.

 

[Luko]

As I have got older I have become less tolerant of gringo guides. We had one recently who spent the dive fiddling with his computer and looking out into the blue. At the end he swam over a blue ring octopus and my husband spotted it.....GRRRR....far far prefer local guides. It seems though that more experienced divers get allocated local DMs, they seem to grasp that when we fly half way around the world they should make some effort to look for things. We have been back to several of our favorite places recently and have been very very lucky with experienced local guides.

I usually book private guides and ask for locals.
In this particular case the Labuan Bajo operation promised me a local spotter months before I came, I paid for the guide service but when I came in they assigned me the gringo guy,saying the indo was already planned on another boat.
I have no probllems in Bali or N/Sulawesi where I know the operations and the guides. This experience emphasized that I shouldn't be flexible anymore on the guide when I have never been diving previously with the operation..

 

[Indah]

......gringo guy,saying the indo was already planned on another boat.....
Luko with "Indo" you mean Indonesian?

 

[Luko]

Luko with "Indo" you mean Indonesian?

Obviousy since the choice was between local vs. gringo guides.

 

[Indah]

Indo does not mean Indonesian: Indo is a term used to describe Eurasian people who were a migrant population that associated themselves with and experienced the colonial culture of the former Dutch East Indies, a Dutch colony in Southeast Asia that became Indonesia after World War II.

 

[Luko]

Indo does not mean Indonesian: Indo is a term used to describe Eurasian people who were a migrant population that associated themselves with and experienced the colonial culture of the former Dutch East Indies, a Dutch colony in Southeast Asia that became Indonesia after World War II.

Oh ok, what you say,
I had no idea the term refered to a specific subpopulation in Indonesia, I am using "Indo" as a reference to the roots of the name "Indonesia" which is a conjunction of the greek term "Indos" applied to the other greek term "Nesos" which means... yes, islands.. (simply said in other words : the native people of indonesia, without having to type "indonesian" on my keyboard each time)

That said I am also using the term "gringo" which you could also have nitpicked I should have used "bule" instead, since I am also encompassing Spanish or even SouthAmerican guides in Indonesia (there are) into this category,..

I am not sure though it matters with the issue of local guides knowing the reefs better than the bule.

 

[billt4sf]

Oh ok, what you say,
I had no idea the term refered to a specific subpopulation in Indonesia, I am using "Indo" as a reference to the roots of the name "Indonesia" which is a conjunction of the greek term "Indos" applied to the other greek term "Nesos" which means... yes, islands.. (simply said in other words : the native people of indonesia, without having to type "indonesian" on my keyboard each time)

That said I am also using the term "gringo" which you could also have nitpicked I should have used "bule" instead, since I am also encompassing Spanish or even SouthAmerican guides in Indonesia (there are) into this category,..

I am not sure though it matters with the issue of local guides knowing the reefs better than the bule.

Don't worry Luko, I knew you were insulting me and my people with the term "gringo". We are deeply insulted, and I have resolved never to dive with a frog again!

- Bill

 

[Luko]

We are deeply insulted, and I have resolved never to dive with a frog again!

- Bill

Hear hear Cédric !

 

[Dan]

Indo = half breed (half bule, half Indonesian)