Trip Report Raja Ampat, Live Report, Nov. 7-Dec. 7, 2023

[FishWatcher747]

I just spent a month diving in Indonesia (Una Una & Kri Island) and my best suggestion for using a card is to get a Wise card. My card worked everywhere without a problem. Also, get a local SIM card when you arrive it will make your life so much easier.

Is this a debit card and you fund the wise account from your bank account prior to the trip?

Edit: If so does the Wise Debit Card give you more IDR in the ATMs than a US based bank Debit Card?

 

[JonnieB]

I'm pretty sure that we were were told on Blue Manta that gloves were not allowed - folks used carefully-placed reef hooks, pointers or bare hands in high current areas. No one wore gloves and no one tore up their hands (should be avoiding live coral and jaggies even if using gloves - same for hooks and pointers).

However, we never got caught in a bad down current that required clinging to a wall and or climbing it but, barring that type of dangerous occurrence, I don't really see a need for gloves and understand the "ban".

What is your understanding of the ban...that gloved divers will start touching the reef and picking up marine life willy-nilly?

 

[JonnieB]

Is this a debit card and you fund the wise account from your bank account prior to the trip?

Edit: If so does the Wise Debit Card give you more IDR in the ATMs than a US based bank Debit Card?

No to the second question. Deposit withdrawal limits are set by the bank that owns the ATM, not the card being used (or the withdrawal limit set by the card owner).

 

[Joneill]

What is your understanding of the ban...that gloved divers will start touching the reef and picking up marine life willy-nilly?

I didn't question the rules - it's their dive op, so their rules. My guess is that they assume that gloved divers would be more likely to touch stuff that they shouldn't.

 

[CWK]

i see a couple of resorts specify no gloves - how strict are they with this? i don't touch but like to wear in case of emergencies like wall clinging...

Some boats specify no gloves, but I don’t know of any that are super strict about enforcing this.

 

[CWK]

Actually when we arrived at site, the crew discussed about which side to make entry, because they knew the tide times already. They decided on North side, I guess the belief was the tide had already turned.

If they had the tide tables and believed that the tide had turned, then they would know which side to dive based on whether they were expecting a rising or falling tide. If they see that the current is not coming from the correct side, they should know that the tide has not turned yet. Tide tables can be a little bit off.

 

[DownUnderwater Dan]

If they had the tide tables and believed that the tide had turned, then they would know which side to dive based on whether they were expecting a rising or falling tide. If they see that the current is not coming from the correct side, they should know that the tide has not turned yet. Tide tables can be a little bit off.

Yeah, I'm not sure what their decision was based on, I can only guess. The first 10 minutes of the dive were perfect conditions, it's quite fortunate that we only made it to the first corner when it happened, and barely made it back to entry side. It could've been much worse down the sides of the site, and copped the full raging current.

A strange thing, before the dive brief, the DM was going to tell us something, then he said "Ah, nah I'll tell you later". After the dive, back onboard the boat, he said what he was going to tell us was that 2 instructors had previously died there. I can't remember when, I think he said not too long ago, I think 1-2 years before.

Anyways, I'm not trying to scare anyone, Batu Bolong is actually one of the easiest sites to dive when dived at the right times and conditions.

 

[CJS]

Yeah, I'm not sure what their decision was based on, I can only guess. The first 10 minutes of the dive were perfect conditions, it's quite fortunate that we only made it to the first corner when it happened, and barely made it back to entry side. It could've been much worse down the sides of the site, and copped the full raging current.

A strange thing, before the dive brief, the DM was going to tell us something, then he said "Ah, nah I'll tell you later". After the dive, back onboard the boat, he said what he was going to tell us was that 2 instructors had previously died there. I can't remember when, I think he said not too long ago, I think 1-2 years before.

Anyways, I'm not trying to scare anyone, Batu Bolong is actually one of the easiest sites to dive when dived at the right times and conditions.

That last sentence was my experience in mid October. It was a beautiful site and an easy dive, until the last few minutes when a bigger boat arrived and it started raining divers!

 

[JonnieB]

I didn't question the rules - it's their dive op, so their rules. My guess is that they assume that gloved divers would be more likely to touch stuff that they shouldn't.

I think the answer to that is to police their divers and disallow those who break the rule from future dives, rather than making it less safe for responsible divers.

 

[Joneill]

I think the answer to that is to police their divers and disallow those who break the rule from future dives, rather than making it less safe for responsible divers.

I did not feel any less safe not wearing gloves. In the event of a life threatening situation, I wouldn't worry about tearing up my hands if needed.

For the Dive Ops, it's far easier to just have a no gloves rule if they choose to than it is to try to police and penalize non-compliant divers - normally, you really don't need them.