Raja Ampat (Misool Eco Resort) in June? vs. Bali?

[chillyinCanada]

Please don't ride any elephants.

 

[Dan]

What a lively discussion! I adore all of you! And I love how attached you all are to your favorite places, and how you want to see these creatures and conserve them too!!

My ideal would be to go to MER before or after Komodo, but in looking at flights it seems very very complicated. So Bali it is!! I am loving the specific Bali recommendations. Keep em coming! Dive shops? Good guides? (I need a guide... I'm not great at seeing tiny things!). How do people get around Bali? Do you have to rent a car?

My DM for the last 5 years is Bli Today (short for I Ketut Gede Somadhyana), a truly Balinese from Aqua Cat Bali Dive - Diving in Bali, Scuba Diving in Bali, Dive Course, Dolphin Tour, Water Sport & Adventure . He also can perform the Balinese dance too. Last May, timing was right with one of the Balinese holy day, my group was invited to see his family dance performance in his village in one evening. We were treated as guests of honor.

I did a whole dive safari package through him. He'll pick you up at the airport, take you to the hotel, guide you on the dives and arrange a driver & land tour guide, the whole thing.

Typical Balinese, he'll pray to God for safe diving, put offering (a small weaved coconut leaf basket with some flowers in it) to the water, before we jumped to the water in Crystal Bay, Nusa Penida. We went there in the right time of the month in August & saw 9 Mola Mola, one of them is a big one, a 20 footer, as shown in my avatar, being cleaned by an foot-long emperor anglefish. If you inquire the cost, please tell him Dan sends you, so he'll give you a good price.

 

[Wingy]

Yes really really please don't ride elephants. If you really need to go to the monkey forest or Ulawati make sure you are prepared for the thieving little gits to try and grab your sunglasses, hat, hair etc. Repeating Dirtfarmer's advice do not even think of hiring a car or for that matter a scooter - if you do make sure your insurance is valid and you have the phone number of BIMC stored in your phone. Fixing people who thought they would hire scooters is their bread and butter.
There are some ops like Aquamarine who do a dive safari of Bali taking care of all the transport and accommodation between the sites of Bali that you may find helpful. I haven't done their safari but I have heard very good things about this as an option.

Really an op in Bali who doesn't offer airport pick up and transport if you require these services are behind the 8 ball. Its the way things are done in Indo. Ditto tours - every taxi driver also runs tours, find one you like and stick with him but dont get stuck with the train of thought that you have to take an organised tour. Theres nothing at Uluwati you will need a guide to explain, its a temple with a dance as is Tanah Lot, there will be busloads of tourists there getting ''the tour'' and the dance is explained in English anyway, you may find it just as easy to jump in a taxi and head their yourself rather than pay for an actual tour. As an added bonus, you can often hover close enough to tour groups to be mistaken for one and get free food or at least a bottle of water

Have a look at some of the options Aquamarine offer - Bali Diving - AquaMarine Diving - Bali - Dive Bali's Best Dive Sites

 

[Wingy]

Saturday 2 July - Sunday 17 July coincides with the W.Australian School Holidays - just a heads up - you may find airports busier and kuta louder..we aussies are terrible tourists.

 

[frontiernurse]

HA! Wingy, thanks for the heads up!

 

[anenomefishman]

Has anyone dived around MER in June? June is considered off season so it is cheaper, but it is still pretty expensive and hard to get to so, wondering about conditions. Is it worth more $$ to go in a different season?

We may be going on a Liveaboard in Komodo in early July so we are thinking about "nearby" areas to explore before or after the Komodo trip which leaves from Bali. Thanks!

i would hit RA.frankly.

 

[frontiernurse]

Do tell, anemone.

 

[anenomefishman]

Do tell, anemone.

RA is very cool. excellent diving. have dived Bali, Sulawesi, and RA (west paupa) in indonesia, SE Sulawesi is faboulous as well. that would be Wakatobi.

 

[frontiernurse]

I am reviving this thread because I'm definitely going to be in Bali late June. I'll be ~ 4-5 days in Tulamben. Can I get opinions about Liberty Dive Resort vs. Mimpi vs. ?? in Tulamben?

 

[Bubbles below]

I'm going on Oct 7-14 and stay at Candidasa area to dive around Bali and than try to go to Komodo to do a liveaboard. I missed Mola Mola by 2 months since I visited Bali in mid Nov-Dec doing my Advanced with 30 dives 3 yrs ago. Now, I have over 350 dives and will truly enjoy diving there this time.
This time I want to dive in Tulamben at sunrise and do a night dive there. Even though I haven't dove Menjangan area I heard to just avoid that area. I hope to meet and dive any Scubaboard member for a safe diving while I'm there!