Seeking Recommendations for Discover/ Try Dive + guided snorkeling in Amed for family trip (after reviewing related posts)

[whaleshark112]

Hi folks,

This is going to be my first trip in Indonesia and I'm taking my family there. I am a fairly beginner diver - have about 25 dives now and an AOW. Did some gentle drift diving in Cozumel last year. I've introduced my family (55+ mom and ~25smth brother) to "try dives" a couple years ago in India and they loved it. (Pursuing water activities/ sports are not super common in India so it was amazing to be able to introduce them to the underwater world and see coral and fish in their natural habitat for the first time in their lives). In India though they have 1 DM per "try-diver" and they basically hold you by the cylinder and navigate you through the dive - so all you have to do is breathe during the dive and enjoy. While I would have loved for my folks to get certified, that's not an option at the moment so I am again looking for them to do some "try - diving" so we can enjoy some family time together when I go on my fun dives.

Given this context, I am looking for a dive outfit that would prioritize safety that I can take my family with - I am a bit nervous this time since they are not certified and we are in a foreign country (to us).

Thinking of doing 2-3 days in Amed, with
1. Day 1: guided snorkel
2. Day 2: try dives for family and fun dive for me, potentially will tack on a night dive.

So far the recommendations I have seen on this forum and elsewhere are: Adventure divers, White sand divers, Two Fish divers, Bali Reef Divers

I've contacted them separately on Whatsapp to check quotes etc. Looking to this forum for advice on
1. whether anyone has done a guided snorkel (I know theres a lot of "fall in the water" type snorkel around the area, but I am looking for an excursion with a guide so my family is comfortable and safe in the water)
2. personal experiences around try - dives and outfitters that will prioritize safety, especially for new divers
3. Accommodations that could be potentially tied to these dive shops, again priority is comfort for family, ideally access to a beach front, since we are unable to do family vacations that often

 

[AlMitch]

See my trip report from Sept: Trip Report - Amed to get the eldest Certified

 

[Rock Hopper]

David and Liselotte at Adventure Divers will sort you for the diving. They are good at communication so just ask on the guided snorkelling. They have great accommodation but it is not beach front (and no pool).

Suggest Kembali Beach Bungalows as it is very clean, reasonable, beachfront and pool. Go direct and maybe for a deal if you are getting multiple rooms plus not all rooms (like the beach ones) are on Booking etc)

Also good position in Amed (which is actually a very long strip village) for eating places on the evening

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[whaleshark112]

Yep, I am actually talking to David and Liselotte at the moment for diving.- they seem to be the most communicative of the few places I reached out to.