Hoges in WA
Registered
Gili Trawangan 9/12/2009 15/12/2009
Flew from Perth Airport to Denpasar on an afternoon flight to arrive at just after 6:30pm. Checked into Harris Hotel Tuban (the teabag and coffee people run 3 hotels in Bali) for a short overnighter.
Ate at Bubba Forrests Shrimp Bar in Kuta a few San Miguels and a little to eat. Pleasant company from the staff there who play up to the Run Forrest Run and Stop Forrest Stop mini billboards on every table used to attract the attention of servers.
Early on to the bus to Padangbai like 6:30am the driver was there waiting. Grabbed what breakfast we could and out the door. Around Kuta and Legian to pick up a couple of others for the drive two Russian females, graceless and sour with no manners. 2 hours to get to PB and half an hour getting the GiliCat loaded and we were off.
About an hour to Lombok (not to Bangca luckily) to a small jetty to drop off a couple of passengers and then a quick trip back to GT. Trip cost from Bali to GT is $USD60 each way. The cheap way is on the interisland ferries but it could take you up to 11 hours if thats your pick. Theres another one from Benoa Harbour called Bluewater Express will probably use that next time as you get to sleep in a bit as theres no two-hours+ to get to PB first. Its a 4 hour trip by water as it goes to Lembongan first.
We were staying in the villas attached to Manta Dive, as we were diving with them. Cost $USD47 per day. Clean, neat, reasonably spacious, outside shower/toilet area which also was quite spacious. Usually airconned but the power goes out frequently as the genny overheats from time to time and needs to shut down to cool.
Manta Dive is a very professional operation. The chappy in charge, Ben, doesnt bark orders or try to look like hes running anything he just gets things done with a minimum of fuss. The other DMs are up to it also, and they dont just wait to do stuff on the boat they all get involved in making the shore side run also. From a management study point of view, they are great to watch as an object lesson in smooth. My DM for my Padi Advanced was an Englishman by the name of Adam. As with Ben, Adam is a quiet organizer who just seems to get stuff done with an absence of loud noise general all-round pleasantness. None of the staff I came in contact with in 6 days of hanging out the front or on the boats had any ego at all there was no big-noting, no claiming, no put-downs.
The dive shops on GT are very country specific, with a German operation, a French one and in Mantas case, it is an English operation run with English modesty and reserve. They have good gear and excellent staff. Their Indo staff include a couple of DMs also had the pleasure of diving with one of them on my last dive he was very good, very skilled and a delight to be with. I know it was his backyard but he was also very observant and pointed out 4 or 5 things I completely missed.
Dives were about $USD38 for what they call fun dives. My course was $USD275. (I certified 1/1/1980 under a different system that barely exists now and was doing the Padi to make sure I had a ticket that would work world-wide when my wife and I take off cruising next year).
My wife got a couple of dives in which was a real bonus. She developed the dreaded breast cancer in March 09 and shes gone through the whole range of excision, chemo and radio this year. She wanted some quality time and as she still has a port under her skin for ongoing Herceptin treatment thought she could only snorkel. However, it turned out better than we thought and she came along for two good dives. I think her fun dives were -10% because she was staying in a villa or maybe because I had booked a course or something. Cant remember but the final bill for accommodation, dives, a couple of meals in the attached café etc wasnt much to worry about.
I dived in boardshorts and rash vest with no boots either. Even on my 100, I still only had them on and I was not cold at all. Entries are straight off the wide side of the prahu. Your bc/tank is placed in a group with whoever you are going with by the staff before you even get on the boat. (which is only about 50 from the front of Manta Dive anyway). You are responsible for your weight belt only and for rinsing your reg and BC when you come back.
Exiting the water is weight belt up to one of the boat staff while you hang on to a rope loop alongside. Second to go up is your bc and tank, then you hand up your mask and flippers and step up the wide-runged wooden ladder. Damn sight better than skinny-runged metal ladders that cut into your feet!
All the dive sites are within about 15 minutes of the shop. Hanns Reef is two islands away on Gili Air and even that is not that far to go.
All diving is drift diving, as the main feature of the northern Gilis is current. Lots. When you have finished, your DM simply sends up his inflatable sock while you hang at 5 and the boat comes to you. I had one-on-one with Adam for 4 of my dives and the system worked well. On my 100 dive, Adams computer went blitzo and began continually resetting itself. We got all the way down to within a few feet of the bottom and he called it off. Slow ascent and up with the sausage certainly surprised the boat crew who hadnt expected us for another 20 minutes. Back to Manta Dive (5 minutes away!) and then back out to Turbo Deep and back down again.
Breakfast was included in the tariff but at Mantas attached café it was nothing special. Coffee was good, though (Lombok coffee is what to ask for).
Dinner is a matter of walking up the main drag past any number of open bars and restaurants. Most have seafood bbqs for not much I had a whole bbqd squid and Carol had 6 large king prawns for about 60,000rp or about $USD6. Throw in a couple of Bintangs for <$2 and maybe a side dish or so and you get out for under $20 easily.
There are a couple of Indo restaurants that arent on the main seaside road that the Manta staff frequented and they had things like Nasi Goreng for under $2 a meal.
There are no cars or motorbikes on Gili. Transport is by horse-drawn cart. We hired one to go round the island he said 100,000rp then tried on 200,000rp when we got back. I was going to give him 150 anyway so I just chipped him gently for the attempt at rewriting the original contract and gave him the 150. Interesting to see the mansions on the south side of the island these are substantial residences and certainly not cheap no matter the price of labour. The driver referred to them as man from English, man from Dutch, man from German so theres a smattering of nationalities who have decided its where they want to go to get away from it.
We went past a construction site of a 200-room hotel. One wonders whether the needs of supplying that will see a change in transport modes on the island.
After six superb days, back on the GiliCat and back to the mayhem of Legian. I hadnt stayed there since 1983 and I was not at all comfortable (last visit we stayed over in Sanur, or Snore as the Balinese refer to it). Our hotel, Kumala Pantai, was superb but once you step out, you are in the madness. The General who owns KP (and 5 other hotels) was there on our first day supervising the installation of the last of 4 Chinese dragons on the hotel exterior. Times have changed not so long ago, it was illegal to bring in anything written in Chinese to Indo and now even the Generals can afford to let their roots come a little to the surface.
A Bali report is of no relevance in a dive report. Would I go back to GT? Certainly, and will probably do so in the middle of 2010 as well be boat-hunting in Florida in 2011. Use Manta Dive again? Certainly enjoyed their company as well as the dives. Excellent operation in all respects. My original queries were very patiently handled by Anna, who actually resides on Bali apparently. No grey areas in the q-&-as I sent/got. Deposit information easy to understand, terms of the accommodation, dives etc also well explained. Compared to many of the dive operations here in WA, Manta is head and shoulders above. My wife actually managed to get a photo of me smiling on GT and thats rare.
Flew from Perth Airport to Denpasar on an afternoon flight to arrive at just after 6:30pm. Checked into Harris Hotel Tuban (the teabag and coffee people run 3 hotels in Bali) for a short overnighter.
Ate at Bubba Forrests Shrimp Bar in Kuta a few San Miguels and a little to eat. Pleasant company from the staff there who play up to the Run Forrest Run and Stop Forrest Stop mini billboards on every table used to attract the attention of servers.
Early on to the bus to Padangbai like 6:30am the driver was there waiting. Grabbed what breakfast we could and out the door. Around Kuta and Legian to pick up a couple of others for the drive two Russian females, graceless and sour with no manners. 2 hours to get to PB and half an hour getting the GiliCat loaded and we were off.
About an hour to Lombok (not to Bangca luckily) to a small jetty to drop off a couple of passengers and then a quick trip back to GT. Trip cost from Bali to GT is $USD60 each way. The cheap way is on the interisland ferries but it could take you up to 11 hours if thats your pick. Theres another one from Benoa Harbour called Bluewater Express will probably use that next time as you get to sleep in a bit as theres no two-hours+ to get to PB first. Its a 4 hour trip by water as it goes to Lembongan first.
We were staying in the villas attached to Manta Dive, as we were diving with them. Cost $USD47 per day. Clean, neat, reasonably spacious, outside shower/toilet area which also was quite spacious. Usually airconned but the power goes out frequently as the genny overheats from time to time and needs to shut down to cool.
Manta Dive is a very professional operation. The chappy in charge, Ben, doesnt bark orders or try to look like hes running anything he just gets things done with a minimum of fuss. The other DMs are up to it also, and they dont just wait to do stuff on the boat they all get involved in making the shore side run also. From a management study point of view, they are great to watch as an object lesson in smooth. My DM for my Padi Advanced was an Englishman by the name of Adam. As with Ben, Adam is a quiet organizer who just seems to get stuff done with an absence of loud noise general all-round pleasantness. None of the staff I came in contact with in 6 days of hanging out the front or on the boats had any ego at all there was no big-noting, no claiming, no put-downs.
The dive shops on GT are very country specific, with a German operation, a French one and in Mantas case, it is an English operation run with English modesty and reserve. They have good gear and excellent staff. Their Indo staff include a couple of DMs also had the pleasure of diving with one of them on my last dive he was very good, very skilled and a delight to be with. I know it was his backyard but he was also very observant and pointed out 4 or 5 things I completely missed.
Dives were about $USD38 for what they call fun dives. My course was $USD275. (I certified 1/1/1980 under a different system that barely exists now and was doing the Padi to make sure I had a ticket that would work world-wide when my wife and I take off cruising next year).
My wife got a couple of dives in which was a real bonus. She developed the dreaded breast cancer in March 09 and shes gone through the whole range of excision, chemo and radio this year. She wanted some quality time and as she still has a port under her skin for ongoing Herceptin treatment thought she could only snorkel. However, it turned out better than we thought and she came along for two good dives. I think her fun dives were -10% because she was staying in a villa or maybe because I had booked a course or something. Cant remember but the final bill for accommodation, dives, a couple of meals in the attached café etc wasnt much to worry about.
I dived in boardshorts and rash vest with no boots either. Even on my 100, I still only had them on and I was not cold at all. Entries are straight off the wide side of the prahu. Your bc/tank is placed in a group with whoever you are going with by the staff before you even get on the boat. (which is only about 50 from the front of Manta Dive anyway). You are responsible for your weight belt only and for rinsing your reg and BC when you come back.
Exiting the water is weight belt up to one of the boat staff while you hang on to a rope loop alongside. Second to go up is your bc and tank, then you hand up your mask and flippers and step up the wide-runged wooden ladder. Damn sight better than skinny-runged metal ladders that cut into your feet!
All the dive sites are within about 15 minutes of the shop. Hanns Reef is two islands away on Gili Air and even that is not that far to go.
All diving is drift diving, as the main feature of the northern Gilis is current. Lots. When you have finished, your DM simply sends up his inflatable sock while you hang at 5 and the boat comes to you. I had one-on-one with Adam for 4 of my dives and the system worked well. On my 100 dive, Adams computer went blitzo and began continually resetting itself. We got all the way down to within a few feet of the bottom and he called it off. Slow ascent and up with the sausage certainly surprised the boat crew who hadnt expected us for another 20 minutes. Back to Manta Dive (5 minutes away!) and then back out to Turbo Deep and back down again.
Breakfast was included in the tariff but at Mantas attached café it was nothing special. Coffee was good, though (Lombok coffee is what to ask for).
Dinner is a matter of walking up the main drag past any number of open bars and restaurants. Most have seafood bbqs for not much I had a whole bbqd squid and Carol had 6 large king prawns for about 60,000rp or about $USD6. Throw in a couple of Bintangs for <$2 and maybe a side dish or so and you get out for under $20 easily.
There are a couple of Indo restaurants that arent on the main seaside road that the Manta staff frequented and they had things like Nasi Goreng for under $2 a meal.
There are no cars or motorbikes on Gili. Transport is by horse-drawn cart. We hired one to go round the island he said 100,000rp then tried on 200,000rp when we got back. I was going to give him 150 anyway so I just chipped him gently for the attempt at rewriting the original contract and gave him the 150. Interesting to see the mansions on the south side of the island these are substantial residences and certainly not cheap no matter the price of labour. The driver referred to them as man from English, man from Dutch, man from German so theres a smattering of nationalities who have decided its where they want to go to get away from it.
We went past a construction site of a 200-room hotel. One wonders whether the needs of supplying that will see a change in transport modes on the island.
After six superb days, back on the GiliCat and back to the mayhem of Legian. I hadnt stayed there since 1983 and I was not at all comfortable (last visit we stayed over in Sanur, or Snore as the Balinese refer to it). Our hotel, Kumala Pantai, was superb but once you step out, you are in the madness. The General who owns KP (and 5 other hotels) was there on our first day supervising the installation of the last of 4 Chinese dragons on the hotel exterior. Times have changed not so long ago, it was illegal to bring in anything written in Chinese to Indo and now even the Generals can afford to let their roots come a little to the surface.
A Bali report is of no relevance in a dive report. Would I go back to GT? Certainly, and will probably do so in the middle of 2010 as well be boat-hunting in Florida in 2011. Use Manta Dive again? Certainly enjoyed their company as well as the dives. Excellent operation in all respects. My original queries were very patiently handled by Anna, who actually resides on Bali apparently. No grey areas in the q-&-as I sent/got. Deposit information easy to understand, terms of the accommodation, dives etc also well explained. Compared to many of the dive operations here in WA, Manta is head and shoulders above. My wife actually managed to get a photo of me smiling on GT and thats rare.
