KristenK
Contributor
Hi everyone, this update is a bit late. Things got very busy with work as soon as I returned...and that's great because work is what lets me take these amazing trips!
I spent a full week in Singapore (which was wonderful) and then headed down to Bali for a short 4 days, spent mostly diving with Geko. I stayed at Bloo Lagoon Village which I HIGHLY recommend! With exception of my bedroom, everything was outside. I had spectacular views of the water, mountains, and volcano. There were flowers and foliage that were breathtaking, birds that woke me each morning, and no monkeys coming to visit (probably a good thing...I got into a fight once with a nasty monkey in India who was trying to grab my sack lunch away.) Food in their restaurant was fantastic, people were lovely, and spa was amazing. Prices are ridiculously low, especially compared to Singapore. I will stay there every time I return.
I scheduled my dives through Cedric at Geko and had a great experience! I completed my AOW cert, so my first 5 dives were towards that. Wayan was my DM and he was FANTASTIC!! He was patient, professional, I always felt safe, and he definitely helped me increase my confidence and skill in the water. It was helpful to hear him say that I am very calm and relaxed in the water. (Yoga and meditation pay off in multiple ways, it seems.) It was one-on-one so I was able to get through my skill tests quickly and then enjoy the rest of the dive. He's great at finding the tiny critters. He spoiled me rotten, taking care of all of my equipment for me on every dive. First two dives were just a few minutes by boat from shore. Clear water….lots of to sea. Did a night dive, it was okay.
I did my first shore dive in Tulamben at the USS Liberty. Wow…so many people! I can’t believe how many divers were in the water at the same time. Visibility was poor. I felt bad for any of the critters who were around…folks were stalking a poor sea turtle. It would be nice if that could be controlled in some kind of way. When I go back, I’ll try this dive in early morning, when it’s supposed to be less crowded and a much better experience.
Did my deep dive checkout at the beginning of that dive. Went down to 100’. No problems at all. I was actually hoping to experience a bit of narcosis, just so I knew what it felt like and knowing I was in safe hands. But everything was normal as can be…except the color chart. That was cool.
After cert was finished, had one day for fun dives with a different DM and group. Went out to Manta Point. That was the coldest water I’ve experienced. It definitely took my breath away. I had a hard time descending and needed to add extra weight. I’m assuming because I was a bit nervous with the cold. Dive computer registered 18 Celsius. Water was murky. Thermocline was shocking. But all worth it when I looked up and saw those magnificent creatures! Got excited and started ascending without realizing it. Dive computer starting dinging, DM started banging his tank. Good reminder to keep it together when experiencing all the cool stuff. I have so much to learn!
Speaking of things to learn…We went to another site after Manta Point looking for Mola Mola’s. About 10 minutes into the dive we were on a wall and all of a sudden our DM was having us grab onto the wall. A very strong current hit. Some folks were under the wall, a few of us were hanging on. Once I realized what was happening (my mind was like WTF and then ‘Oh…I’ve read about this) I just relaxed my breathing and tried to enjoy all the bubbles coming up from the people below me. Lasted about 5 minutes and then we resumed our normal dive. But when we surfaced a couple of more experienced divers were pretty pissed. Our DM was EXTREMELY apologetic. Chance of this happening was not in the dive briefing. One diver said her buoyancy was fine and she didn’t need to hang on. So I am interested in learning more about what happened in this situation. How did he know it was coming? If we didn’t hang on, what would have likely happened…just swept far away from everyone and the boat? Something worse? What’s the best thing to do in that situation if not able to hang on to something?
All in all, I fell in love with Bali and will definitely return when my work takes me back to Singapore in the fall. I traveled by myself and felt completely safe and comfortable. I have nothing but great things to say about Geko! I especially appreciated the restaurant attached to the shop and being able to have breakfast and lunch during the day. They also arranged for a driver so I could go over to Ubud one evening. JoJo was great and became a friend! I needed an extra layer for my last two dives and our captain literally took the shirt off his back to lend me. I’m proud that my AOW card says Padangbai, Indonesia. So much to do and see in Bali…hoping my husband can join me next time and definitely need more than 4 days.
Thanks to the great folks on SB who helped me figure this trip out.
I spent a full week in Singapore (which was wonderful) and then headed down to Bali for a short 4 days, spent mostly diving with Geko. I stayed at Bloo Lagoon Village which I HIGHLY recommend! With exception of my bedroom, everything was outside. I had spectacular views of the water, mountains, and volcano. There were flowers and foliage that were breathtaking, birds that woke me each morning, and no monkeys coming to visit (probably a good thing...I got into a fight once with a nasty monkey in India who was trying to grab my sack lunch away.) Food in their restaurant was fantastic, people were lovely, and spa was amazing. Prices are ridiculously low, especially compared to Singapore. I will stay there every time I return.
I scheduled my dives through Cedric at Geko and had a great experience! I completed my AOW cert, so my first 5 dives were towards that. Wayan was my DM and he was FANTASTIC!! He was patient, professional, I always felt safe, and he definitely helped me increase my confidence and skill in the water. It was helpful to hear him say that I am very calm and relaxed in the water. (Yoga and meditation pay off in multiple ways, it seems.) It was one-on-one so I was able to get through my skill tests quickly and then enjoy the rest of the dive. He's great at finding the tiny critters. He spoiled me rotten, taking care of all of my equipment for me on every dive. First two dives were just a few minutes by boat from shore. Clear water….lots of to sea. Did a night dive, it was okay.
I did my first shore dive in Tulamben at the USS Liberty. Wow…so many people! I can’t believe how many divers were in the water at the same time. Visibility was poor. I felt bad for any of the critters who were around…folks were stalking a poor sea turtle. It would be nice if that could be controlled in some kind of way. When I go back, I’ll try this dive in early morning, when it’s supposed to be less crowded and a much better experience.
Did my deep dive checkout at the beginning of that dive. Went down to 100’. No problems at all. I was actually hoping to experience a bit of narcosis, just so I knew what it felt like and knowing I was in safe hands. But everything was normal as can be…except the color chart. That was cool.
After cert was finished, had one day for fun dives with a different DM and group. Went out to Manta Point. That was the coldest water I’ve experienced. It definitely took my breath away. I had a hard time descending and needed to add extra weight. I’m assuming because I was a bit nervous with the cold. Dive computer registered 18 Celsius. Water was murky. Thermocline was shocking. But all worth it when I looked up and saw those magnificent creatures! Got excited and started ascending without realizing it. Dive computer starting dinging, DM started banging his tank. Good reminder to keep it together when experiencing all the cool stuff. I have so much to learn!
Speaking of things to learn…We went to another site after Manta Point looking for Mola Mola’s. About 10 minutes into the dive we were on a wall and all of a sudden our DM was having us grab onto the wall. A very strong current hit. Some folks were under the wall, a few of us were hanging on. Once I realized what was happening (my mind was like WTF and then ‘Oh…I’ve read about this) I just relaxed my breathing and tried to enjoy all the bubbles coming up from the people below me. Lasted about 5 minutes and then we resumed our normal dive. But when we surfaced a couple of more experienced divers were pretty pissed. Our DM was EXTREMELY apologetic. Chance of this happening was not in the dive briefing. One diver said her buoyancy was fine and she didn’t need to hang on. So I am interested in learning more about what happened in this situation. How did he know it was coming? If we didn’t hang on, what would have likely happened…just swept far away from everyone and the boat? Something worse? What’s the best thing to do in that situation if not able to hang on to something?
All in all, I fell in love with Bali and will definitely return when my work takes me back to Singapore in the fall. I traveled by myself and felt completely safe and comfortable. I have nothing but great things to say about Geko! I especially appreciated the restaurant attached to the shop and being able to have breakfast and lunch during the day. They also arranged for a driver so I could go over to Ubud one evening. JoJo was great and became a friend! I needed an extra layer for my last two dives and our captain literally took the shirt off his back to lend me. I’m proud that my AOW card says Padangbai, Indonesia. So much to do and see in Bali…hoping my husband can join me next time and definitely need more than 4 days.
Thanks to the great folks on SB who helped me figure this trip out.
