Tulamben/Amed with rental gear without a guide and wheels?

[Asanoth]

Hello,
in my pursue of budget diving, I thought of a possibility going to north east bali for shore dives, rent gear (only have a mask and computer) and dive without a guide (maybe do some night dives with a guide). I know many people go there with their own gear and maybe drive to sites, but we do not have our wheels an I cannot imagine driving a rental scooter with a tank and fins on my back
Is there any practical way to do this with the limitations we have?
And is it wise to start with? We have 40-50 dives, most recently dove Komodo, which was fairly calm.
Thank you.

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

Hello,
in my pursue of budget diving, I thought of a possibility going to north east bali for shore dives, rent gear (only have a mask and computer) and dive without a guide (maybe do some night dives with a guide). I know many people go there with their own gear and maybe drive to sites, but we do not have our wheels an I cannot imagine driving a rental scooter with a tank and fins on my back
Is there any practical way to do this with the limitations we have?
And is it wise to start with? We have 40-50 dives, most recently dove Komodo, which was fairly calm.
Thank you.

First of all, it is illegal to dive without a local guide in Indonesia.

Next is the scooter. You can wear the bcd, put the cylinders, laying down, where your feet would be and ride to sites this way. I have taken a scooter from Amed to Tulamben with my two sidemount cylinders.

Lastly, it is not wise. Again, against the law and you also do not know the dive sites at all. Not to mention that a local guide would be able to point out cool critters you would likely miss.

 

[Indah]

Just forget about budget diving such as you are looking for. As mentioned above, this would be illegal, actually solo diving is also mentioned separately as being illegal by law.
There are legal and excellent ways to dive. And there are cheap ways to dive. But not cheap excellent and legal ways. Diving brings many costs. Most costs are higher than in Europe or the US. And people deserve to receive a reasonable salary as well. You might consider to pick up snorkeling ;-) ?

 

[abrmy]

Doubt you’ll easily be able to find anybody who will rent you scuba gear without a guide because if anything happens to you, they will probably go to jail.

If you still want to dive, there are a bunch of dive centres at Tulamben and the Amed stretch. Puri Madha resort has a small dive op with rental and they’re literally on the shore of the liberty wreck. Maybe contact
the centres in the area if you want to find the cheapest but they’re probably all about the same.

 

[clownfishsydney]

Dive operations at Tulamben are quite cheap really. Without a guide, you are unlikely to find much of interest.

 

[Asanoth]

First of all, I do not think diving without a guide is illegal, at least de facto. I know of people doing it and I know some of them in person, usually with own equipment, only (maybe) rent tanks and possibly weights.

More importantly, meanwhile I checked some prices and it can get really cheap in Tulamben/Amed, so I hope to squeeze in some dives during this trip .
Meanwhile, I would be grateful for some tips for other sites here : Best value diving in Indonesia
Thanks.

 

[Wisnu]

First of all, I do not think diving without a guide is illegal, at least de facto. I know of people doing it and I know some of them in person, usually with own equipment, only (maybe) rent tanks and possibly weights.

More importantly, meanwhile I checked some prices and it can get really cheap in Tulamben/Amed, so I hope to squeeze in some dives during this trip .
Meanwhile, I would be grateful for some tips for other sites here : Best value diving in Indonesia
Thanks.

Legal and illegality is not what you think. For recreational scuba ding, It's a regulation issued by Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

I know people riding rental scooter in Bali without driving license and wear no helmet - he thought it was legal as many doing this. When there was an accident, he cried and asked for help through Go Fund Me - he get it. Meanwhile, the motorbike he was riding was confiscated by the police and the owner had to repeatedly report to the police station.

I also notice some people do not think that naked in the sacred places in Bali are illegal, and they did.

 

[Asanoth]

I know people riding rental scooter in Bali without driving license and wear no helmet - he thought it was legal as many doing this

Yes, that was exactly my point, I doubt it is legal to drive a scooter when you are 13, or with 4 people on it, or overtaking full line on blind corners... Etc.

 

[Indah]

Yes, that was exactly my point, I doubt it is legal to drive a scooter when you are 13, or with 4 people on it, or overtaking full line on blind corners... Etc.

What is your point then? Do you think because others break the rules and get away with it, it is also fine for you to do so? The Indonesian kid who drives the scooter probably gets a warning, the foreigner doing the same takes the risk of being deported. As mentioned before, if you would die in a dive accident while solo diving the dive center staff will be arrested, without doubt. If you understand as much about diving as you show to understand about Indonesian culture and law, I guess an dive accident would be not improbable.

 

[JonnieB]

You can shops with guided dives for as low as USD 20 per dive in Amed/Tulamben. This is as cheap as anyplace in the world and if you want the name of the shop send me a PM. I am fully certified to solo dive and do so often in Phuket, Thailand, where it is allowed. However, when I'm in Bali I dive with a shop as it's cheap enough (not the $20 shop) and they handle all the travel and logistics.