Tulamben shore entry

[InDaWata]

I was just sitting back thinking about Tulamben, daydreaming if you will, and a thought crossed my mind...

Tulamben is a great diving destination with a terrible shore entry at times. Those damn boulders and the strong surf has knocked more than a few people on their ass resulting in an uncomfortable situation at the very least.

Has anything ever been done/attempted to make it a little more diver friendly?
CAN anything be done?

Ideas, thoughts, suggestions?

Ideally I'd like to see some sort of aid for the divers who aren't so sure footed.

 

[cdiver2]

I was just sitting back thinking about Tulamben, daydreaming if you will, and a thought crossed my mind...

Tulamben is a great diving destination with a terrible shore entry at times. Those damn boulders and the strong surf has knocked more than a few people on their ass resulting in an uncomfortable situation at the very least.

Has anything ever been done/attempted to make it a little more diver friendly?
CAN anything be done?

Ideas, thoughts, suggestions?

Ideally I'd like to see some sort of aid for the divers who aren't so sure footed.

Do they want to do anything about it? If they built something like a jetty would the Lady's that carry the equipment down to the waters edge lose customers?.

 

[highdesert]

Isn't the entry to any dive part of the character of that dive? A lot of the entries in Bonaire are over limestone iron shore, and some of them are downright painful ... but it would be a shame if the locals saw fit to plow a smooth walkway through the rock into the water ... the entry is just part of the deal. And if some divers choose not to dive areas with difficult entries ... oh well, fewer divers on the site!

 

[Valwood1]

Tulamben is a great diving destination with a terrible shore entry at times. Those damn boulders and the strong surf has knocked more than a few people on their ass resulting in an uncomfortable situation at the very least.

Has anything ever been done/attempted to make it a little more diver friendly?
CAN anything be done?

Ideally I'd like to see some sort of aid for the divers who aren't so sure footed.

I have no idea if anything can or should be done to facilitate the entry here, but that entry can be a bear. One dive there was the only time in my diving life where I felt really old, as I kept slipping on the ^%$^%$ rocks and the DMs grabbed my arms to get me to sandy bottom. Fortunately, I am not easily humiliated!

 

[divewench1]

I'm one of the divers who regularly gets knocked off their feet at Tulamben, rolling qround in the surge, and I'm the bloody guide! I jokingly suggested that we install a large 'slide-like' structure just for the ladies to enter the water, so you just plopped off the end already kitted up, then a ski lift pulling out device for the exits! Just need to design and patent the thing now!

 

[vladimir]

Has anything ever been done/attempted to make it a little more diver friendly?
CAN anything be done?

Ideas, thoughts, suggestions?

Ideally I'd like to see some sort of aid for the divers who aren't so sure footed.

I hope nothing is done. The north shore of Bali owes much of its appeal to its relative lack of development. Diving there is not very challenging--if you can't manage it, it might be time to think about hanging up the fins. If a 90-pound woman can walk along that rocky shoreline with 2 tanks on her head, you should be able to make it past the rocks in your gear.

 

[highdesert]

I'm thinking a water park on the beach! You could have a crane that would hook onto the lift handle on your BC ... it would hoist you to the top of a water slide, and then you'd fly down the slide and get catapulted out beyond the rocks. Brilliant, no??? And think of the extra income from the water park!

 

[Zippsy]

I always figured that simple small piers would be very helpful there and likely would attract critters themselves. They could be built without destroying the environment or view and the ladies who carry the tanks would still have their jobs because you still need to get to the pier.

As far as keeping the dives difficult because it's all part of the experience, bogwash. Do you fly to Bali, or swim? Do you drive to Tulamben or walk? Do you use BCD/wings or do you rough it? There is no need to keep a dive challenging just for the fun of it.

 

[QBit]

What about people with cameras?

What about people who have rolled their ankle coming out of the dive?

Im sorry, but saying that the North shore of Bali is not developed are joking to themselves.
A little bit of concrete to shuffle down when there is a time of high surf is not overdevelopment. Its common sense.

 

[vladimir]

What about people with cameras?

What about people who have rolled their ankle coming out of the dive?

Im sorry, but saying that the North shore of Bali is not developed are joking to themselves.
A little bit of concrete to shuffle down when there is a time of high surf is not overdevelopment. Its common sense.

I carry a large dslr housing with two strobes--no problem.

Sprained ankles! The horror! Man up, you guys sound like old women. Actually, I take it back--those old women in Tulamben wouldn't whine like that. If you can't hack it, stay on your couch--you'll be safe there.

Nobody said that the north shore of Bali is not developed--I said it is relatively undeveloped. If you need evidence, stay on the south shore of Bali.

Common sense would be to acquire the skills and fitness that it takes to do the dives you want to do--the dives others do easily on a regular basis. Common sense would be to skip the dives you are not capable of doing. Changing the world into Disneyland to accommodate your lack of skill or fitness, or your unwillingness to accept even the minimal risks associated with those dives--that is not sensible, in my opinion.