Hi Keshav,
Sorry for the delay in replying to some emails. I trust that James has now replied to all your emails. Replying to emails can be a lengthy and time consuming process and we wish to reply to all legitimate questions in person rather than send automatic, non individual answers or just throw superlatives at you. Please do bear in mind that we are a small company with only a few of us answering emails while attending to other tasks. Geko Dive is not a large factory diveshop!
Being able to swim is a requirement indeed for any PADI Scuba diving courses. Any standard-conscious instructor will not accept someone, who does not swim, in a dive course. DSD programs do not have this requirement, but it is advisable to have a minimum level of in-water comfort, as for any in-water activity.
From looking at what you have indicated on the various threads, I would personally recommend to keep options simple by choosing only one destination for the 4 days you plan to spend outside Tulamben. Trying to do 2 dive destinations in 4 days makes little sense once you factor in the commuting involved in such an undertaking. Both Lembongan and Padang Bai are great locations for both divers and non-divers.
Here are IMHO the advantages that Padang Bai offer:
- Great white sand beach called Bias Tugel where you can get massage and/or enjoy a nice fruit juice.
- Possibility to go on daily excursions to some great places around Bali in the afternoon after the dives (Tirta Gangga, Ujung, Seraya area or even Ubud).
- Atmosphere of a real, traditional Balinese village with rich culture and friendly people.
- Ability to share a great time with locals.
- Some infrastructure (restaurants, bars, etc) to cater for travellers' needs.
- Great diving within a stone's throw. White Sand Beach, Ferry Channel or Tanjung Sari have offered me some of the very best dives of my life, especially for larger fish. They are reachable within 2 minutes (literally).
-Amazing macro. The Jetty is quickly becoming a worldwide phenomenon within the macro-photographer community. I hope it won't get crowded this high season as operators from outside East Bali have now found out. Luckily, we still have a few aces/macro dive sites up our sleeves...
- Possibility to dive all Nusa Penida dive sites, plus Tulamben, Amed, Padang Bai, Jetty, Tepekong, Mimpang and Biaha with the furthest dive sites within one hour of our base.
- Geko Dive is here ;-)
Nusa Lembongan also has advantages of its own, which I am sure operators from that area will be happy to detail for you at great length.
Please let us know if you wish to make a booking or if you have more questions.
---------- Post added June 8th, 2014 at 12:33 PM ----------
Ooops, I forgot to mention the new statue garden with more than 15 different statues already underwater or about to be placed there!
More info here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.650810611607783.1073741828.426363607385819&type=3