* VIP guests

I remember when I was still working on the one dive operator several years ago. At that time we believed to dive with some important guests. When I'm preparing everything for the guests, I was summoned to manager and ask for something which I consider a bit funny .

• Manager : Indra please give more attention to these guests, because they are VIP guests. I don't want anyone to complain of them due to our service which is not good.

• Me : Ok boss, what should I do for those? smile and was thinking to my self to using a coat and tie while diving later.

Why did I say funny?, because in diving activities, the safety standards in the water is the same for each person. No matter whether she's trash or VIP guest. They must comply with the rules of diving leader, and not the opposite.

It is a dive operators that service businesses and of course must seek profit, therefore the business would give more attention to special guests or deemed to benefit the company. But keep in mind, that the diving activities have rules of absolute and not negotiable especially concerning safety issues. Starting from the preparation before the dive, the dive and after diving. It applies equally to the divers. That's why I was confused, how should handle the VIP guests, because for me the important thing is safety in diving activities more than in a coat and tie while diving. Hehehehehe Peace....

* Eurypegasus Draconis

I found this fish when dove in Tanjung Jepun;PadangBay and surprised cause always be there. Now I would like to suggest my customers especially under water photographer to dive here. Famous by the name Pegasus and including elusive fish under water. It's length to 10 cm and be in depth 1 to 50 m. This fish more active in the evening or at night and usually in pairs. When captured will sometimes freeze in displayed position and appear dead. Periodically shed layer of mucus to prevent build up of growths on body.

* Absolute Scuba Bali

Herewith, I would like to introduce a dive resort that I joint and working there since 2 months ago. I hope this blog could help people who want to do dive trip in Bali.

Padang Bai

Padang Bali is a fishing village with a natural harbour on the East coast of “The Island of the Gods”, facing the islands of Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan. The sea between the islands is deep (up to 300 metres) while the coasts are fringed with coral reefs in extremely good health. This combination of conditions makes for a large number of varied dive sites: within a short distance by our own boats from the beachfront dive shop and resort, there are more than 25 dive sites, offering every kind of dive experience. We have deep dives and drifts, walls and reefs, wrecks, caves and muck dives. We also have 5 dive sites within a couple of minutes boat ride from our front door. The village itself retains a quiet, romantic charm that attracts many of Bali’s more knowledgeable residents and visitors.

Bali’s Marine life

The variety of Bali’s marine life is extraordinary, from the awe-inspiring Giant Sunfish (Mola Mola) through a bewildering number of tropical fish species to an incredible richness of Nudibranchs, crustaceans and invertebrates. Amid all today’s stories of environmental gloom and disaster, it is exciting to be able to report that the reefs are in very good condition.

Padang Bai Beach Resort

During your Bali Dive Trip, you will stay at Padang Bai Beach Resort. The accommodation is entirely modern and very comfortable. With just 22 rooms, Padang Bai Beach Resort combines a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with maximum comfort and convenience. You can choose from individual bungalows for a secluded garden retreat, or balconied rooms with stunning views over the sea to the island of Nusa Penida. All offer air conditioning, satellite TV, and fully modern bathrooms, yet at the same time have a distinctively Balinese grace and airiness. Try a meal in our open-air Buddha restaurant and bar. The resort is set right on the beach, with white sand and clear water. Our dive boats depart daily from the door step. If you stay at our resort there will be no long drives from the hotels in Sanur or Kuta, and no tiring walks with your equipment.

About Absolute Scuba Bali

Absolute Scuba offers exceptional personal safety and service to all of our diving guests. We offer a range of services not matched by others, like maximum ratio of four divers accompanied by one dive master.

Transfers:

• All transfers and airport pick-ups are with our air conditioned buses

Dive Equipment:

• Quality Scuba Pro dive equipment
• All regularly checked and serviced by qualified Scuba Pro Technicians
• All equipment is less than two year old, except tanks which are inspected annually

Diver Insurance:

• Absolute Scuba has Public Liability and Indemnity Insurance,
• Personal Travel Insurance is highly recommended (camera / video / dive computers)

Dive Guides:

• Professional international speaking Dive Guides all with over 2500 logged dives
• Guides are renewed and insured PADI & SSI Divemasters, Dive Controllers or Instructors
• All have dived throughout Asia and know all dive sites around Bali intimately

Absolute Scuba facilities & Services include the following:

• Bali`s first purposed built Diver Training centre
• Dive centre, Resort & diver training centre all in 1 central location
• Own swimming / instruction swimming pool
• Underwater Cameras
• We are an equipment servicing centre for all major brands
• We teach all SSI & PADI diver continued education courses from beginner to instructor course

We pride ourselves on not being the cheapest but the very best value for money, giving exceptional service, safety, accommodation, Scuba education and diving. If you have any further questions please don’t be hesitate to contact us, we will be more than happy to give more details
Many thanks for your attention

The Mola Mola and his friends welcome you to the Island of the Gods

* Dancing with the Manta

I was diving on March 28th in manta point; Penida island. Wow...my customers so happy cause met with many manta, and have chance to dancing with them. This dive site be in the back of the island, and need two fortune when you want to dive there. The first one, you could get the location ( depend of the water condition ) and the second one you could see the manta, cause if not, you only see rock and sands. When you compare the price of this dive site with other, you will be surprised cause this dive site the most expensive one and this happened cause the operational cost so high, especially petrol for the boat. That's why normally dive center have minimum persons to go there, but don't leave Bali if you are not diving in this dive site yet.

* Pace Your Self

Almost two weeks more I just lay down in my bed room. I got sick and this I was hate so much cause I couldn't do anything. I felt so tired, headache and nausea; lucky not until vomiting. I couldn't fulfill with regretted two request of my friends to handling their customers for fun dive and the other one that I hated, cause this situation make me couldn't write something for this blog.

'Pace your self', I remember this sentence when I took Dive Master Course. This mean, only you, knows very well about yourself. That's why actually you can make proper decision for everything related with yourself. What is relation with scuba diving? Don't diving stupid if you don't feel well..!!!!

* Variation from the routine

There are two divers still make planning for their dive. They both don’t know about the dive site because first time makes dive there. One day before they have made observation and try to find out important information related with dive site condition. They both little bit nervous cause found scary information that some divers sometime saw a big shark and supposed that a tiger shark when dove there. They both made conversation as below :

Diver A:
“ Ok buddy, Imagine now we both met with that shark, and he looked so aggressive, swam circle around us and showed his sharp teeth.., What we have to do ? His voice heard strange and his face looked serious.”

Diver B:
“you’re right. What we have to do? He repeat its question then looked be quiet and closed his both eyes. Thought something, and afterward he smile and replied Hey…I know what we have to do..!”

Diver A:
“good, what is that? Happy heard his friend got solution to solve the problem “

Diver B:
“That’s easy, just stop my imagination.”

The solution just simple but actually their rights what divers have to do when stress starting grow up to be negative. As we know stress could be positive and negative. Positive will make us more careful and prepared well to solve the problem when occur and negative just the opposite then continue become panic.

Ok now let’s start diving, think about beautiful coral, colorful fish and weightless sensation. Forget about aggressive animal, strong current, limited visibility, and others, but….! Remember, prepared well yourself with good knowledge and skill that you can get with continuing education to prevent or solve the problems that occur. Please don’t you do what you didn’t know how to do.

* Aggressive marine Life

As long as my experience working as Dive guide, I have seen many marine life that people note as aggressive marine life. I was ever seen Oceanic white tip shark, Great Barracuda, and the most frighten 'Bull Shark'. When I saw the last one., this funny cause I didn't recognize it and just thought that was a reef shark;(mostly kind of shark founded in Bali)...but now its size only bigger

That was time I have three customers that came from Thailand. They are new instructors who just finished their IDC over there. They took our program 3 diving in Menjangan Island. When we did the 3rd dive, and had been 15 minutes spend dive time, I saw in the bottom...around 8 meter below me, one big shark..swam slowly. I was happy and want to show to my customers. I gave sign to got attention and point the position of this big shark. Suddenly all of them gave me sign for came up. When we were in the surface, do you know what they were told to me? 'Indra' almost screamed,...why you didn't tell us if there is 'Bull Shark' here ? and me with confused replied,'Oh was that Bull Shark..?

Even some diver in Bali ever seen the frightened marine life same like me, but we never heard about shark attacked, or accident cause aggressive marine life here. My opinion The most really aggressive marine life are Titan Trigger Fish. Do you agree with me?

* Sunfish on February 2010..???

Yes..! this is true and not lie.., I met with my friends today and informed me, they saw the giant Sunfish or Mola-mola yesterday, when they were diving in Crystal bay, Nusa Penida,Bali; Indonesia. And what funny about it ? they saw in shallow water cause one of my friend took student for open water course.

This rare condition cause I posted about this fish before and wrote usually appear at the end July until The first of October and in the deep places. I wrote it based of my experienced when dove there and met with this fish.

I thought this only lucky but in the bottom of my hearth hope this will make no limit time to see this fish and Bali will have special thing to share with other divers. Now just always believe in open water we have chance to see anything. Have a nice dive....

* PADI Member Forums 2010

PADI Asia Pacific met with its member in annual PADI member forums that held in Sanur Paradise Plasa Hotel & Suite,Bali on February 18th, 2010. This forums attended with PADI professional divers and the owner of dive center in Bali. Opened with Mr. Tony Andrews, PADI regional manager to Indonesia, Pakistan, India and Srilanka.

In this forum, he made presentation about what PADI have achieved in previous year and the goals for 2010. he was introduced new products, new system, marketing method and Marketing tools aids from PADI to 2010. and then forwarded with new appearance from PADI Instructor Manual that now more simple and efficient. He closed this forum with information about project AWARE achieved and what PADI want to get with this project in the future.

PADI is the largest scuba diver certification bodies in the world with the qualification is recognized everywhere and have lot of members that spread around the world. that's why PADI always improve and watch the quality of its member with program members updated that gave recent information, related with scuba diving activities.

* Video Bali Diving

These are some video that made when diving with Bali Diving; location : Crystal Bay, Manta Point; Nusa Penida and Tulamben, Bali Indonesia.

Pelagic Sun fish or Mola-mola; usually appear in Nusa Penida at the end of July until the first of October. We could see this fish in the deep places, 30 m until 40 m depth but sometimes it's ascend to the surface. The temperature of water this time quite cold (26 - 19 degree Celsius ). Remember to prepare your self with double or thick exposure suits.

Manta ray in Manta Point; there is not limited time to see this fish in the year. we could see this fish every time as long as the boat can get the location. The location be in the back of Penida island and sometimes difficult reached by boat when the water conditions is not good. Here we will do shallow dive, 13 to 9 m depth. and just hovering, waiting and watching Manta swimming around in the cleaning station.

Let's come to Bali and Diving with me to find out somethings special from Bali dive sites.

* Bali Diving Activities

Squat Lobster

This creature little bit difficult to see with naked eyes, that's why better to spend a few time to look thorough. Usually found in sponge,.

If you interest to see this creature, you can diving in the wreck, coral garden and drop off Tulamben, Bali.

Remember to bring your underwater camera, cause you still have chance to see other unique and rare creature over there, such us ghost pipe fish, pygmy seahorse, leaf scorpion fish and many things.

Underwater photographer usually will spend 2 or 3 days diving in Tulamben dive sites and still found something new. Hmmm I believe in open water we have chance to see anything.