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Scuba Diving
It was a muck dive, under a pier on the Lombok mainland. Not everyone's cup of tea, no big stuff, and no coral. Instead, black and silty bottom, refuse, poor vis. and little obvious to see.
You slow your whole thinking down and go slow. In a way by doing nothing, or the least possible you gain the most.
I was transfixed by a shrimp. It was communicating with me. It, maybe 3/8", half transparent half red with white splashes on it's claws sat facing me. It held it's claws together and gyrated them so swiftly back and forth that it's white markings formed perfect circles of white against the silty background.
Far out.
You slow your whole thinking down and go slow. In a way by doing nothing, or the least possible you gain the most.
I was transfixed by a shrimp. It was communicating with me. It, maybe 3/8", half transparent half red with white splashes on it's claws sat facing me. It held it's claws together and gyrated them so swiftly back and forth that it's white markings formed perfect circles of white against the silty background.
Far out.
Wow this place looks quite good !JR8 wrote:Ok well, Tioman Dive centre
http://www.tioman-dive-centre.com/
If you're lucky you might get me as a guide
Did you enjoy your trip to the Gili's?JR8 wrote:It was a muck dive, under a pier on the Lombok mainland. Not everyone's cup of tea, no big stuff, and no coral. Instead, black and silty bottom, refuse, poor vis. and little obvious to see.
You slow your whole thinking down and go slow. In a way by doing nothing, or the least possible you gain the most.
I was transfixed by a shrimp. It was communicating with me. It, maybe 3/8", half transparent half red with white splashes on it's claws sat facing me. It held it's claws together and gyrated them so swiftly back and forth that it's white markings formed perfect circles of white against the silty background.
Far out.
Ah, not a straightforward question!carteki wrote:Did you enjoy your trip to the Gili's?
Would I go back for the diving, no I doubt it. Would I go back just to hang out... maybe.
I'd traveled there from Malapascua in the PH which turned out about as idyllic as one can get (I posted a pic of it earlier this week somewhere on this forum), even the local reefs are in top-notch condition. Quality coral garden diving, muck diving, thresher sharks, no commercialism.
So on arriving in Gili and walking from the beach to the dive shop I did a triple-take passing a bar offering 'The fuc$ing best bloody magic mushroom drinks on the island'. OMTFG, I'm here for how long?....
It turned out to a little more civilised. The diving was disappointing though. Most of the local dives we did looked like they'd been dynamited to oblivion. Moonscapes of grey coral fragments. Another diver complained of agoraphobia which I think it a first...
The only saving grace was the last few dives (offshore mounts at 20+M on EaNX). By then I was down to doing one a day not feeling it worthwhile doing more. 'Deep Vortex' could have been outstanding but the guide completely misjudged the current and drop point and so it was a complete stuff up, to put it politely. Next day 'Mirko's Wall' off Meno Air was very like Deep Vortex, but it worked and was great. My last dive was under the jetty on the Lombok mainland 'Magic Pier'... which was great muck diving.
If I hadn't have gone on to Gili Air from Malapascua I'd probably be more enthusiastic about it. But the question you should honestly be asking yourself Carteki is when are you going to find time to go to Malapascua?
Sounds like a treatJR8 wrote:If I hadn't have gone on to Gili Air from Malapascua I'd probably be more enthusiastic about it. But the question you should honestly be asking yourself Carteki is when are you going to find time to go to Malapascua?
and thank you muchly for the recommendation. I was kinda over the Philippines diving in total after Puerto Galera (I rate Gili's and Bali way higher). I guess I didn't really take much note of the state of the corals at Gili (although they were way better than Similans - I'm off Thailand altogether) the variety of the fauna there was amazing. I'm glad you enjoyed the muck dive (did your operator know about it or did you have to join Gili Divers?)Hopefully off to Tioman for a couple of days next week ... you there now?
The jetty dive? I marked it up on the dive roster white-board with a '?' just to test the waters and the boss very kindly said he'd do it even if it was just me going. To be honest, it is probably no further than other sites, though I expect it is also something of an acquired taste. One other guy came on that dive, a muck-newbie, and he surfaced with a quiet grin saying simply... 'I have so many questions about that dive!'.
As for places to do your DM. I stayed at Evolution in Malapascua. They're like an Adv Trimix 5* TDI Instructor Centre, or something like that. In any case you know they're pretty damned serious looking at their credentials, which was how I ended up there in the first place. There were two non-local DM staff. Shelagh, a DM from Vermont, went to do the course and got offered a job, as seems to happen quite often. Jonus, a DMT (Dive-Bitch) from SF. I forget how long he'd been there, two months maybe. It's a small place and there is no hiding away, so that would be an option if you want to be hands on (no doing your ticking and being handed a badge).
The other places I rate highly are Sipidan and Lembeh, but neither of the places I stayed seemed to have foreign DMs.
Tioman.... [sigh]... if you go to TDC say hi to the gals from moi My psycho instructor left there, I don't know who they have now. Lovely place to spend a month or two though... as I discovered
p.s. you're saying that the Similans are worse than Gili.... OMG. I've only dived one place in TH, off Phuket over towards KPP. I was quite impressed, I suppose there is only so much decimation newbies can do to sheer walls?...
As for places to do your DM. I stayed at Evolution in Malapascua. They're like an Adv Trimix 5* TDI Instructor Centre, or something like that. In any case you know they're pretty damned serious looking at their credentials, which was how I ended up there in the first place. There were two non-local DM staff. Shelagh, a DM from Vermont, went to do the course and got offered a job, as seems to happen quite often. Jonus, a DMT (Dive-Bitch
) from SF. I forget how long he'd been there, two months maybe. It's a small place and there is no hiding away, so that would be an option if you want to be hands on (no doing your ticking and being handed a badge).The other places I rate highly are Sipidan and Lembeh, but neither of the places I stayed seemed to have foreign DMs.
Tioman.... [sigh]... if you go to TDC say hi to the gals from moi
My psycho instructor left there, I don't know who they have now. Lovely place to spend a month or two though... as I discovered p.s. you're saying that the Similans are worse than Gili.... OMG. I've only dived one place in TH, off Phuket over towards KPP. I was quite impressed, I suppose there is only so much decimation newbies can do to sheer walls?...
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