Project Diving – Indonesia 2

Finally on the road again, travelling to foreign countries, new cultures and experiences – it’s been way too long. Let’s gooo!

This post was happily written by a human without the help of AI. Enjoy.

Welcoming the Heat and Sweat

There’s something to it when you arrive at 32°C. The little puddle beneath my ice-cold coke forming from condensation makes me smile. We stayed at the Sanur Resort Watu Jimbar for one night and the next morning went for a stroll to the beach.

The Only Reminder You Need

By chance we came across a cremation and were stunned by the ritual they provided to the deceased. There were four little houses made of bamboo each about the size of a human. They looked like a vessel to the other side. In front of them, there were gas burners placed to burn the bodies and behind the four “bamboo vessels” there was a wood fire burning. All around there were people in festive clothing and carrying goods and presents for the spirits to wish them safe passage. The deceased were brought by an ambulance, which was a bit unsettling to see. The coffin was a wooden frame covered with a white cloth decorated with golden and red ornaments.

In the background some guys played music on their local percussion instruments. The family of the deceased carried the coffin several times around the bamboo vessel, before lying the corpse into it. The coffin was burnt at the back. By now a gathering of people had formed around the vessel and one after the other laid their offerings to the deceased. As a final step, the body was cremated, and the ashes are scattered by the family into the sea or elsewhere.

It was a bittersweet reminder of life’s ephemeral nature. Go do what you always wanted to do; this isn’t rehearsal!

Tamarind Dive Center, Nusa Lembongan

Our journey continued by taxi and ferry to Nusa Lembongan, where we booked the Seaside Huts Lembongan for four nights. These little huts are a stone’s throw away from the dive centre called Tamarind Divers. I booked my Padi Open Water Course with them. Larissa joined me in having a refresher diving course, because it was more than 6 months since her last dive.

On the first day, we discussed the questionnaire and set up our gear. I memorized “Breakfast with Rice and Fish” to properly do pre-dive safety checks with my buddy and learnt the basics as well as safety procedures in the pool. What made me a bit nervous were the skills to remove the mask fully underwater and opening my eyes, as well as breathing from a regulator with a malfunction a so-called free flow. However, Stacy, the dive instructor reassured me that is ok even if I don’t open my eyes. Both of these skills I managed to accomplish, and they were much easier than I expected.

Open Water Diving

The next day it was time to head out into the sea. Our first dive spot was Manta Point, Nusa Penida – the neighbouring island. The swell was high, and the crew wasn’t sure whether we could go diving there, but after a look around the corner, we gave it a try. Although we had taken seasickness medication well ahead, we both felt unwell, and Larissa got seasick. Nonetheless, the time in the water at Manta spot was incredible and there were several huge mantas at the cleaning station. The visibility wasn’t the best and at times a manta ray surprised me by gently swimming just above me. This was by far the craziest dive spot, but also all the others (Mangrove Point, Toyapake, Sental) were teaming with thousands of fish species. Moreover, there were turtles and colourful nudie branches. It was as if you jumped into an aquarium at the zoo.

Diving Recommendation

The whole team at Tamarind Divers were very professional and overall nice guys. Diving and doing my Padi Open Water course with Stacy, a kiwi, was a pleasure and I always felt safe and well-looked after. Her way of teaching was patient, well-explained and clearly executed. Asef, Nata, Suka, are also cool guys, I liked the vibe of the dives and at the center: It was serious, responsible but good for a laugh and very knowledgeable. According to Larissa the course was much more thorough than the one she did back in Kho Tao, Thailand. I can highly recommend Tamarind Divers.

What’s next?

After finishing my Open Water Certificate, we had one more day on Nusa Lembongan. So, we explored the island and went on a boat tour through the mangrove forest. It was quite impressive seeing these trees growing out of salt water and we even spotted a lizard.

Then we headed back to Denpasar, slept from 5 to 11pm in a run-down hotel, before catching our flight in the middle of the night. Where to, you will find out in the next post.

Thanks for reading and hear you soon.

Tom

Asia 2025

Chapter 1: Intro

Chapter 2: Project Diving

Chapter 3: Birds of Paradise

Chapter 4: Diving in Raja Ampat

Chapter 5: Volcano