Into the Ocean
When you go to a new place it is not only the surface that matters. I learned that, when i went on my first diving trip a year ago on Fuerteventura. Every place has an amazing underwater world to offer as well, so if you are not scared of getting wet, better dip into it!
I did my diving license during my stay on Gili Air. In September the water is quite clear since there are no storms, so it is indeed quite calm and one can see a lot. Also i have to be very honest, i love diving, but not in cold water.
So my first experience was rather cold 18°c and I was quite frozen after. The water temperature around Bali is fantastic 25-27°c, of course the deeper you get, the colder it will be. Anyway i thought i can go with that and decided to do an SSI Open Water License, up to 20m (Price for that is around 400€)
The course includes 4 Dives and is done within 3 days approx, including a lot of theory as well. If you want to dive in the best season, you might better reserve a spot in a diving school you like. I dived with Dream Divers - Gili Air and made the best experience. The people are very professional, many of them do speak German and very good English. Also the equipment is well taken care of, and everybody is nice and very passionate about it. I never felt unsecure during a dive with them.
I had the priviledge to have a diving teacher on my own, since last year has been quite a bad year for tourism around September.
I did actually not know before, but Gili Air is mostly muslim and the ramadan has been super late. Since you can't get any food at all during that time, people stayed away. So better research that before you go. The last day on Gili Air, they had a feast of sacrifice and every place on the island was shut, so i actually starved. My diving teacher said during Ramadan they survived with cookies and chips, since there was nothing else available.
Diving is a very fantastic experience, but also really frightening. If you are down in the water, you have to be well aware of the dangers.
So before every dive, there is definitly a lot of adrenaline pumping through my veines. Once i get into the water, i feel super comfortable, as long as my equipment is working. I changed mask accidently one time, and it was luckily only a pool session, but it was leaking all the time and then i got super stressed, and just imagine beeing down 10m and it feels like ages until you can pop up again.
Although i have to admit the theory parts of that course were super boring, they are really essential. Since it's super hot, your brain is really on vacay mode and not working at all. There is this 200 pages book, that you need to study and there are very many questions concerning chemics, bar pressures ect. as well, not my best subject to be honest. But even I made it. It's worth the effort.
Although i have to admit the theory parts of that course were super boring, they are really essential. Since it's super hot, your brain is really on vacay mode and not working at all. There is this 200 pages book, that you need to study and there are very many questions concerning chemics, bar pressures ect. as well, not my best subject to be honest. But even I made it. It's worth the effort.
You dip into the sea and every meter you go deeper seperates you from the surface. And the whole world up there does not matter anymore.
During my dives i saw a lot of huge turtles, octopusses that change colours, all my friends of "finding nemo" and beautiful corals. One day we where going to Manta point and they told me we might see a shark. So hearing the word shark already made me shiver and everyone was super excited, but me.
To my great relieve and my diving teachers great disappointment, we did not meet a shark.
For those who might not be as mermaidish as me and want to stay up, you can even meet turtles while snorkeling, if you know the right spots.
I went snorkeling on Gili Air one day, but already put on my fins at the beach, since i made a bad experience with an urchid the day before. It was really awkward and the guy from the bar that i rented them from (2€ for one afternoon), just laughed at me since i was so frighten of stepping into one again. It took me ages just to get in and out of the water, because they are hiding everywhere and it takes a long time until the water ist deep enough to swim. It might be pretty uncool, but aqua shoes would help.
I can recommend to take a single-use under water camera with you, although it's not deep, you can take a lot of nice shots. If you do not want to get wet at all, you can go on a trip with those glass floor boats, although i heard some of them broke during the time i have been there.
The Gili Islands definitly have so much to offer, but half of it, i guess, lies deep in the sea, so have a try and explore for yourself! You do not neccessarily need a diving license, there are also trial dives, not as deep, but as exciting.
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