Asia Travel
Asia Liveaboards Diving Indoensia, Crystal Rock
After the dive briefing everyone is in quiet anticipation that we are going to be diving in current, as we are told that we will drop in using a negative entry, to get down as close to the coral, as quick as we can, remembering to prioritize equalization. They might have stated instead that we were going to be dropping into raging river of water and that we would defiantly qualify for an adventure merit badge afterwards!
You hit the water and it shocks you, as it is cold and moving fast, with everybody and everything fining hard to stay in one spot, in this boiling fish soup of thousands of fish. All are waiting for lunch, some will become lunch, as a buffet of nourishment comes whizzing by, as it passes from the depths to the shallows, 18 to 25 meters above us.
The only break you get is if you move behind big rocks and ledges to keep yourself from being directly blown on by the undulating water maelstrom. This is where the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean collide, in a shimmering, mist like haze, a result of the different water salinities constantly mixing, in a packed major aquarium’s worth of fish species.
The cast of fish here is amazing, a huge napoleon wrasse is holding court in attendance are black tunas, mahai mahai and his sentinels a matching pair of white tip reef sharks, swarming around are hundreds of reef fish blue runners snappers surgeon fish the to the small and agile damsels, angelfish and tangs.
With currents this strong you can only stay for a short while, as everyone is straining to keep their breathing under control. A real problem for dives like this is that you can over breathe your regulator, where it seems that you are not getting enough air, which will stress some divers so much that they will go into a panic mode, which is not a good thing to experience, regardless of where you are, much less hanging on to the reef, trying not to grab the fire coral, fire fish or other things that sting, bite or otherwise cause pain and injury, on a rock 20 meters underwater, somewhere hours away from any qualified professional rescue or health services.
People that have experienced not being able to pull enough air from their regulators can strongly empathies with people that have been water boarded, as you have the same physiological - psychological sensations of not getting enough air, and the air that you are getting is wet. This is one of the main reasons to spend a bit more on your regulators to upgrade and buy a balanced regulator, as they tend to provide more air than non balanced regulators, this becomes even more pronounced the deeper that you go, as you must suck harder to counteract the ambient pressure at depth “to crack the first stage” and pull air from the tank with a non balanced regulator.
After hanging on or being swept off, we make our way using whatever cover we can find, speed drifting, from large barrel sponges, to small outcroppings to dents in the sea floor, picking our way around the top of the pinnacle to the lee side, where we can finally catch our breaths and start to process the different sensory memories of what we have just lived, with every sense, except smell, wanting to be imprinted on our brains.
Almost anticlimactic is when the eagle ray and turtles make their appearance which would be the main highlight of any other dive. After 10 minutes or so of watching the turtles and the mantas we dangling in the water column, suspended like oversized puppets, off gassing at 5 meters wondering if we will get to do this great of a dive again
This is living large, no doubt at all that you have just done something that you will remember till the end of your days!
Where to get the most current information on Asia Travel ?
Indonesia Cheap Flights Bali Flights Singapore Bali Cheap Hotels Bali Budget Hotels Cheap Bali Diving
Budget travelers many times move on the same routes some coming in while others are going out. Look for the local areas where the other budget travelers are is going to get you the most current information. In Bangkok Thailand the best places to meet fellow adventurers would be Khoa San Road or on Suhkumvitt between Soi 4 and Soi 56. Cambodia In Phnom Penh the lakeside or riverfront areas would be the best place to find them. In Bali try Kuta anywhere near the water especially when the waves are up! Vietnam Saigon your best bet is in the Pham Ngu Loa district. Australia In Sydney try the Kings Cross section or near the beach in Maruba in Carins Anywhere. In Beijing try the south side of the Forbidden City. In Singapore the Little India section of the city is where the most backpackers call home. If somewhere not listed, again, ask the fellow travelers.
The other place to get the most current information is on the internet. Asia TravelBlogs and forums are a good place to start as they usually have the most up to date information and if you give your email people can connect direct with you.
Asia Cheapest Flights Asia Cheapest Airlines Asia Cheapest Travel Asia Travel insurance
Cambodia Scuba Diving Asia Scuba Diving
One of the places that you will find that you spend a lot of your dive budget is on hotels. In Bali which has some of the best cheap diving in Asia, you can find Spartan Bali cheap hotels for as low as $7 a night in Ubud Kuta and Tulamben, and some will even include breakfast. On the other hand, many people traveling to Bali will pay over $30 a night with some spending over $200 a night to stay in Sanur Beach or Seminyak, so you can see that there is a huge difference from the cheapest hotels to the luxury hotels. On dive trips you sleep eat and dive, you normally don’t want to spend a lot of time in the accommodations. These kinds of price ranges for hotels and guesthouses differences are in most places that offer diving so it really pays to do your research on this budget item.
USA
Cheap Lawyers USA Immigration USA LAX BKK Bangkok LA Cheap Flights cheapest Vegas Hotels cheapest Denver hotels Aspen Co Aspen Shuttles
