Amed, Bali: Celebrating our Return To Diving

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Five years. I did not even realize it had been that long since we last immersed ourselves in the ocean depths with our scuba gear, until I went to fill out my dive log later and noted the date of our last dive: April 4, 2018. We had been booked to dive in 2019 but had to cancel our dive trip after we both got head colds, as one absolutely cannot dive when congested. In 2020 our dive trip was cancelled as we were required to return to Canada early because of the Covid call back.

We had the privilege of being reintroduced to scuba with a refresher course from Phari, the same excellent dive instructor who first taught us and provided us with our PADI Dive Certification in 2014. That was nine years ago. We have maintained a close relationship with him ever since. He has become far more a friend and extended family member than dive instructor, and we recently enjoyed not only the long overdue reunion after our three year absence from Asia, but also the much appreciated close attention to our current diving arrangements and needs.

Stan had been hesitant to dive again, but was convinced by myself and Phari to at least take the pool refresher course. It went so well that he continued on to dive - not once, but twice, over the weekend - and said later that he had experienced the most relaxed dives he has ever had.

One of the highlights of the dives was discovering - on the ocean floor - two concrete stools and a concrete table, on which had been placed two large bottles of wine. This display had certainly been strategically placed there some time ago by a hotel or dive tourism agency, had long since been reclaimed by the ocean, and was now completely covered in a colourful array of macro and micro marine organisms. Of course we sat down at the table and raised a toast. We weren’t quite sure what we were toasting at the time - still being a bit taken aback at coming across a cabaret table setting with two bottles of wine on the ocean floor, and not exactly able to have a verbal conversation about it ☺️ - but when we completed our dive logs later that day we decided the toast had to have been to commemorate Stan’s 50th, and my 70th dive! Although completely unplanned and unexpected, there could not have been a more perfect setting to toast these milestones 🙏

Along with the wine toast, the beautiful coral, the turtles, and the multitudes of fish we saw - including a stingray desperately trying to hide from us by burying itself right into the ocean floor - one of the highlights of the dives for me was plunging deep into the bowels of a massive ship wreck. This was not my first wreck dive, but it was the first in which the bow of the ship was completely intact, so it was easy to imagine what it had been prior to its demise, and to visualize just how massive a structure it was. I believe we descended at least two stories down into the depths, yet still did not reach the ship’s lowest floor. I would never have done this alone, but Phari held my hand and guided me along, and I trust him implicitly. It was an interesting moment of facing one’s fears, taking a deep breath, remaining calm - rather than letting my mind loose itself in panic mode - and simply trusting. Ultimately, it was exhilarating.

Amed was a lovely surprise. It had a chill, laid back, island kind of vibe, with far less traffic than southern Bali, numerous great restaurants, and plenty of live music. The dive sites were diverse and beautiful, and the shore dive experience much easier and far more pleasant than when we had done our first shore dives here several years ago. The difference was that we were not getting the special treatment back then than we were now, and had had to walk into the ocean with all our gear on, including the heavy tanks, while diving in a group with several others. By contrast, this year Phari had made sure that we carried nothing other than our masks and the wetsuits we were wearing, and we enjoyed a one-to-one instructor diver ratio, meaning Stan and I each had our own personal guide. This was five star treatment ⭐️. On the third dive, which Stan declined, I was accompanied by no less than two dive instructors: there was no one else on the dive but the three of us. I felt like a mermaid princess.

All of this has been excellent preparation for our upcoming dive excursion to the remote, pristine and very beautiful Bunaken Marine Park in northern Sulawesi.

Thank you for your interest in our travel adventures. 🙏

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Comments

[Gail]

Diving
So happy for both of you that you were able to get back and enjoy your diving adventures once again😊 Love the synchronicity of the discovery of the table set up to toast your diving milestones. Well done!🥂 Also enjoy your beautiful photos . Thanks for sharing, and enjoy the rest of your diving excursion. So great that Phari can join you on these trips::)