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Dive Review of AquaMarine Diving/Griya Santrian Sanur in
Indonesia/Bali (Nusa Penida)

AquaMarine Diving/Griya Santrian Sanur, Oct, 2011,

by James Castanino, DC, US (Sr. Reviewer Sr. Reviewer 7 reports). Report 6250.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations N/A Food N/A
Service and Attitude N/A Environmental Sensitivity 4 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 2 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments I spent a weekend in Bali and did one day of (amazing) diving with AquaMarine. I chose this shop specifically due to their positive reviews on this website as well as their ability and willingness to take me to dive off of Nusa Penida, where I hoped to see mola mola and manta rays. I was not disappointed.

I inquired and arranged my day of diving via email. The shop was highly responsive and provided good information beforehand. They sent me an array of choices for my day of diving. (Initially, my friend was going to dive as well, but he eventually dropped out. He is a new diver, and AquaMarine said they would not allow him to do the Nusa Penida dives. After diving there, this is clearly the right policy and I respect the shop for enforcing it.)

AquaMarine picked me up at my hotel in Sanur on time at 630am. We then drove almost two hours to the northeast where we caught the boat. We had a chance to get refreshments and have an initial briefing at a local beachside cafe before boarding.

The boat ride over the Nusa Penida was ~30 minutes. Boat was comfortable and fast. The Aquamarine Group (5 divers plus 2 DM) shared the boat with another shop and 5-6 other divers. It was a bit crowded but not terrible.

We made three dives: Crystal Bay (mola molas), Manta Point (name says it all) and Ped. Crystal Bay had the most challenging conditions, with cold water (66F) and strong currents. The dive turned out to be great. We saw a couple molas at depth and then at the end of the dive they moved into the shallows, swimming circles around us. Amazing.

We did see mantas at Manta Point, although "only" two, one from a distance. We saw them at the very end of the dive. There is literally nothing else to see here, so the first 20 minutes or so we spent just hanging out at about 30 ft (and shivering).

After lunch on the boat, the third dive was Ped, on the north side of the island. This was a fantastic dive, with 2-3 more molas, which stayed with us for much of the dive. Fortunately the water was much warmer (75F), which after cold dives was welcome.

I rented a full set of gear and computer, and I was impressed with the quality and condition (Auqalung regs and BCs). My only complaint was that no one mentioned the chilly conditions until we actually jumped off the boat. In my view, these guys should offer 5 or 7mm suits for rent for divers going to these sites. The cold was challenging with a thin 3mm (no dive lasted more than 25 or 30 min because we were all cold), and would have been miserable if we had not had such luck with the marine life.

Overall, a great day of diving with a very good operation. DM Ramon was cheerful and responsible and I would be glad to dive with him again.

The entire day of diving cost me about $170, I think. Not cheap, especially for Indonesia, but not crazy considering all the travel involved, lunch, etc.






Websites AquaMarine Diving   Griya Santrian Sanur

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving [Unspecified]
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas surge, currents
Water Temp 66-78°F / 19-26°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 50-75 Ft/ 15-23 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Stayed pretty close together with DM as a group due to strong currents.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas 1 or 2
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles None Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters N/A Large Fish 5 stars
Large Pelagics 5 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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