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Dive Review of Archipelago Divers/Taman Sari Bali Cottages in
Indonesia/Bali

Archipelago Divers/Taman Sari Bali Cottages, Jun, 2004,

by Douglas Hansen, CA, US (Contributor Contributor 15 reports). Report 1268.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 1 stars Shore Diving 1 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 1 stars
Comments I cannot recommend this dive operator. They limited us to 60 minutes of dive time. They cater mainly to snorkelers and newly certified divers. Ketut, the lead dive master, even told my wife to not dawdle taking pictures while he lead his group of new divers up and down the reef, not even pausing to look for critters. The other dive guide, Koman, was more helpful and pointed out several pygmy seahorses, flatworms, and nudibranchs. Ketut also wouldn't take us night diving or to Gilimanuk Bay. (We also heard from others that Gilimanuk is no longer very good for diving.) Fortunately, we were only here for a few days, and by the end of the second day of diving we had pretty much had enough of this operator.

The diving around Menjangen Island is really quite beautiful with steep walls covered with large Gorgonians, sea fans, and soft corals of many hues. The fish life is pretty good, with at least two different species of pygmy seahorses. We didn't have the opportunity to do any muck diving in the area as we were only there for a few days.

The Taman Sari Bali Cottages is very popular with Europeans. The grounds are beautiful and well maintained. The cottages are older, but nice and fairly well maintained, although the need for some repairs was evident. The food at the restaurant was pretty good. Service was good, and the staff was very helpful. We would recommend this property, but suggest that you try the other dive operator further down the beach. We heard after we left that this other operator is better.

Bali is very beautiful, and the people are very friendly and helpful. Except for some vendors in the tourist areas who are very persistent, we felt very safe and secure. It is a shame that the terrorist attack has significantly reduced tourism to Bali, as the Balinese are the ones suffering.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving California, Bonaire, Curacao, Bahamas, Hawaii, Palau, Indonesia, Philippines, Florida Keys, Cayman Islands
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, dry Seas choppy
Water Temp 80-83°F / 27-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 70-90 Ft/ 21-27 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions Dive times limited to 60 minutes.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles None Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 1 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

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

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 1 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities 1 stars
UW Photo Comments Good wide angle area, some good macro subjects (flat worms, pygmy seahorses). No camera accomodations on boats or on shore.
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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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