Tag #42 to #45

So, finally we're back. The past three days, we were both busy with our scuba diving certificates. Since we did them independently, each of us will write about our experiences in the blog.

Therry starts:

I got my Open Water Course - the scuba diving certificate - on Gili Trawangan. It took three days and included a pool instructor dive and four dives in the sea. On the first day, we first had to watch a two and a half hour long film that explained everything about diving - from the equipment and safety to the last section, which was basically just an advertisement... In the afternoon, we went to the pool where we did basic exercises: preparing and checking diving equipment, buoyancy, inflator and deflator, equalizing, and much more - all in English, which sometimes made it a bit difficult to understand - especially because the practice book and the final test were also in English... but well, I'm used to it by now - if only there weren't all these technical terms :D However, the dives in the sea during the next two days were definitely worth it - once you get the hang of it and are no longer busy with, for example, breathing normally, you can fully concentrate on the beautiful underwater world in the clearest water, with the most colorful and diverse marine creatures - from big to tiny, from sharks to one-meter long turtles. It was really fun, we had the right people in our group, and we had the funniest - but also the most crazy - diving instructor.

Jakob continues:

For me, it was not a fresh start, but a deepening of my diving skills. The Advanced Course consisted of five dives with different focuses. These included:

Deep dive up to 30m, wreck diving, drift diving in currents, perfect buoyancy, fish identification, and as a special highlight, a night dive.

We were also a really nice group, consisting of a Finn, a Dane, a Norwegian, and me. Well, the three of them even almost looked like Vikings :P Underwater, you are enchanted every time by the reefs and animals in the Gilis. Besides turtles (which are very common here, we saw one on almost every dive), sharks, and thousands of other fish, it's often hard to keep up with all the wonders. The biggest experience was definitely the night dive because only in the light of the lamp, you perceive the underwater world completely differently. At night, you also encounter other animals, e.g. moray eels swimming freely. It's funny to see bioluminescent microorganisms that begin to glow like stars around you when the lamps are turned off and you move the water.

In general, we both really liked diving from Gili T. and especially the dive school (Gili-divers) felt like a second home to us. There were cozy sitting areas for the waiting time between the morning and afternoon dives. It was special that there was a cheap, but good local restaurant across the street. So we always had sandwiches and chicken teriyaki for lunch in the past few days (20,000 and 25,000 Idr respectively; 14,000 Idr = 1 Euro). The dive instructors were also very helpful and friendly. In summary, a real hit. We have already planned more dives in Bali (costing about 30 Euros per person here).

A few words about Gili Trawangan: We especially liked the island because of its numerous cheap and good dining options and the lively nightlife. After our time in Lombok, it was really refreshing. If you can handle all the party tourists (we are used to them from Thailand), the island is a real gem.

Right now, we are on the neighboring island of Gili Meno, which is not very developed in terms of tourism, but shimmers with beautiful beaches, offshore reefs, and crystal clear, turquoise water. Today, we walked around the island from our little bungalow, checked out the lake inside the island, and relaxed in the afternoon because there is simply nothing else to see here.

In the morning, we'll head to Bali !!

Your Teri Yaki

once again P.S.: We tried with the WiFi, but somehow it's not working for the pictures... maybe it'll work again in Bali, then we'll also get to the ones from last time...