Joined a group of dive travel associates on a trip to Bali at the luxurious Alam Batu Dive Resort…read morenear Tulamben, organized by Kat Rose of Rivers to Reef Travel Service. Planning started about a year and half ago with talks about destination, then they progressed with budget and desirable characteristics. At about the 14 month mark, the resort was selected and hard times for arrival & departure were provided for flight planning. At about the 12 month mark, flights were purchased. Kat provided regular updates about the resort details, like plug and voltage type. Finally at the 90 day mark, she provided visa, customs, & destination airport details like recommending the airport hotel (Novotel at DPS) due to our late arrival and morning pickup.
After a 3 hour drive (conveniently separated into breaks for money exchange, supermarket, & convenience store/restroom, we arrived at the resort. We met our hosts at the main dining room- our hub for our stay. Looking out over the outdoor dining area (where we would have our buffet dinners), there was a picture-postcard view of the point and ocean. While registering and receiving our orientation to the resort and dive operations, we were treated to a refreshing fruit drink and light lunch.
We were released to go to our cabins where our luggage had been delivered to. It was a very nicely sized- big enough to comfortably fit two people, so it was more than enough for just me. It had a mini-refrigerator and a good amount of 220v outlets. I didn't have to make any cheetah flips for voltage converters or adapter tips to power electronics. The sink, toilet, & shower were outside in back. An outdoor shower was a great touch!
The days quickly fell into a routine: eat,dive, eat, dive, eat, dive, eat, and sleep. For those that counted, they incorporated a second breakfast! I would have a cup of coffee, fruit, & toast for breakfast, followed by the day's fried starch (fried n oodles or rice), eggs, & fruit for second breakast. We would also pre-select what we wanted for lunch. Dinner was a different themed buffet.
The diving was superb! Most sites were at most 10-15 minutes away, the majority wiithin 5 minutes. Our dive guides were good and experienced, quickly finding some of the specialiites that the Coral Triangle is known for! Examples include: Rhinopias Scorpionfish, Peacock Mantis Shrimp, assorted other Mantis Shrimp, Candy Crab, various pipefish including the Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Recticulated Frogsish, Wonderpus octopus, cuttlefish, squid, octopus, and assorted crabs, shrimps, and nudibranchs! Before this trip I would proudly proclaim myself a nudi(branch) lover, but now I have developed a deep affection for cephapods & crustascans as well!
While us diving nerds would indulge in a 3rd or night dive, others would avail themselves to the beautiful pool overlooking the ocean with snacks and drnks. Kat also arranged to have a daily maasage included into our package. I'm not a massage enthusiast, but I had to try one. I haven't become a convert, but I'll definitely more advantage the next time!
All in all, it was a great dive trip and enjoyable stay! What can be better- diving in exotic and interesting area in luxury with friends! Kat has started planning future trips to Tahiti, Fiji, Bonaire, Cocos, and a return to Indonesia, hope to see you on one of these trips! Definitely recommend and will repeat with Kat Rose and Riverstoreef Travel!