How to Choose a Reliable Dive Centre
Great Dive Shops – Great choices.
Diving adventure has always been a sought-after experience during holiday seasons in many tourist resorts around Bali. It allows you to enjoy the normally-invisible sights of underwater beauty although you usually have to go deep enough to get the most of it. Scuba diving in general is not something anybody can do; it requires training, understanding of seasonal changes and careful interactions with marine animals. The good thing is that many dive centres or diving resorts, such as OK Divers Resort & Spa based in village of Padangbai, offer their services near the dive sites. They provide assistance and all the necessary equipment to get you ready to dive. However not all dive centres offer the same quality service, unfortunately.
Tips for Scuba-Diving in Bali
There are plenty of aspects to be considered when choosing a dive operator. Your scuba diving holiday planning will most probably start by sending an email or inquiry to the dive centre. How responsive are they? What is the tone of communication and relevancy provided information? The list can be practically endless. However here are some of the most important things to consider.
Safety Record of a dive centre
The most important thing in everything: safety. It comes first before anything else. Scuba diving is an amazing adventure if however you have a professional dive centre on your side. Without being panicky or paranoid you might want to make sure that the dive centre has first aid kit equipment. The quality of the air they use to fill up the cylinders is another extremely important thing. Make sure the equipment you are given is in good shape and that the dive resort has enough of it. In some cases, the dive site is far enough from the centre on the shore, and therefore they have to take you to the site by boat. Redundancy of equipment is a must. In developing countries where safety standards may not be as good as somewhere else, only work with dive operator with international reputation. Word of mouth is a helpful source of information. Ask you friends who have already been scuba diving in Padangbai. You can also easily check scuba diving forums and travel portals for reviews.
Location of a divecentre
Another thing to consider is the location. A dive centre is ideally located near popular dive sites. It prevents you from walking far while carrying the diving equipment. Even when the dive school is located in a considerable distance from dive sites, you will want to choose one that offers vehicle to carry you to the site; it can be a boat, a bus, a car, etc. OK Divers Resort & Spa is a beachside dive resort, however due to the nature of the location, all the dives are boat dives. The distance from the dive centre to the boat is literally a couple of meters and we have plenty of carriers to carry all the equipment for our guests.
Facilities in the dive centre
There is an important thing but often overlooked: facilities in the dive centre. You will want to use a dive centre that offers civilized facilities such as safe lockers to store your belongings before the dive, clean showers and toilets, a classroom for studying or briefing before the action takes place, a swimming pool tailored for scuba diving practice and more.
Dive Instructors
It goes without saying that the scuba diving instructors must be professional and licensed from accredited organizations. We at OK Divers Resort & Spa rely on one of the best diving associations – PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors). The education system and learning in the association comply with independent auditor among others including European Underwater Federation and Austrian Standards Institute. If your operator too is PADI-certified, that’s already a good start and you are usually good to go.
We could go on and on with the useful tips. What matters the most at the end of the day is your personal feeling about the dive centre and their service.
What aspect is the most important to you or what do you appreciate the most when diving with a particular dive centre? Let us know your opinion in the comments below.
