Sanur & Penida Open Water Diver Course Review

Thinking about getting your Open Water Diver certification in Bali? Pretty much a fantastic choice! So, a super common question comes up for hopeful divers, which is about choosing between Sanur and Nusa Penida as spots to do it. That’s a pretty valid point, right? You see, both locations actually have distinct benefits, and maybe also a couple challenges, making the choice a little trickier than it seems at first. That first scuba certification isn’t just some license, that’s your initial big step right into this huge, great aquatic playground. Making an informed call, selecting where you feel at ease, can honestly craft a genuinely amazing difference when it comes to enjoying all experiences that await you in the depths.

Sanur: The Relaxed Start to Your Scuba Adventure

Sanur could be your perfect pick if you are looking at maybe a more chill intro into the whole scuba thing. So, it’s on the southeastern side of Bali, and you’ll see the sea conditions happen to be usually rather serene and the currents are gentler there. You see, these conditions turn out to be brilliant for first-timers because they ensure your attention actually remains on developing those foundational diving skills instead of simply fighting strong currents. And that seems ideal, don’t you think? The seabed around Sanur happens to be rather sandy and the water just a bit clearer, which, too, adds to the comfortable learning setting. Visibility is generally very nice, it gives trainees time to actually grow accustomed to being submerged without getting the extra worry of tough currents, perhaps? You can think of Sanur kind of like a pool. An ocean pool, but still quite protected.

Training sites found near Sanur aren’t actually without their charm, though what they give up in current, they very much make up for when it comes to the peace of mind, right? You’ll get your chance to practice stuff like buoyancy control and gear handling with fewer distractions and much more opportunity to dial everything in and be pretty ready for open waters that contain, well, the actual open ocean! So, your instructors happen to be able to dedicate lots of their effort toward individual assistance because you are not being rushed on the list or held in place to prevent a drift-away. Because the dive spots usually sit close to shore, boat trips get quick, freeing up extra time devoted to educating and repeating basic diving practices. Too, diving in Sanur happens to be an exceptionally solid decision should that thought of potentially dealing with current perhaps leaves one feeling understandably concerned.

What You Might See

Just because things happen to be reasonably relaxed doesn’t mean you won’t have a peek at sea creatures! So, Sanur dives often have cute reef fish, some rather intriguing nudibranchs and also maybe a few kinds of starfish too, right? That does sound appealing, right? Keep an eye open, in order to get a look at burrowing gobies living with shrimps as their landlords. That’s all genuinely neat little ecosystem play right at the doorstep of mainstream Bali, perhaps a surprise given all the action going on elsewhere in that place.

Nusa Penida: A Little More Action-Packed

Are you an avid sort wanting, as a diver-in-training, to visit well known locations almost immediately? Then Nusa Penida sounds perfect for just this! Just offshore of Bali happens to be the biggest among the trio of sister islands and getting your Open Water accreditation turns out to be very popular for anyone going to the Bali region. So, what does it provide? What are those highly-regarded destinations everybody mentions. Well, so the visibility usually is super and what you may observe under those waves could just become the memories that last a lifetime.

Basically, don’t get surprised whenever someone advises that your sessions will almost certainly mean you are in the open waters early on, because they’ll be pretty suitable to instruction most of the time. Nusa Penida dives have some truly breathtaking scenery, you are extremely likely to see manta rays up near Manta Point – that could just possibly be one thing all divers should experience at least one time in their lives. Then there is Crystal Bay. You see, the clarity here often creates some absolutely gorgeous visibility plus during season one possibly even happens upon an elusive mola mola, perhaps? Too, drifting wall dives near the island let you observe loads of pelagic species, and because the current can be brisk, one is extremely liable to learn just what drift diving’s all about really, really soon!

But Consider The Currents

Alright, now this is something super important. So, you are going to experience currents more often, because they are something for which Nusa Penida gains respect across the diving circles. So, many sites feature currents ranging from moderate to very, very strong. You’ll want an honest review because this very aspect means, in most places, instructors tend to only take groups there containing students already extremely comfortable at their essential scuba expertise. In reality, not a whole heap of novice open water candidates do their full certification sessions at Penida; nearly always some are undertaken at more forgiving dive settings. Now do understand too, drift diving sessions sometimes just demand really good situational attention at virtually all times.

And anyway, I should point this out… currents could cause conditions to actually change in an instant. Because the area is subject to swells that move unexpectedly, you must pay really good attention to exactly what your instructor states; closely checking your buoyancy ability is super crucial too. Now one will be able to take all those into consideration to learn everything to ensure things proceed swimmingly during almost every adventure going ahead. If diving while you get a little something like “seasick” isn’t your preference, so also think about the sea conditions which can, in addition, lead to a bumpy time on that trip from Bali mainland.

Making Your Choice: Things to Keep in Mind

Figuring out if to get your Open Water certificate done at Nusa Penida or down near Sanur involves analyzing quite a few factors which may relate to who someone is and maybe even the sort of diving program somebody seeks. Here, perhaps think about just these particular key elements:

Experience Level So, if it’s your first try ever going into open waters, starting things at somewhere kind of like Sanur seems wise to improve skill levels along with one’s personal comfort without having to deal much in terms of those powerful underwater currents or visibility difficulties. If somebody likes a bit something slightly intense or comes with past experience doing alternative activities in a pool of water, Penida likely sounds suitable.
Budget. That scuba accreditation tuition can fluctuate quite a bit, basically influenced partly through diving spot locations and any amenities one seeks for sessions plus any lodging or supplies required for a successful scuba holiday, arguably. Look over rates and what exactly that buys and that you receive.
Time Available Now consider something super obvious, you would have less days at that place if other agendas exist, that’s right. So, that may affect plans somewhat for finishing up that Open Water course right? Too it’s nearly very, very common you might like that additional few weeks after completion if staying long anyway…
Personal Interests So, the waters nearby Penida possess those cleaning stations that giant mantas gather together near – that just happens to be absolutely marvelous right? Very, very closely study reports, feedback, word-of-mouth as well as asking those dive groups to get some perspective as a student.
Instructor Quality So, arguably among those very critical items during tuition… Make completely absolute sure those instructors keep valid certification plus enough understanding for area surroundings – after-all they could be watching after YOU down there now, is that right?! That really should seem sensible.

Selecting a Bali Dive School

Selecting a solid establishment really influences the experiences a new diver might experience for future enjoyment throughout this underwater passion or career in water somewhere globally. The selection needs quite a little effort since they possibly change just exactly what an aspirant obtains starting out toward this adventurous pursuit that’s a bit more demanding that snorkeling…

Investigating schools ahead can often create awareness of stuff, arguably. Read, find more and seek those following topics.

Check for accreditation
Assess the gear given.
Assess how comprehensive will be classroom periods given those current environment factors
Examine dive coach expertise to keep a better, more safe scuba educational setting during all training activity.

Dive Site Characteristics Compared

If we are seriously talking differences, here are maybe the chief environmental nuances for these dive regions surrounding these beautiful Indonesian locales.

Current Conditions: Now current flows have been gentle nearly Sanur allowing ease practicing fundamentals… That does happen, in a way. Alternately those open currents from Nusa Penida can occasionally present issues that often require much more capable handling due visibility differences on occasion under extreme tidal conditions perhaps which is not so usual…
Marine Encounters: Waters close onto shores on almost every Penida spot possibly host some spectacular animals that include manta and sunfishes – how cool seems that!? – nevertheless Sanur displays scaled-down populations across more calm diving spots in sheltered bays right there. So, there’s almost nothing at risk if one perhaps would rather hang back due to what their own expertise allows perhaps since anything is plausible or possible at times I’m not positive actually exactly how predictable such instances are to guarantee anyone just what shall unfold!
Visibility Averages: Typical sight around these various diving destinations normally reach greater values by distant atolls for this beautiful archipelago, like ones that are far removed somewhere and very blue far out near any Penida outer reaches too that probably have little to no onshore contaminants at pretty much almost every moment or phase unlike waters closer where such risks almost invariably continue present. Now one possibly may seek guidance given regional variables which affect view potentials – that could, possibly, just assist avoid upsets based of visibility expectations.