Day 3 in Bali: Snorkeling trip @ Adventure Scuba Diving Bali

Every now and then when I see my friend's snorkeling pictures on Facebook, it seemed like such an easy and fun activity, and I always wanted to try it.  And I finally did during my trip in Bali! We called up Adventure Scuba Diving a few days before our trip and Sam, the owner of the company, was very helpful as he explained to us what the logistics were and the payment method.  He even offered to meet us at Made's Warung on our first day in Bali to collect our payment. 

It was a perfect weather to go diving on Sunday.  Our trip began at 7:15 a.m. (it might sound early, but the sunshine definitely woke us up at 6-ish) and our diving master said she would come pick us up at Jas' place.  But as Jas' place was a bit hard to find, we met at the Umalas Hotel and Residence instead.  Once we arrived there, we were immediately greeted by a pretty and friendly Australian girl, Prashanti, who smiled and introduced herself as Pea.  As our road trip began in her van, we realized it was a private lesson with only her and this made the whole experience even more personal than we thought!  

Pea told us where we were going and brought us to a cute coffee shop called Anomali Coffee for breakfast and coffee to go.  Pea recommended the banana cake there and we thought it was really delicious and it was the perfect breakfast food!

The drive was about 1.5 hours to a bay called Padangbai and the time flew by as Pea shared with us enthusiastically about her passion for diving and her love for the ocean and animals and she even told us her life story.  Pea often joked with us but she was also very professional at the same time, reminding us that the two main principles for diving trips were "Safe and Fun".  By the end of the drive, we would have learned the different hand gestures for various kinds of fish, the cool restaurants in Bali, and that Pea knew how to speak Indonesian.  

Once Pea parked her car, she brought us to a nearby restaurant at the beach where we could use their toilets to get changed into our swim suits.  Pea inserted our SD card into her underwater camera which proved to be super handy.   After everything was set and ready, we sailed out on a boat to the Blue Lagoon, which was about 5 minutes away, and we officially started our snorkeling adventure!

The currents were quite strong at first, and although Pea taught us how to breathe using the face mask, once we were in the water, we instantly felt like we were in the movie Gravity, with absolutely no control of our bodies!  Thankfully Pea came to the rescue! And as she patiently and skillfully led us to the sea, she showed us how to snorkel like a pro.   It was like a fantasy- came-true when we were below the water and saw the fish- and there were many!  Pea was so casual and calm that made us feel so at ease.  She also demonstrated several duck-dives (which were pretty cool!) and helped us take pictures, and she even picked up the snorkeling fin we dropped in the sea and helped us get back on! 

We had a total of 2 snorkeling sessions in total, and each session was 45-minute long.  Despite not being very good with water, Pea still encouraged us and said we were fantastic and impressive.  Time in the water flew by quickly, and after we finished, we returned to the restaurant at the beach and had lunch with Pea where she ordered a Nasi Campur for us.  Nasi Campur was different from Nasi Goreng as it was served with various kinds of meats, peanuts and fried shrimp krupuk.  We were all very hungry after snorkeling, and the dish certainly tasted authentic and hearty enough to satisfy us. 

The ride home was smooth and Pea even turned on her personal hotspot for us so that we could use her wi-fi in her van.  She showed us the amazing pictures of the fish and coral reefs she took and told us she would send us the pictures later.  After Pea dropped us at Jas' place, it was almost 3 p.m.  I quickly realized I'd left my sunglasses in her van, so we called her up to see if she had them.  Pea was so nice that she offered to bring the shades back to Jas' place when she didn't have to! So we got to see her the next morning again and we hope to see that happy face again very soon! 

Overall remarks:  As my first time snorkeling, it was a truly amazing and memorable experience and this was all because of Pea's dedication and professional attitude.  Of course, we also have to give credit to her fun, down-to-earth and overtly friendly personality which made Pea someone we respect and admire!   A snorkeling day-trip was priced at US$100 per person and we thought we got more than we paid for: an adventure in the  stunning and beautiful ocean with a cheerful and wonderful girl, and we cannot help but love this unique and breathtaking experience!  Adventure Scuba Diving is definitely highly recommended!  Do yourself a favour- book a snorkeling trip with them and try to go with the one and only Pea!

Experience: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Safety: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Service: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

INFO

Adventure Scuba Diving Bali (website)
Telephone: 62 (0) 821 4571 1594