Most articles about diving in Indonesia wax lyrical about the beautiful, warm, inviting underwater world, having a myriad variety of fish as well as also corals of kaleidoscopic colours, et cetera, et cetera.

in which will be entirely justified, as Indonesian diving will be one of the best dive destinations inside earth, especially as in which will be so accessible. The combination of the quality of the diving, accommodation as well as also people will be exceptional as well as also so much better value for money than most some other Oceania destinations like Australia or Papua completely new Guinea.

nevertheless there are some dangers, or at least hassles, even in in which paradise. in which article runs through some of them.

THE CURRENTS

Some of the currents in Indonesia are formidable, notably in Komodo as well as also Bali’s Nusa Penida. Drift dives, where you cruise at roughly the same depth, are exhilarating as well as also fun, nevertheless not genuinely in which dangerous. The currents to avoid are those in which drag you down deep extremely rapidly, which will be bad enough, nevertheless then sometimes take you up far-too-rapidly again, risking decompression sickness.

The worst ‘drag you down’ currents I have experienced was long ago on a liveaboard in Komodo. in which was the boat’s maiden trip to Komodo. The crew had not worked out how to properly prepare for diving. They relied too much on dive tables, wanting to get the guests inside water at fixed, regular times convenient for mealtimes. I have been to Komodo many times since then as well as also my preferred liveaboard always checks out the dive beforehand, adjusting the dive time if necessary.

Obviously, the best thing to do will be to avoid the downward currents. Easier said than done, nevertheless in which helps to watch fish; if they are swimming very erratically, at funny angles, be wary. as well as also don’t be at the front of a group of divers — let someone else ‘test the waters’, literally. Also, be very cautious at corners of reefs; the up as well as also down currents seem to be more active at corners. If you are approaching a downward current, turn around, or ascend, as close to the reef as possible.

nevertheless if you get caught in a bad current, focus heavily on your depth gauge as well as also, using your BCD inflator, get to the surface as safely as possible (including doing a safety stop). Don’t fight the current. Most currents die out much more quickly than you imagine.

DIVING EQUIPMENT PROBLEMS

in which will be a real issue, especially if diving with operators who don’t maintain their equipment as much as they should. If something important seems to be not working properly, especially if your regulator or BCD, don’t dive.

in which self-discipline can be difficult, especially if you only notice a problem when inside water. If you do decide to continue with the dive (definitely not recommended), stay shallow (less than 12 metres) as well as also at least make sure you have signalled to your buddy (as well as also dive guide) in which you have a problem, as well as also dive close to them at all times, aware of where their spare breathing octopus will be – make sure in which will be not tied up or zipped into a pocket.

DANGEROUS FISH as well as also CRITTERS

I have never been (badly) bitten or stung whilst diving in Indonesia. I have, though, had a handful of experiences which had a reasonable chance of a bad outcome. All those experiences were due to my stupidity.

If one examines diving fatalities, they are nearly always due to human error or equipment failure — not by sharks or deadly critters. In some other words, if you follow some fairly straightforward rules (don’t touch or harass the wildlife), the most dangerous thing inside water will be yourself.

ABOVE WATER EQUIPMENT

Resorts as well as also liveaboards are often in remote places. Whether in which be bungalows or liveaboards, poor aircon systems seem to be a major source of problems. I was recently on a 12-day liveaboard trip (with one of the most expensive liveaboards in Indonesia) when the central aircon unit went down on day two. The boat’s management was unsympathetic, non-communicative as well as also offered inadequate compensation. I will never again go with in which operator (they have two boats with the same design flaw), nor any boat having a central aircon system (uncommon, for Great reason). in which was not life-threatening, nevertheless to be at sea for 10 days without aircon makes you realize in which when on a liveaboard, you genuinely are at the mercy of the Gods of bad maintenance as well as also incompetence.

some other GUESTS

some other guests are again not generally ‘dangerous’, although a panicked diver inside water will be probably 1,000 times more dangerous than any shark. nevertheless some other guests can certainly be ‘unpleasant’.

A liveaboard will be generally a great experience, allowing one to meet like-minded individuals who are just enjoying a pleasant holiday. nevertheless one will be forced to cohabitate with say 10-20 some other divers in a restricted space for some time.

as well as also there are occasionally some people on a boat who tend to ruin in which for the others; the chain smokers who happily start smoking upwind of non-smoking guests; the videographers who ‘hog’ a subject, believing in which their friends genuinely want to watch their 30-minute clip; the ‘famous’ photographer who acts as if they own the liveaboard; the people who play their favourite music non-stop, as well as also party late every night; people who touch underwater creatures as they feel they have a ‘connection’ with them, as well as also at the some other end of the spectrum, people who lecture others if they see them just touching sand or rocks. The best thing to do will be to pass your complaint to the cruise director, although don’t raise your expectations in which will make any difference. Take comfort in in which underwater, the fish often have better manners.

All of these dangers as well as also hassles are relevant to some other locations, to a greater or lesser extent. The bottom line will be in which the potential downsides are possible, nevertheless rare, as well as also the upsides are tremendous, especially in Indonesia. In balance, in which will be far better to take the plunge, nevertheless with eyes wide open.