Another nice Review @ undercurrent.org
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SEA ROVERS/ADI ASSRI, PEMUTERAN, Indonesia(NORTHERN BALI), 2009/09, Jon Anderson
Phoenix, AZ.
Experience: 501-1000 dives
Vis: 30 to 150 Feet. Water: to Fahrenheit, calm, currents.
Dive your own profile: yes
Any dive restrictions: During our shore diving, we had no limits or restrictions. Most of those dives were shallow and close to shore. On boat dives, our guides were cautious about watching our air consumption and depth, as were we.
This was our second trip to Sea Rovers and Adi Assri. As it is a bit off the beaten path in Bali, this should tell readers that it was well worth the gorgeous drive up north to stay and dive with Sea Rovers at Adi Assri in Pemuteran. The dive shop is right on the resort property with only a few, easy steps along the sand and into the sea. We were impressed with the entire region and its commitment to the environment. Since many of the local people come from a long line of fishermen, they have been educated in the importance of preserving the reefs in the area. They have clean up projects as well as a ‘reef gardeners’ (see more about them on the web site) project to inject new life into the reefs. With the island of Menjangan, and its ‘gin-clear’ waters nearby, a boat trip over there was made on both of our trips to Pemuteran. It was so beautiful to see such clarity, although there can be currents here. I am not good at estimating visibility but, for the dives at Menjangan, I’d have to say you could see ‘forever’. We also did several other boat dives, most notably to an underwater temple! That being said, I have to say that the highlight of our trip to Sea Rovers and Adi Assri was the shore diving. Although this is not Lembeh, my husband and I had a great week just treasure hunting in the ‘muck’ in front of the resort with NO current at all. Visibility here was not great but after every dive, we returned to the dive shop, wildly enthusiastic over some new critter we had found such as tons of pipefish, ornate pipefish, frogfish, snake eels, scorpionfish, crocodilefish and sassy anemone fish and damselfish for a start. If you’re not into muck diving, the shore diving could be skipped, I suppose. But WE LOVED IT! I especially loved being greeted by the friendly “Dita’ with a cup of hot ginger tea after every shore dive. The staff, led by ‘Pirate Paul’ was kind and helpful and loads of fun (see photos of all of us on their web site). They made suggestions to us of dive possibilities and allowed us to choose what we wanted, where we wanted to go. I have to say that I enjoyed every dive with this crew (and without them on our shore dives; of course, if you need some guidance, as we did on our first visit, they are there to help you and point out various odd critters). The resort is quiet and peaceful and a far cry from the action of Kuta or even Ubud. The seas in front of the resort were flat and welcoming. The rooms were so pretty and well cared for and the resort staff was helpful with all of our needs (internet, extra table, etc.). The whole atmosphere was great. This is an extremely relaxing and peaceful place with an aura that is difficult to describe. We did not feel the need to leave at all during our week here. I also received the BEST massage I’d ever had at Adi Assri and I’ve had quite a few in Bali. It was also deeply satisfying to find a place that was so dedicated to conservation and the environment. I dream about the tranquility and I long to return…..
UW Photography Comments: There was adequate rinse water on shore and it was easy to rinse camera equipment after a shore dive. The boats are small and fast do not have a rinse tank but most dives were close to the dive shop so we used their facilities, which were fine.
Thanks Jon & Linda, look forward to having you back here soon for more critter hunting. Garr!
The Captain