Comfort in Amed

I have really enjoyed my time here in Amed, the diving had been great and I have met some cool people. So much so that two of decided to stay an extra night so that we can travel together with someone else once she finishes her diving course. So today the three of us are going to Ubud together and hanging out there until we all go separate ways. We have a private booked so that we can add in some stops on the way, to see a bit more of the countryside.

I finished my diving course on Friday, with a wreck dive and a deep dive. Liberty is a WWI fighter boat that was brought down by a torpedo in WWII, they managed to travel to the shore before it sank and since then the volcano has erupted and pushed it further into the sea, so it is now 30 metres from the shore. It has become a living reef and is thriving with sea life. It was such a good dive, so much to see and now that I can move myself smoothly I was able to swim through it completely, taking a route that enters a corridor and passes along port side of the boat. We saw a huge sea turtle eating some coral and we hang out watching for a while and we saw countless other fish-just amazing.

Next I did a deep dive. Previously I was qualified to go to 18metres, but this course trains me to go down as low as 40, but 30 is the recommendation. There is higher risk of decompression sickness the deeper you go and also your air consumption increases, so the dive are shorter or need to be planned with extra supply. We went to 30.4meter, but didn't stay there too long so that we could extend the dive at a shallower depth. We did it from at a coral drop off- where a reef ends into the open water, so the whole way down is full of life. Another great dive and the last thing for me to achieve in order to gain my advanced accreditation.

On Saturday I did two more recreational dives, because I need to have 20 logged dives before I do my liveaboard in the Phillipines. Again they were very enjoyable and we saw loads. The visibility was a bit poor at times so we would have to hold onto each other, which can make it a bit scary. But I had bought a dive computer by this point and so I could see how deep I was, which is reassuring.

That night I went out for a drink with a couple of the girls from the hostel who I have been hanging out with. One of them is Australian and it was Australia Day, although she doesn't support the celebration herself her accent caught the attention of an Aussie guy in a bar and so we were hollered into joining him from celebrations. We ended up having a sing song to some Aussie tunes and being filmed by the locals. It was what I did not want to do in Bali, but I had fun doing it all the same! The guy lives here and got his wife and kid down to join and we all took turns cuddling the world's most placid baby. If she can handle drunk backpackers she can handle anything!

Yesterday we just chilled out at the hostel until Becky had finished diving and then we went out walking amd had some drinks at the hostel. We picked up a new friend in the hostel and took him out for drinks and had another fun night. It is very quiet in Amed, so it is nothing crazy- just friends chatting and listening to music. Overall my time here has been very wholesome and healthy, but the last two nights have broken that slightly! It's been good fun though and nothing too ridiculous. Divers tend not to drink heavily because it makes dives unpleasant and tiring, so we all know our limit is a just a couple of drinks. Just how I like it as then I can still have a good day afterwards.

So now today Becky (Aus, 34), Naomi (British, 29) and I will continue the fun together. We are all quite sad to leave, because we have become so comfortable in Amed, made friends with some do the locals and we love the staff at the hostel. But at least as we all move in together it makes leaving a bit better. And I have been told I will love Ubud, so I am excited to see the next place.Read more