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Dive Review of Gangga Resort and Spa in
Indonesia

Gangga Resort and Spa, May, 2008,

by Peter Swan, Az, USA (Reviewer Reviewer 3 reports). Report 4143.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments Gangga Island Resort, May 2008. Peter Swan, Phoenix Az. Experience – Past Instructor, Over 1000 dives, author: Step Zero: Getting Started on a SCUBA Photo Trip. (www.lulu.com) vis: 25 to 100+ feet. Water 84 F, incredible calm waters. This was my first trip to Gangga Island Resort (GIR) where the casual living at the resort matched the superb snorkeling and diving experiences. The cottages were excellent for divers (plenty of room – air conditioned – large showers – comfortable beds – TV, if you turned it on, with CNN and HBO). They also have a very large saltwater swimming pool to loll beside, as well as in. The four and five course meals were well presented with a wide range of choices and spices. The three meals were served in a spacious open air dinning room. They also had a nice sitting area for cocktails and conversations. This area also contained a pool table and a multi-language book exchange style library. The snorkeling was as good as anyplace I have been to include the Great Barrier and Belize reefs. The sea state was remarkably smooth without a ripple so that the transportation to and from the island and dive sites was like motoring on a bathtub. The crystal clear blue of the water was spectacular with shades reaching from deep water to shallow with sand below. The morning and afternoon snorkeling are part of the resort services and deliver you to beautiful shallows (4 – 25 feet) where we saw dolphins (about a dozen) playing in the water about 75 yards away with leaps and flips. They were amazing! In addition, I swam with a turtle and observed a plethora of small and colorful reef fish swimming around and through the marvelous coral and sea anemones, as well as an occasional ray. The diving was very pleasant with calm seas and phenomenal diversity in creatures. While diving at our four dive sites (Busa Bora Baret, Rainbow, and Secret Point on P. Bangka Island; Yellow Coconut on North Sulalizi), we were able to see large cuttle fish, blow fish, scorpion fish, red & black lion fish, large shrimp, ghost pipe fish, and my favorite, clown fish (black, brown, yellow, orange & grey) defending their homes. The resort staff was superior with expertise and pleasant approaches. They clearly have a focus on customer satisfaction and quality of service. The twice daily cleaning of the room matched the morning and afternoon dive schedule. The meal staff ensured pleasant experiences with quick responses and recognition of you as their only concern. The dive staff enabled us to snorkel and dive as if it were our world. They dove with us and pointed our incredible sights we would have missed. The professional and happy staff at the spa made each visit more memorable than the last. Can you imagine a “hard day” at diving ending with a massage and then dinner and drinks (lots of ice tea was consumed). For the photographer, both underwater and above water, the scenery is enticing. The clouds, rain storms, sunsets, and resort settings stimulated many “artistic” shots based upon colors and shadows while the variety of underwater creatures “tweaked” this camera bug into taking over 400 pictures in four dives. It was a good thing I used the checklist (from the Step Zero book); so, I had all the necessary components for a successful underwater photo safari.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Past Instructor, all around the world
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm
Water Temp 84-0°F / 29--18°C Wetsuit Thickness 0
Water Visibility 35-100 Ft/ 11-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions normal safety diving rules
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 2 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities 5 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 5 stars
UW Photo Comments The facility is basic in the sense of high technology. If you brought your own camera gear and computer to assess performance, everything worked well.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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