FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Find your common question here!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Find the answers to common questions.

Explore a wealth of knowledge in our comprehensive FAQ section. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re here to ensure your diving experience is exceptional

Booking & Availability

Walk-ins are welcome whenever we have space, and we often sort out next-day diving over WhatsApp. That said, two to four weeks ahead is the sweet spot, and high season fills up early, so give yourself four weeks or more in those months. Booking ahead lets us hold your spot and line up the right instructor.

All five of our locations dive year-round, so there’s no bad time to come. The one season that fills up fast is mola mola season at Nusa Penida, roughly July to November, with the best sightings from August to October. If the mola is on your list, aim for four weeks or more.

See Nusa Penida’s mola season →

Often, yes — availability shifts day to day. The quickest way to find out is to message us on WhatsApp with your dates, and we’ll let you know straight away.

What's Included

Your course price covers everything you need: all equipment including your dive computer, dive insurance (for Discover Scuba, Scuba Diver and Open Water courses), certification and PADI fees, and your digital learning materials. You can even start the e-learning before you arrive. Each course page lists the full inclusions.

See course details & inclusions →

A few things sit outside the dive price, so there are no surprises at the end. Marine park and conservation fees apply at Nusa Penida and Bunaken, dive insurance isn’t included unless your course covers it, and nitrox is a separate add-on. You’ll find current fees on each location’s page.

Insurance is required for our pro courses, Divemaster and IDC. If you don’t already have cover, you can buy it from us when you arrive. It’s also included free for Discover Scuba, Scuba Diver and Open Water students.

More on dive insurance →

Accommodation & Packages

Both. We run our own resorts in Bunaken and Lembeh, and we work with partner properties in Amed and Penida. Dive & Stay packages are available for every overnight location.

Yes. They usually run three, five or seven nights, with a few accommodation tiers to choose from. Prices live on each location’s page, so they’re always current.

Getting There & Pickup

Yes, we arrange transfers for every guest. There’s a boat transfer between Manado and Bunaken, and car-and-boat combinations between Bunaken and Lembeh, all priced on the Bunaken page.

For Sanur and Penida day trips, pickup from Sanur, Kuta and Seminyak is included (the areas are listed on the pricing page). In Amed, everything is close together and most guests get around by motorbike, so transfers aren’t usually needed.

Equipment

Full rental sets are available at every location — you’ll find the details on each location’s pricing page. Worth knowing: equipment is already included in all our courses, so rental only applies to certified fun divers.

Let us know your sizes when you book and we’ll tell you what we can arrange. The easiest way is to send them ahead through our equipment form, so everything’s ready when you arrive.

Who Can Dive

PADI sets the minimum ages: Bubblemaker from 8, and Discover Scuba and Junior Open Water from 10. Non-diving kids are usually welcome on the boats too, and we can arrange a snorkel guide to go with them — just confirm it with the dive centre when you book.

Yes, snorkellers can usually come along. Check availability and what’s included with the dive centre when you book.

We recommend one if your last dive was more than 12 months ago, and we’ll help you decide when you book. The PADI ReActivate refresher takes about half a day and gets you comfortable again before you head out.

At least 15 logged dives, plus an Open Water certification. If you have fewer, you can do a check dive with us the day before the trip and join. Dives from your Open Water and Advanced courses count towards the 15. We ask because currents around Nusa Penida can be strong and conditions there change quickly.

Looking for something more location specific?

More of your questions are answered on the location’s own page, where the detail lives and stays current.

Before You Arrive

Yes you can!

Please click on this link below to fill out the pre-registration form on our website, this will make your check in faster when you arrive at the center.

Please complete for each person! Link for Pre-registration Form

Yes you can! We keep a limited stock of equipment here, so if we know your sizes in advance we can have everything ready when you arrive.

Please click on the link below to fill out your sizes, when you click “submit” the form will be automatically sent to the correct center.

Please submit one form for each person!

Link for Equipment Rental Form

Please also make sure that you have your certification card and logbook available at check-in.

Yes, you can purchase international dive insurance with us when you arrive. For more information, please check out our page about Dive Insurance.

Free Insurance

Insurance is included free of charge for all students on Discover Scuba Diver, Scuba Diver and Open Water Diver courses. We believe that students may not have the adequate insurance as they are unfamiliar with the necessity, and as a responsible dive center it falls on us to make sure that our students are adequately covered.

Electricity is 220v and plugs are 2 x small round-pins. In our own cottages we provide extension terminals, and most other accommodation will be able to provide adaptors to borrow if you need.

The local currency is Indonesian Rupiah (IDR or Rp). The exchange rate does fluctuate, you can use the XE.com currency converter to get the current rate.

For most nationalities, yes and you can get this on arrival in Indonesia. There are certain countries whose citizens are granted the 30-day visa-free facility on arrival: this is a non-extendable visa.

For other countries (including EU countries, USA and Australia) you can pay $35 on arrival (cash only) for visa on arrival – this is extendable one time only for an additional 30 days at the local immigration office.

Citizens of countries not eligible for the visa on arrival or visa free lists will be required to apply for a visa before entering Indonesia.

The various visa requirements for countries does change so it is best to contact your local Indonesian embassy.

It is possible to get a 60-day visa in an Indonesian Embassy before you arrive, please check directly with the Indonesian Embassy.

More information can be found in our page about Visa on Arrival for Indonesia.

The weather depends on the location you wish to visit.

Manado

Generally the dry season is from April to November which is the best time for blue skies, calm seas and sun, and also the best visibility.

Wet or rainy season is from December to March the cooler north-west winds can bring heavier rains and rougher seas in February. The wind and rain can reduce the viz slightly.

Please don’t let the term “rainy season” deter you. We do not get the typical monsoons that they experience in other parts of Asia and it is unusual to have continuous rain during the day. The norm is blue skies and sun in the morning, cloudy in the afternoon, and rain at night. And the rain never spoils a dive!

Bali

The average air temperature around Bali is around 30°C even through the ‘rainy season’. The dry season runs from May to September and this is the best time for the clear skies and calm seas but the water temperature can drop to as low as 18°C in the south during these months. Most of the time the water temperature is around 27°C, and the average visibility around 25m+.

The patches of rain start around the end of November with an hour or so of rain during the day or night and some cloud cover. The ‘rainy reason’ starts in January through to May. Sea conditions can be quite wavy, and visibility can drop to 10-15m on a bad day.

Other Areas

Please also be aware that Indonesia is a huge country – it is the same width as USA – and therefore different regions are likely to have different seasons, so if you are going to dive in Raja Ampat for example, before or after a stay with us, then you will need to check with the local operator there.

Shorts and t-shirts are sufficient for the and light trousers at night, perhaps with a long-sleeve shirt for bugs ‘n mosquitoes.

There are a few concerns that you need to be aware of:

Disease

Malaria – Indonesia is tropical, so malaria cannot be discounted, but we have not experienced any malaria in any of our locations. If western medical advice is to take malaria tablets then this should be followed when visiting this area.

If you are going to take malaria tablets and you will be diving, we do not recommend taking Larium as there is some advice from diving doctors that this is not safe. We suggest you follow your doctor’s advice regarding malaria tablets.

There are some mosquitos, not too many but there are NO other biting insects such as sand-flies. We recommend that you bring some anti-mosquito spray for your arms and legs, and we can provide mosquito coils for your rooms/cottages.

Dengue fever – dengue fever can also not be discounted, but this is largely restricted to poorer/ in-land areas where irrigation is not very developed, and where rubbish is sometimes not properly cleared.

Doctors

There are plenty of chemists that can provide most drugs. If you require a doctor, you can go at any time of the day to the hospital. If you are not feeling well inform one of our staff and we will help with any arrangements or recommendations. There are also international hospital facilities in both Manado and Bali.

Note that there is no public health service, and everyone has to pay. Be prepared by taking money with you, but it is pretty cheap and Rp500,000 should be enough for a basic consultation and medicine.

Terrorism

There are always many reports of problems in Indonesia and this is very frustrating for those of us who have lived and worked in this country for many years. There are probably more murders in any major city in the US than the whole of Indonesia but this does not stop embassies from recommending not traveling here.

We believe that it is very safe travelling to Indonesia and in particular the areas in which Two Fish are based. We have been in Indonesia for more than 20years and have never had any “close-encounters”.

Yes — nitrox is available for qualified divers at all our locations. Just let us know when you book.

Both. All our locations either have DIN + yoke tanks, or have tanks can be converted to DIN by removing the yoke insert.

If you are doing a PADI course with us then please review the PADI Medical Statement – Link for PADI Medical Statement.

There is no need to complete the form now as you will complete it with your dive instructor when arrive here.

For now, please just review it to check if you can answer “YES” to any of the quetions.

IF YOU CAN ANSWER “YES” – if you can answer “YES” to any of the questions then you will need to visit a medical doctor for check-up and get a signed letter saying that you are fit for scuba diving. This needs to be done before your arrival, and bring the letter with you when and show it to your dive instructor.

If you are a doctor I’m afraid you cannot sign it yourself!

Yes you can! Contact us and we’ll send you details about your options.

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