By: Mayawati NH (MyTrip Magazine)

We agree, the single most annoying thing about diving is wearing a wetsuit. Even washing your gear after the last dive of the day isn't as annoying as wearing a wetsuit - especially when it's dry. Some say they lost a pound of rice or burned a hundred calories putting on the wetsuit, it's so draining!

That's the only thing that sucks about diving! That's the only thing. The rest is all fun! Both recreational diving and work diving are fun! The activities in the water, don't ask, especially if the visibility is good and there is a lot of 'stuff' to see. No dive is ever exactly the same even if we do it in the same place. Every time you go down, be ready for a new experience.

The activities above (on land or on the boat if the trip is LOB/Live-On-Board) are also many and never boring. I personally prefer LOB, as I did this time with the Coral Reef Expedition team in Alor and East Flores Waters with WWF-Indonesia.

Although the facilities on the ship are not as comfortable as if we stayed at a resort or hotel, living on a ship offers its own dynamics. We have limited space to play -KLM FRS Menami is bigger than the LOB ships that I often board, but still, the name of the ship must be more limited- so we chat more and get to know each other quickly, especially when the signal starts to disappear. The conversation can go anywhere. The most fun:
Traveling at sea on a boat for days also made us see interesting things along the way. The dolphins jumping in tandem, which made us all gather on the front deck of the ship in unison while holding up our cameras and chanting without command, is an attraction that I almost always get on LOB trips. This article was written when the ship had only been sailing for two days. I certainly hope that when the ship passes Lembata Island, we will be lucky enough to see a blue whale sighting.

diving with LOB. Since we are on the high seas, there is less chance of the sunset being obscured by something like in the city. Even if it is covered by the island, the red tinge can still be enjoyed.

Especially if the LOB is in Eastern Indonesia, beuuhhh the tinge of sunset is always burning even when the sun has entered the bowels of the earth. Another bonus is the rainbow, starry sky and milky way.

Sitting and staring at the sea on the way to and from the dive sites, or in the afternoons after the dive is also a mandatory activity for me, which is very enjoyable from a diving trip. Quiet... Like meditation.

For me another fun thing, if there is a friend or crew member who can play the maingitar. So Manado, Ambon, and Papua songs come out of my mouth. Pede good at singing? No, but it's not bad when I sing in the sea breeze. Hahaha.