I’ve never written a low-star review before, but I’m really hoping to shed light on safety issues to prevent people from getting injured or worse, death. I paid for the Nusa Penida snorkelling and day trip organised by SeekSophie and Bali Yok. To give credit where its due, Justin and Suntha from Bali Yok were extremely friendly and informative, and I’d like to thank them for sharing nuggets of information about Bali. However, the snorkelling was an incredibly horrible, dangerous experience. For context, I’ve been swimming for over 10 years but the problem lies with the way the operations were carried out. There was no safety briefing whatsoever to any passenger onboard. Life jackets were also said to be optional, which is fine (though debatable in choppy waters like Manta Bay), except that there wasn’t any effort to check if customers like myself even knew how to use the equipment. When we went to our first stop (Manta Bay), the currents were extremely strong. I was very excited to snorkel for the first time. Until I went into the water and realised I was drinking the seawater with every breath I inhaled. I was getting extremely tired from spitting out the seawater and swimming against the current, so I sought help from another boat whom helped bring me back to the original boat. The issue? When I played back videos of the incident, it turns out my snorkel’s breathing tube was completely horizontal and so it was sucking in the seawater every time I inhaled through the mouthpiece. Combine this with the strong currents that were pushing up against my mouth every time I tried to take a breath outside of the mouthpiece. It was my first time snorkelling so I had no inkling as to what the reason for my bad experience was until I replayed the clips and it revealed the failing equipment. Nobody bothered to check if equipment was being used properly, nobody bothered to even teach us how to use the equipment properly, especially critical for first-timers who shouldn’t be expected to know everything. Because of this, I didn’t snorkel for the next three locations (literally 3/4 of the spots) because of how traumatised, tired, and unsafe I felt. I truly believe if the random boat hadn’t been there and had I not been so lucky, I could’ve drowned given the combination of the incredibly choppy waters, equipment failing, lack of instructions, and lack of safety briefings. I truly believe that if this continues to happen, someone’s life might be taken away. I hate complaining. I really do. But I’m so terrified that someone will not have the same luck as I did and face terrible consequences. PLEASE make it mandatory to have a safety briefing and checking of equipment.

It was my first time to Penida and I had an amazing experience with Justin! He was really friendly and brought us to a local seaweed farm and we even visited one of the local families there. Getting invited to their house and eating crispy deep fried seaweed crackers was a really amazing experience. He also brought us to all the other spots we wanted to see, like Diamond Beach and Broken Beach - so beautiful! Highly recommend a trip with Justin!

I've been to Penida four times now, and I have to say that this trip package was the best one yet! Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and really enhanced the experience for us. Visiting the seaweed farm was a unique and enjoyable addition to the trip - I learned so much. I highly recommend this trip for anyone looking for a different and exciting way to experience Penida.

We really enjoyed our trip with Justin who showed us a different side of Nusa Penida. Especially memorable was seeing the seaweed farm: meeting the farmers and learning about their lives, seeing their fields and their home. Seeing Diamond Beach was super impressive as well! Even better than the photos.

Wow. Where do I start. From start to finish, this tour was all class. I’ve travelled extensively and this would rank as one of my favourite tours ever. Friendly and knowledgeable guides, not crowded (took this on a private basis and no other groups at the summit). Coffee and breakfast provided was delightful. Seeing the sun rise over majestic mountains is an experience you cannot miss. A soak in the hot pools afterwards was just what I needed. Thank you Justin and my guide (ganjun-not sure of spelling). You made me feel safe and cared for and went above and beyond to ensure I had a memorable experience. Thank you.