In Reply to: Safety on Perama posted by shaz on Thursday, 5. January 2006 at 07:08 Bali Time:
"We have done the crossing ten times"
I have done the crossing over 1,000 times.
I was a Cruise Director for Bali Hai Cruises and went to Lembongan every day for almost 10 years and I can assure you that between December and April, in the wet season, the strait can be extremely dangerous.
There have been days where it was scary returning from Lembongan on a 36m aluminium catamaran that was constructed in Austalia to LLoyds standards so a smallish wooden perahu would be terrifying.
Boats go down in that strait every year and when there is a massive swell and the current is runing there are no fishermen out there, they are a lot smarter than that. Many bodies are never found and I have spent a few days looking for them, and even found a few myself.
The strait is fine and the local boat is sufficient if the weather is good, which you can almost guarantee for much of the year. In the rainy season it is a different story and if you want to risk your family on the local boat then it's your choice but be PROPERLY informed.
I no longer have any connection with Bali Hai so it is of no concern to me which boat you use but I strongly advise you to use one of the larger boats if you are travelling at this time of year.