Lovina, dolphin watching capital of Bali.
More and more fishermen in Lovina, North Bali are apparently starting to career jump and become tour guides, as the area becomes more popular amongst foreign tourists.
“Fishermen use their boats to take tourists to see the dolphins, which sometimes results in greater income than they get from fishing,” Nyoman Suwidana, a Lovina fisherman told Kompas.
According to Suwidana, living on either a fisherman or tour guide’s income can be spotty and inconsistent, but often being a guide can reap larger rewards.
He added that income for guiding is enough to support his family at home. On average, he can earn Rp 800,000 in one day. This can be even more during high season or if there’s a special holiday, when there’s a rush of guests. Rates to see dolphins in open water are set at Rp 100,000 per person, and one boat can carry four passengers, so he can get Rp 400,000 just for showing guests dolphins for two hours, he says.
His other fishermen friends are leaning into the tourism industry as well, because the income seems more promising, Suwidana told Kompas.
“Not only me, many others also switched professions to become dolphin tour guides. This is because of the lack of earned income if we work as fishermen, not to mention, if you’re not in season, you may not be able to fish at all,” he said.
Photo: Flickr
