BEST BALI DIVE SITES
NUSA PENIDA BALI DIVING
Nusa Penida is a dry, limestone plateau covering about 200 square kilometers. According to the Balinese, Nusa Penida is a place with strange powers and should be treated with respect. This goes to the diving as well. Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida have more or less the same characteristics with water temperature, which varies from 20 to 27 degrees and the visibility between 10 to 25 meters depending on the weather. The best time to dive here is from June to October even though the water temperature can get as low as 20 degrees due to up welling current. The north coast of Penida Island (nusa means island) is a more protected area than the south coast which faces the Indian Ocean. There is less coral growing up on the south coast than on the north coast.
TULAMBEN BALI DIVING
Tulamben is a small town on the north-east coast of Bali. It is a popular dive site in Bali and it gets into the top 10 (ten) best diving sites in Bali, especially around the wreck of the Liberty Glo, a US Army Transport ship torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1942. It is a very easy wreck dive and may be done by all levels divers. It is accessed directly from the shoreline and located about 25 meters from shore. At it deepest point, it is about 30 meters from the surface and it tops out at about 5 meters from the surface. Tulamben receives very plankton rich water from the major ocean current that moves from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean or vice versa. The wreck, rocky wall and sand slopes provide a wide variety of physical habitats. All of these factors, combined together will explain why the Tulamben bay contains an incredible diversification of the underwater ecosystem. Tulamben is a wonderful place to learn to dive and to learn about underwater life. There are occasional sightings of Mola-Mola (Sunfish), Manta Rays, Whale Shark, Tuna and other pelagic but it is the permanent population of Tulamben that brings multinational divers to this dive site.
PADANG BAI BALI DIVING
Padang Bai is a nice village on Bali east coast. The ferry, which links Bali to Lombok, runs through the channel several times a day as well as many smaller boats. It is therefore important to dive here with a signal device and to surface away from that area. Blue Lagoon is a coastal site just round the corner from Padang Bai. The topography is a gentle slope, white sand bottom. Water conditions here are generally good and the visibility is around 15 meters. It is a good site for macro photographers. It is just a couple of meters deep except for the channel. Blue Lagoon is an excellent site for sharks, turtles as well as small animals, such as nudibranchs, shrimps, crabs, squids and octopus. Snake eels, razor fish and sea cucumber can also be seen. The shallow is also rich with corals. This area is also good for night dives as bamboo sharks and spanish dancers can be encountered.
MENJANGAN BALI DIVING
Menjangan Island is a small island part of the West Bali National Park. The reefs of northwest Bali are the most protected dive sites in Bali which provides good diving any time of the year. Divers arrive at Labuhan Lalang a modest small harbor, with a few simple restaurants. The trip to Menjangan Island takes 30 minutes to an hour depending on the site. There are many dive sites around the island, but the best area is a stretch along the southeast and from far northwest down into the channel.
On the south west of Menjangan is Pos I site. There is not much to say about this area as this site is usually used as a diving training area for beginners as it is a nice protected slope with a white sandy bottom.
On the west coast is Garden Eel. This site is located on Menjangan Strait, and compared to the other sites of the island, current here is more frequent. It is a slope, with white sandy bottom at around 20 meters deep, and home to a large number of garden eels. There are also white tip sharks, turtles, jackfish, lionfish, leaf scorpion fish and banner fish.
AMED BALI DIVING
Amed also called Cemeluk is situated in a quiet bay just a few kilometers east of Tulamben. The conditions from shore or boat are usually easy with good visibility. Amed Reef has many different kinds of sponges and gorgonians but also shrimp, goby sets, and blue spotted rays. White tip reef sharks, napoleon wrasse are sometimes encountered and the deep slope after the wall is rich in invertebrates with crinoids. Lipah Bay site is a quiet black sandy bay, 3 kilometers southeast of Amed. The main interest of this dive site is a 20 meter, steel freighter wreck that sits at 6 to 12 meters inside the bay where the reef goes to sand. The wreck is encrusted with gorgonians, sponges and black coral bushes. There is a slope down away from the wreck, which is also rich in gorgonians and some unusual species. The fish life here is quite good as well with shrimpfish, ghost pipefish, seahorses and dragon fish. The reef slopes down to black sand at about 20 meters and continues to little outcrops of life to 40 meters. The shallow water is rich with bummies and great schools of fusiliers, which make Lipah Bay a great site for snorkeling. However, some current or surge can spoil the moment, so make sure the conditions are right and you will have a wonderful dive.
GILI TEPEKONG BALI DIVING
Amuk Bay offers some of the best diving in Bali but its sites are also among the most difficult and dangerous areas to dive. It is a place to be both patient and careful. There are three sites, the islands of Gili Tepekong, Mimpang and Gili Biaha, which should be treated with caution and respect. The water here is also cold and a 3mm wet suit is recommended. Gili Tepekong is the most famous of the Amuk Bay sites. “The Canyon” a striking structure begins at the southwest corner of the island going down to 40 meters. At fifteen meters, halfway down the island side of the Canyon, a flat-topped spur projects straight out. The great scale of its structure and the huge schools of fish like sweetlips, jacks, big troupers, sharks, and pelagics like molas make this site an exciting dive. Nevertheless, this amazing structure that makes the Canyon so beautiful also makes it dangerous. When the current combines with swell, a strong spiraling down current develops. Therefore, dives should be prepared very carefully with a local guide and never dive unless you are confident the conditions are safe.
