Diving and snorkelling in Bali

Bali's dive sites range from a Second World War wreck that starts a short swim from the beach to drift dives with manta rays and, in season, ocean sunfish. Conditions differ a lot between areas. Many sites on the north and east coasts are sheltered and easy, while the channels around Nusa Penida carry strong currents that can change quickly.

Water, currents and seasons

• Surface water is warm all year, roughly 26 to 30°C.
• Around Nusa Penida, cold upwellings bring thermoclines in the cooler months, mostly from July to October. Below 20 to 22°C is not unusual on deep dives, and thermoclines can drop to about 18°C, so many divers wear a 5 mm full suit with a hood there in that season.
• The dry season, roughly April to October, brings the calmest water and the best visibility on most coasts. The wet season brings less clarity, occasional strong currents and rough seas.
• Tidal flow in the strait north of Nusa Penida peaks at about 3.5 knots, which is why dives there are planned around the tide.

Tulamben and Amed

• Tulamben: A fishing village on the northeast coast with a beach of large, smooth stones. Just offshore lies the USAT Liberty, a US Army cargo ship torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in January 1942 and beached here, which slipped into deeper water after tremors linked to the 1963 eruption of Mount Agung. The wreck rests on a sand slope about 25 to 40 m from the beach, with its highest point at about 5 m and its deepest at about 30 m, so it suits divers of every certification level. Bumphead parrotfish graze around it at dawn, and up to 100 divers a day visit in high season, so early dives are the quietest. Nearby are a coral garden and a small underwater temple at about 15 m.
• Jemeluk Beach: One of Amed's most popular snorkelling bays, with an underwater shrine and stone statues about 3 to 4 m down, roughly 10 to 15 m from the beach. Inside the bay the current is mild or absent, while the eastern side drops away as Jemeluk Wall to about 40 m. Mornings from about 7 to 10 am are usually the calmest.

Further along the Amed coast, the small Japanese Wreck at Banyuning starts about 2 m below the surface, 15 to 20 m from a shore of smooth black pebbles, so reef shoes help. Turtles are often seen at the Amed Pyramids and at Lipah.

Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan

Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan sit inside a marine protected area of 20,057 hectares, with nearly 300 coral species, more than 500 reef fish species and both reef and oceanic manta rays. Speedboats from Sanur or Padang Bai take about 25 minutes, and the slower ferry about 1.5 hours. Many sites are drift dives, and currents can change quickly, especially in the channel between Penida and Ceningan.

• Nusa Lembongan: The smaller island across the channel from Nusa Penida, with a coastline of beaches, mangroves and reef inside the protected area.
• Crystal Bay: A sandy, west-facing bay near Toyapakeh, with a small temple on a rock islet in the middle. Snorkellers should stay inside the bay near the anchored boats, because currents get strong towards the outer bay and around the rock. From July to October this is the best-known place to look for sunfish, usually at about 20 to 30 m, which makes it a deep dive for Advanced Open Water divers.
• Gamat Bay: The quieter neighbour of Crystal Bay, with a reef plateau about 8 m deep where turtles are common and a wall at the mouth that drops to a sandy bottom at around 40 m. Currents can be very strong, so wear fins and stay close to shore, especially when no boat is anchored in the bay.
• Manta Point Nusa Penida: A cleaning station off the southwest coast of Nusa Penida where reef manta rays come throughout the year to be cleaned by small fish, at about 10 to 12 m. Larger, mostly mature mantas gather here, and it is a good first manta dive.
• Manta Bay: About 10 km from Manta Point, this is the most reliable manta feeding site in the area. Smaller and younger reef mantas feed here on plankton carried in by the currents, and snorkelling trips regularly stop here.
• Mangrove Forest Nusa Lembongan: Guided boat trips through the mangroves start from Jungutbatu village and go furthest at high tide, when boats can reach deeper into the forest.

The sunfish seen around Bali are bump-head sunfish, Mola alexandrini, though most people call them mola mola. They are shy, and chasing them only drives them away. August and September are the most reliable months, and sightings are never guaranteed.

Padang Bai

• Blue Lagoon Beach: A sheltered bay five minutes from Padang Bai by jukung, with a white sand slope down to about 22 m and large staghorn coral. The current is gentle and the site suits all levels. Reef sharks, octopus, stonefish and ribbon eels are regular sightings, and night dives here are a highlight.
• Bias Tugel Beach: The dive site off this beach starts at about 10 m and can reach 30 to 40 m, with macro life, red-toothed triggerfish and schooling fish. Currents here can be unpredictable, and the minimum certification is Open Water.

Close by, Tanjung Jepun has an artificial reef and a small wreck at about 17 m, popular with photographers and night divers. The offshore islets of Mimpang, Tepekong and Biaha are the advanced option on this coast.

Menjangan and the northwest

• Menjangan Island: A small island in West Bali National Park, named after the deer that live there, with one of the best-preserved reefs in the area. Its walls are the main draw, visibility is often 50 m or more and peaks in October and November, and turtles, pygmy seahorses, clownfish, nudibranchs and sea fans are common. Boats take about 20 minutes from Labuhan Lalang or Teluk Terima, where park fees are paid, and many Pemuteran dive centres run trips from Pemuteran beach. Divers are allowed two dives per visit, and snorkel trips last 2 to 3 hours with two stops. Arrive early, before the wind picks up.
• West Bali National Park: About 190 km² at the western tip of Bali, around 82% of it land. Its marine area holds more than 110 coral species, hawksbill turtles and Denise's pygmy seahorses, and the park is the last stronghold of the critically endangered Bali myna.
• Pemuteran Bio-Rock: Part of the Karang Lestari reef restoration project, running since 2000, which grows coral on steel structures charged with a safe low-voltage current. The structures sit about 50 m offshore at 3 to 7 m, close enough to snorkel from the beach. Never stand on them. Snorkelling is free, and donations support the project.
• Secret Bay Gilimanuk: A shallow muck dive, 1 to 10 m deep, with a muddy bottom, very little coral, no current and around 10 m visibility. Divers come for dragonets, bobbit worms, banggai cardinalfish, seahorses and frogfish. The water here ranges from about 22 to 29°C.

Certification basics

• Snorkelling needs no certificate, only confidence in the water and a mask, snorkel and fins.
• Discover Scuba Diving is a supervised try-dive in a pool or calm water with a dive professional who supplies the gear. It is not a certification.
• Open Water Diver takes 2 to 4 days and qualifies you to dive with a buddy to a maximum of 18 m. It is enough for the Liberty wreck and Blue Lagoon.
• Advanced Open Water Diver adds five adventure dives, including deep and navigation dives, and raises the limit to 30 m. It is required for the sunfish dives at Crystal Bay.
• Children can take the Junior Open Water course from age 10, with a 12 m limit at ages 10 and 11 and 18 m at ages 12 to 14. Adult certifications start at 15.

Safety and choosing an operator

• Around Nusa Penida, currents include tearing currents and down-currents, especially in the channel between Penida and Ceningan. Dive with guides who know the sites and plan around the tide.
• Choose a centre with oxygen and a radio on the boat, insurance and experienced local guides, and keep groups small, ideally no more than four divers per guide.
• Snorkellers at Nusa Penida should go with a buddy, stay inside sheltered bays near the boats and wear fins.
• Do not touch coral, stand on reef or chase animals.
• Prof. Ngoerah hospital in Denpasar, formerly Sanglah Hospital, has a hyperbaric chamber.
• Wait at least 12 hours before flying after a single no-decompression dive, and at least 18 hours after several dives a day or several days of diving.