Healthy Coral Reef dives in Bali or Raja Ampat?

[iDreamOfBubbles]

Cant go wrong with bail. Great healthy colourful reefs at Nusa lembongan and Nusa penida - check out toyapakeh and Sekolah desar sites, plus manta ray sites and mola mola (in season aug-nov but can be seen yr round). Day trips to tulumben for liberty wreck and macro sites, then u have sites amed, secret bay and puri juti for muck, menjangan island. And I guess sharks around Padang bai so I hear.

Can't comment on raja ampat, on the list but best via liveaboard I think, or so ppl say

Thank you for all your suggestions, I researching places now. Toyapakeh looks great! I think you are right Raja Ampat might be too adventurous for a honeymoon. We have seen rays in Colombia but mola mola would be phenomenal.

Has anyone dived at Wakatobi? Wakatobi Dive Resort We asked a dive buddy and they seemed to be impressed.

---------- Post added February 17th, 2013 at 05:11 PM ----------

Missol resort looks dreamy but looks like a small fortune even for the 7 day trip. Mimpi Menjangan may be a good option. We are thinking of finding a home base and then taking multiple dives from there. It looks like the southeast side of Bali is popular.

---------- Post added February 17th, 2013 at 05:23 PM ----------

Thanks, iDreamofBubbles! We have been trying to get to SE Asia for a decade but the Caribbean is closer. This is the first time that money and time have lined up. Diving in Bali will certainly be amazing, I'll won't want to come back.

If you had to pick, would you recommend Nusa Lembongan over Tulamben?

Glad to help. The diving in both is fantastic, but they're vastly different. Lembongan is colder, current swept slopes with absolutely gorgeous coral, but conditions can be more difficult. We did it as beginners (had less than 10 dives at the time), and we were fine, actually ended up doing our AOW there. Just make sure to stay close to the DM, and you'll be fine.

Tulamben is more about the critters. There are some coral sites, but my favorites were the dives we spent combing over the black sand looking for exotic creatures. You also have the Liberty Wreck. Words fail to describe the shear amount of life that has found a home on the wreck, it is just absolutely stunning. The diving in Tulamben is also incredibly easy, perfect for a beginner. Check out Scuba Seraya. The villas are gorgeous and reasonably priced, and I think you would bs very happy there on your honeymoon.

One last thing to consider is that you're pretty much limited to 2 dives a day in Lembongan because of the tides. The island itself is beautiful though, and I don't think you would get bored.

Which one to choose? Pick one, pick the other, pick both, flip a coin, you can't lose!

 

[gekodivebali]

Do both. With some time in between to explore Bali on your motorbike!

---------- Post added February 18th, 2013 at 08:36 PM ----------

Or you can stay at Alila or Amankila and dive with us all around Bali and Nusa Penida!

 

[Luko]

Did you feel like you got enough Balinese food/culture from a French chef? I love a good croissant now and then but I am looking to get away from the Western diet.

You'll get your Balinese diet staying in Ubud but I can assure you that soon acquired tastes are calling for something else, clearly the fusion mix that is served at Indiana Kenanga is a welcomed break after a week of Indonesian fare, though it is not typical french, rather fusion food with french flair.

Believe me, Lembongan really deserves a few days/nights staying, it's a very different experience from Bali mainland but on the other hand I don't advise staying there for your whole trip, Bali is very easy to travel : Ubud and east coast spots like Tulamben or Amed should be on your itinerary for staying.

 

[curlyjazz]

Can we rent good quality gear for diving in Bali? We are going to be in Thailand and Burma before Bali and would like to travel light.

 

[pughio83]

Depends where you dive I guess. I can recommend twofish divers lembongan. 5mins down road from Indiana kenanga! The accommodation is excellent value and quite cozy. The equipment there is practically brand new as its a new setup. They are also very safety conscious, and won't even brave the swells to manta bay if they are too high.

My gf did her advanced course there and had no problems, even at crystal bay with small downcurrent. The guides dive safely and hence you are unlikely to have any issues. Decent viz, tons of coral, decent fish volume at certain sites, mantas at manta bay and point, plus some small critters like leaf scorpionfish, occ frog fish, morays, turtles etc. I did a day trip with twofish to tulumben and dived liberty wreck and coral gardens, both v enjoyable. Lembongan had the feel of an Indonesian island back in the day when it was starting out in its development when compared to likes of kuta, sanur, Nusa Dua which I personally don't bother with much now.

And yes, if u save lembongan until later and had your fill of info food, then like luko says, the Asian western fusion will blow you away!! Just save some cash for the meal, cheap by Europe standards for pricey for Indonesia.

As for ubud, fantastic place. Great shops and places to dine, hire a driver to see the sites. The mount batur trek for sunrise is amazing with views of rinjani on Lombok. The Bali bird park ad the butterfly parks are decent, loads different temples to see etc... Try see some of the local silversmiths or art galleries. I got two nice paintings shipped back, just make sure you barter lol!!

Enjoy.

 

[Iam-a-fish]

honeymooners should stay in romantic lembongan resort. highly recommended!!! diving in lembongan/ penida is as good as raja ampat. i was in raja ampat 15 years ago when they were still plenty of large pelagics. the travelling time to raja ampat is not my cup of tea!!! other place as good as raja ampat is KOmodo. i have nbeen diving komodo nearly every year . raja ampat visibility is not that good most of the time, too much hype!!!

 

[zivva]

The accommodation is excellent value and quite cozy

The bungalows are ok but still pretty basic (clean room, a bed, a fan or AC but nothing fancy ...). It's ok value for the money but might not suits honeymooners standards

I would suggest Pondok Baruna Frangipani in the north side of the Island or renting a private small villa on the hill. It's not the best option in order to stay close to the dive centers (4 of them being in the middle of Jungut Batu beach), but they can all arrange pick-up & drop-off ...

IMO, villas @ the Indiana restaurant are over-priced vs local competition & Bali standards.

edit : forgot to mention Tigerlillys that is close to the dive centers area and suits honeymooners standards

 

[Luko]

villas @ the Indiana restaurant are way over-priced

Might be expensive for you and me for a dive stay spent outside the whole day but a luxury suite is 130€ per night, not completely outrageous when comparing to many hotels on Sanur completely devoid of any charm.
At a certain level the price is justified with details, the villas at 240€ per night have their own private pool. Personally I hardly know of any luxury villa with a private pool and room services rented at this price per day

 

[pughio83]

I agree twofish is not what you would call a honeymoon resort. It's a good value dive outfit especially if you stay there. Yeah the rooms are basic, with no tv or any mod cons. The food is v basic also and no evening restaurant but there are so many places around to eat its not a big deal. Just meant it might be a good place to dive with if staying at Indiana.

I think Indiana kenanga prices in this day and age are ok for what you get, when compared to other places on mainland Bali, but also agree its the high end for Indonesia. Maybe a private villa would be ok if you rented a bike for the duration. I would choose to stay cheaper so I can afford to eat indianas food more often lol!!

 

[Wingy]

Ive dived Indonesia for the last two years and found some less heard of but interesting spots..secluded for a honeymoon if thats what your after (you wont get much privacy on a liveaboard!) - I love Lembongan, crystal bay is a nice site but theres a surge there which is IMO the reason for the deaths there. The drift dive at SD Point is awesome fun as is Manta Point at Penida early in the morning with Mantas. I always dive with Scubali anywhere they have ops in Indo. Have had nothing but great service for years. Ive never found the conditions at Lembongan to be particularly rough, maybe ive just been lucky. Why not combine somewhere like Lembongan where you can either stay in Luxury at one of the new resorts or check the old faithful Oka 7. Theyve been in business for years and are conveniently located and reasonably priced. After a four day stop in Lembongan why not zip off to somewhere Robinson Caruso like Bangka island across from Lembeh straight in Sulawesi..Bangka is very isolated - Ive had the island to myself! and diving is a little more of a current dive at times or Sumatra where the corals are insanely beautiful and its gentle and current free. Theres a private island with good diving in a sponge garden called Cubadak that is not at all expensive..not luxury unless you do the overwater bungalow thing but its doable from bali for a few days. Indonesia has hundreds of these little gem islands.