Suggested Dive Destinations/itinerary For Bali In September?

[outofofficebrb]

Hi, folks.

I snagged an awesome deal to Bali in September so we're heading out there. Excluding our travel dates and our no-fly time before heading home, we have 8 possible dive days between September 24th - October 1st. My head is spinning from all the different options and I was hoping you could please help.

I'm shying away from liveaboards UNLESS you think it's bucket list good and a MUST. I feel like I'm breaking the bank 2 weeks after this trip to go on the Spirit of Freedom liveaboard in Australia.

We're both AOW and nitrox certified with about 40-50 dives each. Do you have any must-dive areas, suggestions or itineraries you did that you liked? Thanks so much in advance!

 

[Heg]

I've never used them, but I have heard that these guys have a great reputation for organising dive safaris Bali Diving, SCUBA Dive Trips, Bali Indonesia AquaMarine Diving Bali
Komodo is fabulous and 'bucket list' good IMO. You can do land based , but a liveaboard will cover a far greater area. We went with Mermaid I last November and it was fab. Best if you are comfortable in current though. We dived in some rippers.

Enjoy SOF in Australia. We have done 4 trips with them. Awesome company.

 

[Bali-Freak]

I'm shying away from liveaboards

No liveaboards around Bali as far as I know.

You'll be coming in Mola season (and Manta are all year) so a few days at Nusa Penida is a must. With 8 days for diving you can cover all the best sites in Bali in a safari: Menjangan, Tulamben, Amed, Candi Dasa, Padang Bai, and (of course) Nusa Penida. You can add some other macro sites if that's your thing too. You can dive all these areas staying in three different accommodations so not moving around too much.

Choose one company to do the whole thing or go DIY if you do lots of research.

Enjoy.

 

[Cali_diver]

What are your interests and what do you want to see?

 

[Centrals]

I'm shying away from liveaboards UNLESS you think it's bucket list good and a MUST. I feel like I'm breaking the bank 2 weeks after this trip to go on the Spirit of Freedom liveaboard in Australia.

I would cancel the liveaboard in Australia and go for Komodo.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I've never used them, but I have heard that these guys have a great reputation for organising dive safaris Bali Diving, SCUBA Dive Trips, Bali Indonesia AquaMarine Diving Bali
Komodo is fabulous and 'bucket list' good IMO. You can do land based , but a liveaboard will cover a far greater area. We went with Mermaid I last November and it was fab. Best if you are comfortable in current though. We dived in some rippers.

Enjoy SOF in Australia. We have done 4 trips with them. Awesome company.

Thank you for this link! This is really helpful for me to visualize where all the dive sites are and to have descriptions of them. I'll definitely contact them to see what they can put together. Do you think it's likely to be a better value if I do a lot of research on my own and line up my own accommodations/transportation and day/multi day dives at each location?

I'm glad to hear you had a great time on SOF. Any tips?

No liveaboards around Bali as far as I know.

You'll be coming in Mola season (and Manta are all year) so a few days at Nusa Penida is a must. With 8 days for diving you can cover all the best sites in Bali in a safari: Menjangan, Tulamben, Amed, Candi Dasa, Padang Bai, and (of course) Nusa Penida. You can add some other macro sites if that's your thing too. You can dive all these areas staying in three different accommodations so not moving around too much.

Choose one company to do the whole thing or go DIY if you do lots of research.

Enjoy.

Thank you! Yes, Molas and Mantas are high on my list. Do you recommend a safari or organizing my own day/multi day dive trips and accommodations/transportation? Is it better value if I do it on my own? We generally like to stay in cheaper hotels since we're not there most of the day and it's just there for us to lay our heads down.

What are your interests and what do you want to see?

Hi! Diving is a big aspect of our vacations but we also like scenery, hiking, food for our topside adventures. For down under, we enjoy a mix of macro and micro. Warm water and good visibility are always bonuses. Do you have any suggestions for areas that we should stay in and dive that also have some good topside activities?

I would cancel the liveaboard in Australia and go for Komodo.

Really?! That good, huh? Hmmmm....I might have to do more research on this. Maybe it's an "in addition to". Thanks.

 

[Luko]

In a nutshell from a frequent Bali diver :
- avoid safaris, it's better to do your own : you will pick your hôtels, select the dive centre, at the end if the day this will be cheaper (since safaris have to organize their own transports and staff lodging, besides that a diveguide will not know best all the places in Bali) and more flexible for you.
- rely on local drivers once you're on premises, there's always someone around who will be happy to setup the transport or the tour, often cheapre than booking in advance.
- 8 days is not much, you will be better off staying in 2 locations that may give you the opportunity to dive around. Pemuteran is too far way and not that good compared to other places. I would say your best bet is Padang Bai (where you can dive Padang Bai, Amuk Bay and Nusa Penida) and Tulamben (that will encompass the area around Amed, Tulamben, Kubu).

I agree that on budget you may prefer going to Komodo than GBR.. and yes Komodo is THAT good.

 

[lamarpaulski]

Komodo is a short flight away and truly awesome diving. That would be my dont miss. I also thought the night diving and daybreak diving on the wreck of the Liberty was great too. Stay right there at the wreck imho. Menjangen was ok diving but in your case is a bit of a trip, a lost day or two and i would skip it unless you greatly expand your time, which I would highly, highly, recommend as Bali itself is worthy of several days and Komodo you won't want to leave.

I was there in September, warm but very clear and dry weather in Komodo and almost perfect in Bali too. I was there about double your time and my one regret is not spending way more time in Komodo.

 

[outofofficebrb]

In a nutshell from a frequent Bali diver :
- avoid safaris, it's better to do your own : you will pick your hôtels, select the dive centre, at the end if the day this will be cheaper (since safaris have to organize their own transports and staff lodging, besides that a diveguide will not know best all the places in Bali) and more flexible for you.
- rely on local drivers once you're on premises, there's always someone around who will be happy to setup the transport or the tour, often cheapre than booking in advance.
- 8 days is not much, you will be better off staying in 2 locations that may give you the opportunity to dive around. Pemuteran is too far way and not that good compared to other places. I would say your best bet is Padang Bai (where you can dive Padang Bai, Amuk Bay and Nusa Penida) and Tulamben (that will encompass the area around Amed, Tulamben, Kubu).

I agree that on budget you may prefer going to Komodo than GBR.. and yes Komodo is THAT good.

Hi! Thank you for this. Do you have any recommendations for dive operators at Padang Bai and Tulamben area? That's another vote for Komodo...I might have to talk my SO into it! Do you know which companies do Komodo liveaboards? Any recommendations? (Thank you so much!)

Komodo is a short flight away and truly awesome diving. That would be my dont miss. I also thought the night diving and daybreak diving on the wreck of the Liberty was great too. Stay right there at the wreck imho. Menjangen was ok diving but in your case is a bit of a trip, a lost day or two and i would skip it unless you greatly expand your time, which I would highly, highly, recommend as Bali itself is worthy of several days and Komodo you won't want to leave.

I was there in September, warm but very clear and dry weather in Komodo and almost perfect in Bali too. I was there about double your time and my one regret is not spending way more time in Komodo.

Yet another vote for Komodo and another don't miss vote.I might have to talk my SO into it! Do you know which companies do Komodo liveaboards? Any recommendations? Thank you!

 

[Centrals]

Geko Divers in Padang Bai.
A relatively new addition to the scene in Komodo: Scuba Junkie.