Amed/Padang Bai in June

[Nettie-NZ]

It’s been a few years (probably about 10) since I last dived in Bali. I’ve dived elsewhere in Indo, but time has come to head back to Bali. I’m looking at going in June.

Last time I was there I was based at Sanur and dived with Joe’s Gone Diving. They were excellent, but I’m not so keen on travelling up north all the time. Instead I’d rather be based at Padang Bai or Amed.

I’ve dived with Two Fish before in Bunaken / Lembeh and really enjoyed my time diving with them, so I’m definitely looking at them as one option, but I’m also keen to hear other people’s recommendations.

I’m not looking anything fancy, just a good option for eat/ sleep/ dive... and repeat

 

[Nettie-NZ]

Well, I’ve decided to look at another option as well - Komodo.
What’s diving like in June there? Any recommendations?

 

[Cali_diver]

Well, I’ve decided to look at another option as well - Komodo.
What’s diving like in June there? Any recommendations?

Crowded.... but amazing if you are on a liveaboard that can get away from day boats and go south. ... but very crowded

 

[chillyinCanada]

I've recently had two separate trips to Padang Bai, staying and diving with Absolute Scuba. Perfect blend of all area dive opportunities (though some sites we drove to in a van, ie Suraya and Liberty Wreck) and a nice resort with easy access to good food in its restaurant and great location in town.

 

[ACMe]

I live in the Amed area, and I have had only positive experiences with Two Fish Amed. I love macro, so I really appreciate Bayu's "Lembeh eyes" for spotting critters (and actually both IDing them and remembering them after the dive).

As has been mentioned, Two Fish is also one of the only dive ops in the area with a boat. While it's true that Tec courses have priority, I would say 85% of my dives with them have been by boat (often sharing with the Tec folks), including in the Tulamben area which is a quick 15-20 minute boat ride away. I generally find this to be quicker than gearing up from the shore in the chaos around the Liberty, but that depends a lot on timing. It's also less hassle as you can quickly move to your second dive, including sites like Emerald and Batu Niti (personal favorite) which seem to be more difficult to access from the shore (or are at least less frequently accessed--it's rare to encounter another group of divers).

A couple of added bonuses to staying at Two Fish is that it allows you to explore the rest of the Amed area, including sites with a bit more current like Bunatan (coral pinnacles at 10-20m, good chance to see reef sharks and the occasional eagle ray). If you stay at Two Fish, you can also walk straight out into the bay for night dives, which are particularly excellent in the muck. I've had dives there with dozens of octopuses (including mimics), bobtail squid, scorpionfish, frogfish, ghost pipefish, etc.

That's my two cents. I'm sure the Tulamben guides are also great, and Luko is probably in a better position to compare the two vis-a-vis one another.

There was another recent thread on diving in Amed, and the above was my input. In short, Two Fish is a very good option.