bali diving end of march

[Nitro91]

my girlfriend and i will be in bali from end of march to mid april for about 10 days and looking to do some diving.

Theres so many places to go to so i was just trying to narrow down some options.
we will be in gili air from 29-2 april also.
what places have good diving that arent too touristy or busy at this time of year?
I've seen tulamben mentioned a lot for diving and the diving there looks good, is it a touristy place though?

 

[Bali Dream Divers]

Hey Nitro91

Tulamben is one of the least 'touristy' spots in Bali. My partner and I actually moved to Bali last March and I knew of the USAT Liberty (one of my bucket-list dives!) before I knew it was in Tulamben It's THE reason to make Tulamben one of your diving destinations when in Bali. So since we started diving around the area, we've based ourselves at Bali Dream Divers and assist in their marketing and dive centre management. There are several other dive spots (another large wreck that starts at 18m depth in Kubu village, 5 minutes from Tulamben); and Amed has diving too and is only marginally more 'touristy' than Tulamben (but still quiet!), is 20 minutes away and with more options for places to stay and eat.
Tulamben has 3 ATMs (not banks), about 10 restaurants (from super-cheap Balinese food-stalls, to reasonable-priced restaurants with local and western cuisine). Places to stay can range from anything between big resorts on the beach to dormitory backpacker options, but it's not all 'on-top-of-each-other' like it is in Seminyak and Kuta. So, with what's available in Tulamben, it's just not developed enough for it to get 'rowdy' with crowds all day and all night anytime soon!
Bali Dream Divers are actually offering a promotional 'Group' diving package (a minimum of 4 persons). So, if you and your girlfriend meet two other travellers, your party will receive a discount on all your dives.

I've always wanted to dive Nusa Penida as well, to dive with mola-mola and manta rays. They make their migration every year around those islands (Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Penida and Nusa Ceningan), but I'm waiting for the months between May and September for this dream to come true because I hear it's the most likely time those animals migrate around those islands... but you never know with nature, right?

So, maybe we shall meet you in a month or so in Tulamben and go dive together! But always have fun with your dive travel plans and make sure the dive professional you are to dive with makes you feel safe and comfortable!

 

[Nitro91]

yeh cool we will definitely stay in tulamben for a few nights then.

where else would you recommend around bali for diving?

 

[Bali Dream Divers]

yeh cool we will definitely stay in tulamben for a few nights then.

where else would you recommend around bali for diving?

Hey there

Other than the places I've mentioned, there's not that many places I can recommend if you are looking to avoid the crowds. Some people enjoy Padangbai for the muck diving and there are many dive operators there, both big and small (but the crowds are not there so much for the diving, as they are for queuing up for the speedboats to the 'Gili's'!) To Bali's west coast, Lovina and Menjangan Island have stunning water (during the dry season - May to September), but the reefs are shallow so snorkelling is more popular than diving. As far as our personal experience diving in Bali, the Tulamben area has been our favourite; and as I mentioned earlier, from here you can explore quite a bit of the coast in both directions. Bali Dream Divers' offer dive excursions north to Kubu and south to Amed, plus many little hidden sites in between.

I plan a dive adventure (as best I can anyways!) around what kind of diving interests me! I LOVE wrecks, coral, marine life (pelagic or macro)! And I am very impatient when it comes to muck diving! Some divers are really into the shipwrecks in the north east coast of Bali where we are, or seeing sea turtles in the 'Gili's', while others may prefer dramatic drop off wall dives for technical diving (another dive discipline I'm not into!)

So I hope this helps. Obviously you may find more information on the web than I could ever provide as to the endless possibilities of Bali.
When you know that you're heading to Tulamben please feel free to email us at BaliDreamDivers@Gmail.com and I'll be more than happy to help you arrange any part of your stay and diving here or just meet you for a cup of Bali coffee and some friendly diver chat

 

[ToneTurtles]

I have been living in Bali for 18 months and am currently in Dive Master training. The best place to stay and use as a launch point to have access to the most sites is undoubtedly Sanur. It is full of dive shops and within an hour of most sites

The must do's in Bali and surrounds are:

Tulamben:

- USAT Liberty Wreck (try and do a night dive on the wreck to see giant Parrot Fish and super active Moray)
- Drop Off.. (only 200m from the wreck, including amazing macro and electric clams on the big wall)

Nusa Penida/Nusa Lembongan:

- Manta Point (99% guaranteed to swim with 5m Mata Ray)
- SD (named after the schol on the shore, pleasant drift driving and thousands of fish species)
- Crystal Bay (the clearest diving you will ever do

Gili Trawangan/Gili Air and surrounds:

- Turtle Heaven ( a mini underwater mountain which lives up to the name)
- Shark Point (an abundance of White tip, black tip and reef sharks

Komodo
- Great if you take a liveaboard trip, you will be diving 3 or 4 times a day and have the time of your life

The best dive companies I have dealt with are Trawangan Dive on Gili Trawangan, and Atlantis Dive in Sanur. Between those two companies you will see all of the above sites. Trawangan Dive has been rated one of the top 10 dive companies in the world for IDC and DM Training, and Atlantis is #1 on Tripadvisor for Bali Dive Centres.Both are super friendly, laid back businesses that include lunch and transport on dive days. Enjoy

 

[Luko]

I have been living in Bali for 18 months and am currently in Dive Master training. The best place to stay and use as a launch point to have access to the most sites is undoubtedly Sanur. It is full of dive shops and within an hour of most sites

Alternative facts strike again or what?

Within an hour of your hotel in Sanur you can't get to anywhere !!!
It will take you more than 2h to get to Tulamben, more than an hour to Padang Bai, over a 40 minutes ride for Nusa Penida once you are on the boat (that means additonal 1/2 hour getting to the boat). etc.
Imagine that you double the transport duration during your day,, if riding a bus 3-4 hours a day is your type of vacation then yes, you can stay in Sanur for diving. Otherwise hop from place to place, taht is very easy in Bali..

FYI manta rays in Nusa Penida are the manta alfrerti variety, ie the smaller reef manta specie. You'll have a hard time seeing 5m which s the maximum size for that specie. .

The post above looks to me like blatant advertizing of someone working for a dive company..

 

[UFOrb]

Within an hour of your hotel in Sanur you can't get to anywhere !!!
It will take you more than 2h to get to Tulamben, more than an hour to Padang Bai, over a 40 minutes ride for Nusa Penida once you are on the boat (that means additonal 1/2 hour getting to the boat). etc.
Imagine that you double the transport duration during your day,, if riding a bus 3-4 hours a day is your type of vacation then yes, you can stay in Sanur for diving. Otherwise hop from place to place, taht is very easy in Bali..

Listen to Luko, he know what he's talking about.

We're visiting Bali & Gili Air in May. Luko and several others have been a great help with planning the trip. That, and my own research guided me away from staying in Sanur for the best diving on the island - far too much daily travelling, unless you're happy with that. From what I hear Sanur is pretty touristy anyway, as that's what you wanted to avoid.

We have kids so want particularly easy access to sites, so we're staying on Gili Air for several days, then moving to Tulamben for 3 nights for the USAT Liberty and nearby sites, then to Candidasa for the local islands (Gili Mimpang, Tepekong & Biaha). Will probably dive with Orca Dive Club as they're next to our hotel & have a boat direct to those sites from the 'beach'. Unfortunately we probably wont have time for Padang Bai & Nusa Penida is too long a day trip for us (due to the kids).

Anyway, have a great time

 

[helarno]

What Luko said - there's no good diving near Sanur and it takes hours to get to the nearest dive site. Why spend hours traveling daily when you can stay right beside the beach and just walk into the ocean for your morning dive? That's diving at Tulamben.

Sanur's good if you want restaurants and laid back nightlife. Not so much for diving. There are lots of dive centres there but that is because that is where the tourists are, not because the dive sites are nearby.

 

[Bubble Junky]

I'd aim to move around a bit too...

A couple of nights in Tulamben, Amed, Padang Bai, and then maybe to Lembongan. You can get the ferry across to Gili Air from Lembongan...

 

[finbob]

Hi, wanted your opinion as I heard a few negatives concerning dive operations in Bali. First, many are located away from the ocean so getting to dive sites is overland and one needs to navigate slopes etc. Second, carrying the tank and equipment some use women, even children - true? Third, accommodation and dive centre may be miles apart.

I would like to dive the Liberty wreck - recommendations of a dive operation/accommodation. I like comfort, air con, guided dives and yeah, my tank and equipment carried for me. Sounds awful I know, but my age does not permit throwing tanks over my shoulder and climbing Mt. Everest Any suggestions? Thanks!