Bali: Need Your Advice

[four_engines]

Hello Fellow Divers

I'm planning a dive trip to Bali in Sep. And since it's there in Sep, I hope to see some Mola Molas. There're 2 parts to the trip. I'll stay in Kuta for the first part and somewhere else for the second part. So here are some burning questions:

1. Which resort or hotel in Kuta would you recommend? Budget's about USD 40-50 per room per night. It'll be great if it's near the party places. Don't really need good facilities. Just good location and reasonable comfort.

2. From Kuta, I'm planning to dive Nusa Penida and Tulamben. I read in Globetrotter that Michael Cortenbach from Bali Hai has spent years researching Mola Molas. So they are, or he is probably the best to dive with if Mola Molas are what I want to see. Has anyone dived with Bali Hai or Michael? What's the hit rate?

3. I also want to dive at Menjangan. Where's the best area to stay if I want to dive there? Will it be Lovina? Is there anywhere closer? If it's going to be Lovina, where would you suggest? Budget's also about USD 40-50 per room per night. Prefereably attached bathroom.

4. I understand that Bali's actually a volcanic island so you can't really get white sandy beaches in Lovina?

Thanks. Would appreciate any inputs!

F/E

 

[manhattandiver]

I dove the North of Bali in September, 2001 and thought it was quite good. You may want to check out the book "Diving Bali: The Underwater Jewel of Southeast Asia" before you go. It's amazingly detailed and well written. At the very least it should give you some insight on which region you want to stay in and dive.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...103-1671426-3811013?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Lovina beach in the North has a pretty funky backpacker sceen. It's got a lot of good bars and restaurants, a black sand beach, decent accomodations (no problem finding a charming place with in-house facilities, hot water and air-con for $20-$30 / night) and would definately be a good place for a diver to hang out when not in the water. The only real draw back is that it's in the center of the North coast and the good diving in the North is off of Majangan (sp?) and Tulamben (sp?) in the North-West and the North-East corners of Bali, respectively. The dive sites in the center of the North coast have been largely destroyed by dynamite fishing. To get to Majangan from Lovina requires a 2 hour drive and a 45 minute boat trip each way. To get to Tulamben from Lovina requires a 1.5 hour drive each way, though the diving is mostly from shore (with the best being on the WWII wreck the "Liberty"). The trips are bearable, but long. It also makes it impossible to do more than 2 dives per day (unless you go for a night dive off of Lovina). There was a very small, bear bones dive resort near Majangan itself, but there was absolutely nothing else nearby. Even if it's still in existence, I think you would go stir crazy staying at that place for more than a day.

Another alternative would be to spend more time staying in the South at either Kuta or Nusa Dua and dive off of Nusa Penida (sp?). The diving there is also supposed to be excellent, though with more pelagics (like the Mola Molas) and less soft coral than at Majangan. Prices for lodging and diving are much higher in the South than in the North, and I'm not a big fan of the top-side scene at Kuta or Nusa Dua either, but there are worse places to be stuck when traveling. You may also want to see if you can stay in Ubud (more of the laid-back cultural center of Bali) and still dive Nusa Penida. Ubud is in the interior of the island, but what it lacks in seascapes, it makes up for in temples, terraced rice fields and other charms.

Hope that the above helps.

 

[four_engines]

To get to Majangan from Lovina requires a 2 hour drive and a 45 minute boat trip each way.

Thanks Manhattandiver for the info (must be hot in NYC now huh?).

Are you saying that the entire trip from Lovina to diving in Menjangan takes 2 hours AND a 45 mins boat trip? Wow, that's pretty long!

Have you dived Sipadan, Mabul or Manado? How does the diving in Menjangan compare? The reaon why I want to stay in Lovina is because of diving in Menjangan but if it's pretty much the same compared to the 3 places, I might pass on Lovina.

F/E

 

[dancingcoral]

I can support what manhatttandiver said. Have stayed in Lovina some years ago and liked the atmosphere there. The trips to the dive sites were long but worth it.
I would skip the south and include a trip to Ubud as well - no diving but very nice cultural centre.
A lot of my friends have dived in Manado and have said that you cannot compare it to Bali. It´s supposed to be much better.
Have you looked at books about Lombok?

 

[Bali-Freak]

1. Which resort or hotel in Kuta would you recommend? Budget's about USD 40-50 per room per night. It'll be great if it's near the party places. Don't really need good facilities. Just good location and reasonable comfort. F/E

Try Hotel Kumala (or one of their sister hotels) www.kumalahotel.com or Oasis www.theoasis.info ... both are nice places, good location, good value.

2. What's the hit rate?F/E

50% ... either you see them or you don't. It's impossible to give any meaningful percentage. All you can do is go the most likely season, to the most likely sites at the most likely times. But if they aren't there, they aren't there, simple as that. Depends on your luck.

3. I also want to dive at Menjangan. Where's the best area to stay if I want to dive there? Will it be Lovina? Is there anywhere closer? If it's going to be Lovina, where would you suggest? Budget's also about USD 40-50 per room per night. Prefereably attached bathroom.F/E

Better stay Pemuteran than Lovina. It's much closer and a better choice / value of accommodations in my opinion (though much quieter than Lovina, less shops bars restaurants etc). Try http://www.anekahotels.com/aneka-bagus/index.html or http://www.balitamansari.com/cottages-main.html F/E[/QUOTE]

Hope this helps.

 

[davidlkh]

There are cottages and losmen on Nusa Lembongan. Bali Hai themselves have cottages on Nusa Lembongan. This may save you some travel time to the dive site and allow more dives per day.

Tulamben is a rocky beach, great place to dive. There are lodging facilities there too.

For white sand beach, you have to go to Pemuteran area. There are hotels there with a dive center.

I prefer to stay close to where I dive, it saves a lot of travel time and allows for more bottom time at a more relaxed pace. Bali is a big island and even with the new highway, it still takes sometime to travel the long distances.

 

[pelan-pelan]

Try www.starfish.ch - there is an English translation. This Swiss lady dives extensively in SE Asia and has up to date information. She was diving Bali this summer.

 

[manhattandiver]

Thanks Manhattandiver for the info (must be hot in NYC now huh?).

Are you saying that the entire trip from Lovina to diving in Menjangan takes 2 hours AND a 45 mins boat trip? Wow, that's pretty long!

Have you dived Sipadan, Mabul or Manado? How does the diving in Menjangan compare? The reaon why I want to stay in Lovina is because of diving in Menjangan but if it's pretty much the same compared to the 3 places, I might pass on Lovina.

F/E

The car ride itself was about 2 hours, followed by the 45 minute boat ride. (And that's not counting the time you spend waiting for the boat to be loaded / unloaded going each way.) It ends up being at least an 8 hour day for 2 dives. The road is in pretty good shape though and the minivans they use for transport have A/C, so if you can sleep on the way, it's not that bad. I did it five days in a row, however, and by the end I had enough.

I haven't been to Mabul or Manado, but on the same trip I took to Bali, I also dove Sipidan. In general, I liked the diving there more. Fish were bigger and more abundant, and there were turtles literally everywhere. On the other hand, I think that the soft corals on Majangan were more lush and colorful than those on Sipidan. The shallower dive sites also showed fewer effects from coral bleaching. Of course, those were the good old days when you could actually stay on Sipidan itself, so my impressions may have been tainted by comparing the 5 meter surface swim to the drop-off, versus the 2 hour 45 minute trip in Bali.

 

[Bali-Freak]

Are you saying that the entire trip from Lovina to diving in Menjangan takes 2 hours AND a 45 mins boat trip? F/E

Yea, if you dive Menjangan better stay in Pemuteran ... then it's about a 20 minute drive and 30 - 45 minute boat trip. Some resorts - example Pondok Sari - have boats leaving directly from the resort to Menjangan, takes less than an hour.

 

[four_engines]

Thanks all for the info.

I was also told to consider Ubud if you're there with your partner. The cultural centre of Bali can be quite romantic as well.

Just a few more questions:

1. What's the street or area in Kuta with the happening pubs and clubs?

2. Besides Kumala and Oasis, any other recommendation on where to stay in Kuta? Budget is about USD 40 per night, and preferably, near nightspots.

3. Has anyone dived with Michael Cortenbach or Wally Sangian?

Thanks again.

F/E