Diving in Bali in October

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Keep your light on until you get picked up -- meaning hanging on the boat line or actually in the boat. But be careful to not shine it in anyone's eyes!

Indo DMs are great, but the habits of "safety first" are simply not there in Indo for the most part.

- Bill
Yes safety here isn't really much of a consideration in general and this certainly does transfer to diving in some cases.
 
I'm back in Bali on the 9th Nov but Padangbai. Don't think I'll get a chance to come back over before then sadly. I did pop into Wayan's for a drink and a look at the view - wonderful!
Any suggestions for dive shops and hotels in Padangbai? I've booked a flight to Bali and will be there for 4 nights. Padangbai looks like the right balance for me of a small town without being too far from diving.
 
I like Geko Dive and a few others on the list do, too. You can stay next door to them (basic) or at OK Divers a few doors down (say 3.5*) but I like this place:

Sea Breeze Candidasa East Bali | Beachfront Hotel in East Bali

Which is about a 20 min drive away. Very nice and peaceful.

- Bill
 
Any suggestions for dive shops and hotels in Padangbai? I've booked a flight to Bali and will be there for 4 nights. Padangbai looks like the right balance for me of a small town without being too far from diving.
We have stayed and dived twice with Absolute Scuba....really nice bungalows, , good food and the dive boat goes from just across the road. The diving in Padang Bai is very nice and the whole place looks a lot smarter now there are rubbish bins and the road has been tarmacked.
 
I ended up doing the whole month of November in Amed, diving almost every day with Adventure Divers and it was freakin' awesome !

The sea states were calm which made entry at Tulamben, at what I've come to call ankle breaker beach easy and currents were;nt much of an issue. I'm not used to currents doing most of my diving on Utila where current could be described as non-existent and I didn't figure I'd like them as they'd compromise my ability to stop and check things out as I found them. Reef hooks, lol wut ? :wink:

Lots of things I've never seen before. Got hooked on bicolour ( or blackfin ) dartfish and juvenile white spotted wrasse and considering I went during the off season there was a lot of one on one diving with the divemaster which meant I could go at my slow pace rather than following the group from one "greatest hits" to the next.

Sure I like the morays and mantis shrimp just as much as the next guy but there's just so much more to see between those that are quite often skipped over.

I really likes the Liberty wreck. I didn't figure I would seeing as how I'm not a big fan of wrecks but it looks more like an oddly shaped artificial reef that a wreck and the no fishing rule they have in effect in the surrounding area has really had an effect. I had no Idea that Oriental Sweetlips could get that big.

I didn't like Kubu wreck, nor that poor attempt at an artificial wreck next to it. Bicycles, scooters, a wheelbarrow ? Come on Man ! just do what they did at Pyramids and call it a day.

My favourite sites ended up being Tulamben Dropoff and Bunutan with those Jurassic Park looking sea fans and sponges and I'd gladly dive those sites over and over as they both provide an excellent balance between muck and reef.

I didn't make it to Padangbai or the The Gilis like I was planning but there's always next year.
 
I'm in Tulamben (again) right now. First dive as usual at liberty wreck. Around 7 still dozens of bumpheads in the wreck seem they didn't leave the wreck until we surface at 7:30.

Second dive was at 4th the slop for macro. Very warm water but suddenly thermocline dropped the temp to 19C. Viz improved to 15 - 20 but I couldn't handle the freezing water with only 1mm.

Tulamben is very busy at 12:00 - 13:00, around hundred divers at Puei Madha area and restaurant. I don't know how many under water.
 
I'm in Tulamben (again) right now. First dive as usual at liberty wreck. Around 7 still dozens of bumpheads in the wreck seem they didn't leave the wreck until we surface at 7:30.

Second dive was at 4th the slop for macro. Very warm water but suddenly thermocline dropped the temp to 19C. Viz improved to 15 - 20 but I couldn't handle the freezing water with only 1mm.

Tulamben is very busy at 12:00 - 13:00, around hundred divers at Puei Madha area and restaurant. I don't know how many under water.

I left Tulamben yesterday.
The day before we had similar conditions on Melasti/Kuanji area but with sudden blasts of current, temps dropping down all of a sudden from 29 to 23. Also with storm of black sand brought by the current. I thought I was diving Nusa Penida !
btw, if you're looking for nudis, currently the righthand side of Bulakan is amazing, there are also 2 rare cyerce kikutarobabai on Seraya dwelling at 12m deep on the left side.
 
Sure I like the morays and mantis shrimp just as much as the next guy but there's just so much more to see between those that are quite often skipped over.

So true—I feel like a kid in a candy shop at these sites.

My favourite sites ended up being Tulamben Dropoff and Bunutan with those Jurassic Park looking sea fans and sponges and I'd gladly dive those sites over and over as they both provide an excellent balance between muck and reef.

Me too.
 
I left Tulamben yesterday.
The day before we had similar conditions on Melasti/Kuanji area but with sudden blasts of current, temps dropping down all of a sudden from 29 to 23. Also with storm of black sand brought by the current. I thought I was diving Nusa Penida !
btw, if you're looking for nudis, currently the righthand side of Bulakan is amazing, there are also 2 rare cyerce kikutarobabai on Seraya dwelling at 12m deep on the left side.

Thanks Luko,
We plan to dive bulakan tommorowor next day. I'll ask to dive the righthand side, assuming facing the sea.

Today, some divers reported whaleshark sighting in the drop off. Not to our luck though.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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