Diving in bali
- Thread starter Edgar
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
bebo
Contributor
- Messages
- 213
- Reaction score
- 0
Allison Finch
Contributor
I spent time on Lombogan Island hoping to see one. Never did. Nor on the northern coast of Bali. There was plenty else, however. Too bad the locals are still fishing with dynamite even in the National Parks. The damage was incredible. I will always prefer PNG.
We tried at Nusa Penida but had no luck. You have to go where there are strong currents because that's what attracts the big fish. However, be very careful with diving on Bali. There are some ripping currents that can be very dangerous around full moon time. Downswells and upswells can send you to the chamber or worse if they arent handled properly. Good luck.
reubencahn
Contributor
Check out this trip report: http://dive.scubadiving.com/members/tripreports.php?s=2215
beche de mer
Contributor
Edgar:
From what I've heard, you'd have to be very lucky to see the sunfish.
I dived in Bali a couple of years back and overall, it was poor.
The coral around Sanur is stuffed.
There is quite nice novice-level diving at the Gili Islands, just off the Lombok, next big island to the east. There is the daily ferry to Lombok (slow but cheap) or a high speed Cat. (Quick but pricey.) You could also fly. I'd recommend the ferry. It takes 4-6 hours for the crossing, but it's a great experience. The diving off the Gilis is generally poor. The coral has been blown up and the marine life is scanty. But if you're really hanging out.....And great party scene on Gili Trawangan.
IMHO, there is only one dive worth doing in Bali, and that is the USS Liberty - a cargo ship which was sunk by a Jap torpedo. It's in 10-25 metres just off Tulamben, on the easternmost part of the island. The dive is very, very easy. It's often snorkelled. Just walk in from the shore and there it is. The striking thing is the fish life. I still have flashes of floating inside of cyclone of schooling jackfish.
You can do it as a day trip from the southern resorts. But it's a very popular site and becomes crowded after about 10 o'clock. My advice is to travel up the day before and stay a couple of nights. (No need to book. Heaps of cheap accommodation. Occupancies still down after the Bali bombing.)
I'd rate the Liberty as one of my most enjoyable dives.
I agree with Beche de Mer that the Liberty wreck is a great dive and yes it is very easy. However, it is definitely not the only dive worth doing. Nusa Penida has excellent dive sites. The coral is in very good shape and has lots of marine life. It isn't "world class" diving but it's still very good.
gabyne
Contributor
As far as I know, there is a special season for sunfish which should be around August to October or so... they are said to be found mainly in the south east of Bali where strong currents occur.
There are a lot of very good places in Bali apart from Liberty: Secret Bay/Gilimanuk, Karang Gede for muck diving, Menjangan (pygmy seahorses, h. bargibanti and h. denise), some spots close to Sambirenteng in the north.
There are a lot of very good places in Bali apart from Liberty: Secret Bay/Gilimanuk, Karang Gede for muck diving, Menjangan (pygmy seahorses, h. bargibanti and h. denise), some spots close to Sambirenteng in the north.
You should try Nusa Penida, the island at the South end of Bali, if you want to see the Mola Mola. The season for them is quite short, from around September to October but if you're lucky you may see the odd one out of season - I saw one in March last year, which was very cool.
Besides that Nusa Penida is nice site with good healthy coral and a great place to drift dive though not somewhere to go if you don't like currents. Also beware of the thermoclines. As the site has a very deep drop off cold water rising up can cause some darn cold thermoclines where the water temp can drop from a nice balmy 30C (86F) to around a not so balmy 18C (64F) very quickly. Thankfully they don't normally stretch too far.
Besides that Nusa Penida is nice site with good healthy coral and a great place to drift dive though not somewhere to go if you don't like currents. Also beware of the thermoclines. As the site has a very deep drop off cold water rising up can cause some darn cold thermoclines where the water temp can drop from a nice balmy 30C (86F) to around a not so balmy 18C (64F) very quickly. Thankfully they don't normally stretch too far.
Similar threads
