Erwin Kodiat
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Waiting for your story about Sangalaki, Liang. I plan to dive there on June. Thanks in advance.
Diving in Sangalaki
- Thread starter Liang
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Hi,
I have contacted Ron Holland and Steve Fish just two days ago. They were here in Singapore for ADEX. They are really nice and friendly. So, all set to go in May. I will give you more info after the trip.
Wow, you are in Bali. Any advise on the diving in Bali? I will be there in late September.
Liang
I have contacted Ron Holland and Steve Fish just two days ago. They were here in Singapore for ADEX. They are really nice and friendly. So, all set to go in May. I will give you more info after the trip.
Wow, you are in Bali. Any advise on the diving in Bali? I will be there in late September.
Liang
Erwin Kodiat
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Thanks Liang, I send you the summary of all dive sites in Bali I've compiled with a friend. Hopefully it is useful for you.
Penida Island
One day is never enough diving the various dive sites of this gloriously rich island. With its superb drifts and variety of underwater life, Nusa Penida (Penida Island) never fails to impress. We cruise the island looking for the site with the best conditions on the day. For drift diving fans, well head to places with great currents to ride. For those who want to see more of the marine life or simply enjoy more relaxed diving well find more sheltered areas. Nusa Penida is home to some of the healthiest corals in the region along with an unsurpassed variety of underwater life. And for those who want a chance to see Manta or the amazing Giant Sunfish (Mola-mola), then this is the place to head for. Penida Island also offers great snorkeling opportunities.
Ceningan & Lembongan Islands
Sister islands to Nusa Penida, these islands offer their own unique sites. Nusa Lembongan especially has sites suitable for beginners or those who need a quick refresh before moving on to more challenging areas. The snorkeling here too is top quality, with coral reefs nearly breaking the surface. Nusa Lembongan is a great place to overnight, with white sand tropical beaches and accommodation ranging from basic to high class. Nusa Cenigan provides us with opportunities for drifting along a current swept vertical wall experienced divers only.
Tulamben
This dive site is quite rightly the most popular in Bali. You get the chance to dive not only the world famous USS Liberty shipwreck at Tulamben, but also some of the other great sites in this location - including a great drop-off, and a wonderful coral garden. By staying overnight you get the chance to dive it in the early morning before the crowds of day trip divers arrive, and before it starts to get silted up by over-eager fins (good news for photographers), and also enjoy a night dive there a truly magical experience. The USS Liberty is home to 400 species of reef fish, and visited by 100 pelagic species.
Located on the beautiful North East Coast, with Agung Volcano towering in the background, the small village of Tulamben is a wonderful getaway destination after the noise and fumes of the busier parts of Bali. Diving aside, our guests can unwind with a stroll along the coast, a gentle swim, or a beachside massage or BBQ. This is also one of the best places to snorkel in Bali. And it couldnt be more convenient accommodation, a variety of restaurants, the beach and the dive sites are all within a few hundred meters of each other. As an added bonus, the drive there and back passes through some of the most stunning natural scenery Bali has to offer.
Amed
A lovely relaxed resort area with some fine hotels, Amed is a nice break from crazy Kuta. The first dive is a fairly easy one, taking you around a beautifully coloured reef at about 15m, which never seems to disappoint. It appears to change personality with each dive, so weve never seen the same face twice. And thats just the warm-up. After a short boat ride well arrive at the second site, where the reef is even better. Wed tell you where it is, but not even the other dive companies know about it, so we dont want to let the word out. We want to keep it a secret as long as possible!
Menjangan Island
Best wall dive in Bali... how's that sound?! If you've done Bali's other walls, you know that's saying a lot. Clear visibility, calm water, the density & varieties of fishes, gorgonian-covered walls and easy entry & exit from the water make this island Northwest Bali's premier dive site. Best of all - it's suitable for all levels. And don't forget your camera, because the scenery above the water in this National Park is just as breathtaking as below! For experienced deep divers, an added attraction is Anchor Wreck which starts at about 40m down to 45m.
Padang Bai
A quiet resort area with great beaches, an overnight in Padang Bai nicely breaks the journey between the main tourist areas in the South of Bali and the must-see sites at Tulamben. Our first dive is usually Jepun, which is a wonderful sloping coral with a rich variety of fishes. Then its back to Blue Lagoon for a nice relaxing surface interval on the white sand beach to enjoy lunch. The second dive is Blue Lagoon, where the water is crystal clear & calm, the corals are healthy and full of color, and the fishes...unbelievable! Sharks and Napoleon Wrasse are also around. Just check it out yourself! Also suitable for snorkellers.
Tepekong Island
Looking for an adrenaline rush? This site might be just what youre after. Even for the most experienced divers, this site can be challenging due to the frequently unpredictable currents and surges, so it requires some strong current experience. In addition to the technical aspects of the dive (including caves, swim-throughs and a massive wall), theres certainly no shortage of things to keep your attention. The structure of corals here are extraordinary and vast, and the wide variety of marine life includes turtles, lionfish, scorpionfish, triggerfish and boxfish. Oh yeah, it is called Shark Point, so I guess we should mention you have a chance to swim with the sharks!
Secret Bay
Not for the faint-hearted! Full of trash and shallow, yet home to some of the best macro-delights in the area Nudibranch, Frogfish and much more. A patient photographers Paradise.
Penida Island
One day is never enough diving the various dive sites of this gloriously rich island. With its superb drifts and variety of underwater life, Nusa Penida (Penida Island) never fails to impress. We cruise the island looking for the site with the best conditions on the day. For drift diving fans, well head to places with great currents to ride. For those who want to see more of the marine life or simply enjoy more relaxed diving well find more sheltered areas. Nusa Penida is home to some of the healthiest corals in the region along with an unsurpassed variety of underwater life. And for those who want a chance to see Manta or the amazing Giant Sunfish (Mola-mola), then this is the place to head for. Penida Island also offers great snorkeling opportunities.
Ceningan & Lembongan Islands
Sister islands to Nusa Penida, these islands offer their own unique sites. Nusa Lembongan especially has sites suitable for beginners or those who need a quick refresh before moving on to more challenging areas. The snorkeling here too is top quality, with coral reefs nearly breaking the surface. Nusa Lembongan is a great place to overnight, with white sand tropical beaches and accommodation ranging from basic to high class. Nusa Cenigan provides us with opportunities for drifting along a current swept vertical wall experienced divers only.
Tulamben
This dive site is quite rightly the most popular in Bali. You get the chance to dive not only the world famous USS Liberty shipwreck at Tulamben, but also some of the other great sites in this location - including a great drop-off, and a wonderful coral garden. By staying overnight you get the chance to dive it in the early morning before the crowds of day trip divers arrive, and before it starts to get silted up by over-eager fins (good news for photographers), and also enjoy a night dive there a truly magical experience. The USS Liberty is home to 400 species of reef fish, and visited by 100 pelagic species.
Located on the beautiful North East Coast, with Agung Volcano towering in the background, the small village of Tulamben is a wonderful getaway destination after the noise and fumes of the busier parts of Bali. Diving aside, our guests can unwind with a stroll along the coast, a gentle swim, or a beachside massage or BBQ. This is also one of the best places to snorkel in Bali. And it couldnt be more convenient accommodation, a variety of restaurants, the beach and the dive sites are all within a few hundred meters of each other. As an added bonus, the drive there and back passes through some of the most stunning natural scenery Bali has to offer.
Amed
A lovely relaxed resort area with some fine hotels, Amed is a nice break from crazy Kuta. The first dive is a fairly easy one, taking you around a beautifully coloured reef at about 15m, which never seems to disappoint. It appears to change personality with each dive, so weve never seen the same face twice. And thats just the warm-up. After a short boat ride well arrive at the second site, where the reef is even better. Wed tell you where it is, but not even the other dive companies know about it, so we dont want to let the word out. We want to keep it a secret as long as possible!
Menjangan Island
Best wall dive in Bali... how's that sound?! If you've done Bali's other walls, you know that's saying a lot. Clear visibility, calm water, the density & varieties of fishes, gorgonian-covered walls and easy entry & exit from the water make this island Northwest Bali's premier dive site. Best of all - it's suitable for all levels. And don't forget your camera, because the scenery above the water in this National Park is just as breathtaking as below! For experienced deep divers, an added attraction is Anchor Wreck which starts at about 40m down to 45m.
Padang Bai
A quiet resort area with great beaches, an overnight in Padang Bai nicely breaks the journey between the main tourist areas in the South of Bali and the must-see sites at Tulamben. Our first dive is usually Jepun, which is a wonderful sloping coral with a rich variety of fishes. Then its back to Blue Lagoon for a nice relaxing surface interval on the white sand beach to enjoy lunch. The second dive is Blue Lagoon, where the water is crystal clear & calm, the corals are healthy and full of color, and the fishes...unbelievable! Sharks and Napoleon Wrasse are also around. Just check it out yourself! Also suitable for snorkellers.
Tepekong Island
Looking for an adrenaline rush? This site might be just what youre after. Even for the most experienced divers, this site can be challenging due to the frequently unpredictable currents and surges, so it requires some strong current experience. In addition to the technical aspects of the dive (including caves, swim-throughs and a massive wall), theres certainly no shortage of things to keep your attention. The structure of corals here are extraordinary and vast, and the wide variety of marine life includes turtles, lionfish, scorpionfish, triggerfish and boxfish. Oh yeah, it is called Shark Point, so I guess we should mention you have a chance to swim with the sharks!
Secret Bay
Not for the faint-hearted! Full of trash and shallow, yet home to some of the best macro-delights in the area Nudibranch, Frogfish and much more. A patient photographers Paradise.
neve
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Liang,
Looking forward to your report on Sangalaki. I've been considering it for a while now, but a bit hesitant because I've never actually met anyone who has been there!
Are you a friend of Giovanni, btw? Sorry it's just a wild guess.
Looking forward to your report on Sangalaki. I've been considering it for a while now, but a bit hesitant because I've never actually met anyone who has been there!
Are you a friend of Giovanni, btw? Sorry it's just a wild guess.
Hi,
Nop, I am not a friend of Giovanni.
I will give you guys a report when I am back, but the weather here in south east asia is a bit strange lately, lots of unexpected rain during the last few weeks. Hope it doesn't affect my trip.
I have met up with the guys running the resort recently at ADEX, Ron Holland and Steve Fish. Very nice and friendly guys, so I am quite sure we will have a great time.
Liang
Nop, I am not a friend of Giovanni.
I will give you guys a report when I am back, but the weather here in south east asia is a bit strange lately, lots of unexpected rain during the last few weeks. Hope it doesn't affect my trip.
I have met up with the guys running the resort recently at ADEX, Ron Holland and Steve Fish. Very nice and friendly guys, so I am quite sure we will have a great time.
Liang
Hi Everyone,
As promised, here is the trip report of my first trip to Sangalaki.
I had trouble initially as we do not get fast response from the operator there, this is because they are still in the mist of setting the whole place as they have just taken it over from Borneo Divers.
Steve Fish, who is the Operator Manager on the island is excellent. He is friendly and obliging, he is those that do it for the passion of diving rather than just making money. That makes a lot of different. The guides and the boat mans are very good as well.
Diving around Sangalaki island is superb. It is a bit under rated by most books or magazines. We were blessed with good vis and weather. Most dives around the island are easy and shallow. Every morning except one, we were greeted by at least one Manta. We usually looked for them on the surface first, snorkelled and then scuba. On our last day, we snorkelled with at least 6 Mantas, they were feeding on the surface. Everywhere I turn, I will see Manta flying by up close with their mouth wide open. On the boat, you will see them line up in a straight line on the surface swallowing the rich soup of plankton. Almost like a fly pass for our farewell.
Even without the Manta, diving there is really something. Corals are really awesome, layers after layers of untouched corals. The best dive sites are "Manta Run" and "Cleaning Station". Good corals and marine life. You will see school after school of snappers, sweetlips, batfishes, unicorns, fusiliers and many others swimming pass you non stop at about 5m in Manta Run.
We dived in Kakaban as well. The highlight there is that there is a cave (very interesting, down to about 43m and exit at one of the dive site call "the wall") and a jellyfish lake (just like the one in Palau, this lake is really awesome).
Diving in Kakaban is not very good as the corals were destroyed by dynamite fishing before the island was protected.
All in all, the whole trip is great except that on our way back, the domestic flight were delay for more than an hour. Due to the delay, we missed out flight back to Singapore from Balikpapan. We end up paying another US$300 for a one way ticket back to Singapore via Jakarta on the same day : (
Food and accomodation is good.
Just to give you an idea on where I have been to and that I am comparing it with the things I have seen.
3 times in Manado
2 times in Sipadan
2 times in Maldives
once in Koh Similan
once in Layang Layang
Numerous time in Pulau Aur and Anambas
Sangalaki is really worth going. With the Mantas, it is up in the league of those that are consider the best diving in South East Asia.
Liang
Oh, one more thing. There were only 5 leisure divers on the island. Another couple were shooting cuttle fishes for BBC and they were on another boat.
As promised, here is the trip report of my first trip to Sangalaki.
I had trouble initially as we do not get fast response from the operator there, this is because they are still in the mist of setting the whole place as they have just taken it over from Borneo Divers.
Steve Fish, who is the Operator Manager on the island is excellent. He is friendly and obliging, he is those that do it for the passion of diving rather than just making money. That makes a lot of different. The guides and the boat mans are very good as well.
Diving around Sangalaki island is superb. It is a bit under rated by most books or magazines. We were blessed with good vis and weather. Most dives around the island are easy and shallow. Every morning except one, we were greeted by at least one Manta. We usually looked for them on the surface first, snorkelled and then scuba. On our last day, we snorkelled with at least 6 Mantas, they were feeding on the surface. Everywhere I turn, I will see Manta flying by up close with their mouth wide open. On the boat, you will see them line up in a straight line on the surface swallowing the rich soup of plankton. Almost like a fly pass for our farewell.
Even without the Manta, diving there is really something. Corals are really awesome, layers after layers of untouched corals. The best dive sites are "Manta Run" and "Cleaning Station". Good corals and marine life. You will see school after school of snappers, sweetlips, batfishes, unicorns, fusiliers and many others swimming pass you non stop at about 5m in Manta Run.
We dived in Kakaban as well. The highlight there is that there is a cave (very interesting, down to about 43m and exit at one of the dive site call "the wall") and a jellyfish lake (just like the one in Palau, this lake is really awesome).
Diving in Kakaban is not very good as the corals were destroyed by dynamite fishing before the island was protected.
All in all, the whole trip is great except that on our way back, the domestic flight were delay for more than an hour. Due to the delay, we missed out flight back to Singapore from Balikpapan. We end up paying another US$300 for a one way ticket back to Singapore via Jakarta on the same day : (
Food and accomodation is good.
Just to give you an idea on where I have been to and that I am comparing it with the things I have seen.
3 times in Manado
2 times in Sipadan
2 times in Maldives
once in Koh Similan
once in Layang Layang
Numerous time in Pulau Aur and Anambas
Sangalaki is really worth going. With the Mantas, it is up in the league of those that are consider the best diving in South East Asia.
Liang
Oh, one more thing. There were only 5 leisure divers on the island. Another couple were shooting cuttle fishes for BBC and they were on another boat.
Erwin Kodiat
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Wow, Liang, thanks for comprehensive dive trip report. Really makes me want to change my future diving trip plan to Sangalaki instead of Bunaken ... 
The manta story is really interested to me, I've never encountered any Manta though in Bali there is a dive site called Manta Point in Nusa Penida, but never been there.
The story of abundant coral remind me of Gili Selang in easternmost tip of Bali, that has very beautiful soft coral at shallow depth. However, again dynamite fishing begin to ruin it all.
If you are in Bali later, please contact me.
The manta story is really interested to me, I've never encountered any Manta though in Bali there is a dive site called Manta Point in Nusa Penida, but never been there.
The story of abundant coral remind me of Gili Selang in easternmost tip of Bali, that has very beautiful soft coral at shallow depth. However, again dynamite fishing begin to ruin it all.
If you are in Bali later, please contact me.
Erwin Kodiat
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Yup, you're correct, just as what happened to me last week in Tulamben and Amed, Bali. The visibility dropped to 2-3 meters on Saturday & Sunday, but getting better on Tuesday (15-20 meters). Some people said it was due to season change in Australia (from summer to winter) that makes the deeper water warmer than shallower one. That's the reason the plankton came up to the surface.
neve
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Excellent report, Liang! Thanks for that. I am definitely including Sangalaki in my "must visit" list. If I don't make it this season, I will definitely go next season!
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