Have any regions of Bali been especially good/bad for diving in Oct. 2024?

[nippurmagnum]

My wife and I are making our first dive trip to Bali in October 2024. My wife has always had Bali on her bucket list, and she is not open to liveaboards so our diving will have to be land-based. We will have 20 days on the island, and are planning to hit three main regions for diving: (1) Permuteran/Mejangan, (2) Tulamben/Amed, and (3) Nusa Penida/Tepekong (using Candidasa as a base).

My question is: have any of these areas been especially good (or bad) recently, in terms of marine life and diving conditions? This is our first foray into Southeast Asia so just looking for a good broad exposure to the best that Bali might have to offer, land-based.

 

[matts1w]

Skip Menjangan and that whole northwest thing.

Divide your time between Tulamben/Amed, then Padang Bai/Candidasa, and then Nusa Lembongan or Nusa Penida.

 

[nippurmagnum]

Skip Menjangan and that whole northwest thing.

Divide your time between Tulamben/Amed, then Padang Bai/Candidasa, and then Nusa Lembongan or Nusa Penida.

Why skip the northwest? Do you generally dislike it or is there some reason to avoid it this year in particular?

 

[Centrals]

Water will be very cold in some sites in Oct eg. Crystal Bay.
20 days is not a lot to cover so many areas.

 

[JonnieB]

You can skip the northwest because it's basically dublicative, it doesn't really have anything that you wouldn't see along the west coast in Tulamben/Amed and south in Padang Bai. It's also a bit of a trek to get there...about half a day each way so a day of your trip is wasted on transportation. There used to be a reason to go NW because of the macro at Secret Bay in Gilimanuk, but reports over the past few years is that dredging and development have negatively affected the marine life.

You don't give your dive rating or experience level, however, there is diving for everyone in Tulamben/Amed and Padang Bai. The diving is easy in both places...mostly shore diving. There is also diving by small boats in both places to local dive sites 10-20 minutes away. For diving the south, be prepared for water temps of anywhere between 18-28 degrees depending on the divesite, so it's important to have appropriate exposure protection (including a hoodie). If you would like more specific reccos on dive shops, sites, or other matters PM me. (Going back to Bali for another two months in a week.)

 

[matts1w]

Why skip the northwest? Do you generally dislike it or is there some reason to avoid it this year in particular?

Its a long way to go for nothing better than the east side of Bali...some say it is a step down. Do some searches here and you will see it just isn't on the radar. That is not because it is some kind of hidden secret. I made the trek years ago and am good with that.

Awesome advice about the water temps. Candidasa, Padang Bai, and certainly Nusa Penia and Nusa Lembongan have the potential to be very cold that time of year. 65F/18C isn't unheard of and low to mid 70s is very possible.

 

[nippurmagnum]

Its a long way to go for nothing better than the east side of Bali...some say it is a step down. Do some searches here and you will see it just isn't on the radar. That is not because it is some kind of hidden secret. I made the trek years ago and am good with that.

Awesome advice about the water temps. Candidasa, Padang Bai, and certainly Nusa Penia and Nusa Lembongan have the potential to be very cold that time of year. 65F/18C isn't unheard of and low to mid 70s is very possible.

A little more background on my wife and me: she has AOW/nitrox and 150 dives, and generally prefers easy diving, with a particular dislike for cold water or unsettled seas. She also does no more than two dives a day. I have 750 dives, and am much more likely to do 3-4 dives a day, and will roll with any conditions provided the marine life is worth it.

I had thought of including the northwest because there is supposedly good wall diving and is not as mucky as the east, nor as cold as the south. Also because we wanted to experience different parts of the island topside as well, and the northwest is reputedly more like “old Bali” — whatever that means. The closest we’ve been to Southeast Asia underwater is Hawaii.

 

[Dutch-Diver]

Padang Bai was not my favorite, lots of garbage in that bay, but from there you can take a boat to Nusa Penida with there Manta Points witch is a highlight

 

[JonnieB]

Padang Bai was not my favorite, lots of garbage in that bay, but from there you can take a boat to Nusa Penida with there Manta Points witch is a highlight

Maybe it depends on the season, but when I've dived Padang Bai (Jetty, Blue Lagoon, Jepun, Secret Beach) there was no garbage. Actually, the conditions were pristine.

 

[matts1w]

I will throw this out there... First time in SE Asia, want warm, calm water, only two dives a day, see another side of life in this area?

Instead of northeast Bali, finish diving at Padang Bai and take a fast boat to Gili Air. The boat ride versus a car trip on a crazy truck-infested highway will take you two hours instead of four to five. The water is warm and current minimal most of the time. Although the coral will not be like Menjangan, you will see tons of life including more turtles than you can imagine, sharks, fish galore, and all the usual macro suspects. The dive shops usually do one dive, come in, and then repeat. If you decided to add a third dive, you would only be gone a short time and your wife would not be bored on shore.

Topside Gili Air is magical...at least I think so. There are no cars or motorbikes- only bicycles. The beaches are white sand, and the snorkeling and SUP opportunities are awesome. There are a number of restaurants and bars, but not enough going on to attract the real party crowd. It is by far my favorite place to take my friends and family who come to visit.

Do some googling and see what you think.