Looking for Bali resort with some diving

[Centrals]

Bring good thermal protection if you are prone to cold.
Mola Mola likes cold water.

 

[Pressurehead]

Bring good thermal protection if you are prone to cold.
Mola Mola likes cold water.

True, last few trips I took 2 wetsuits, a 5mm and hood for that area and a 3mm [it's very thin now, so I bought a new one this week] for the other areas.
I like to stay warm while diving, even when it is over 30c suiting up.
The guides and I were the only ones wearing hoods on the fast boat diving Crystal Bay , my guide and I were the only two to see [and film] the Mola Mola , we did go deeper and further out and away from the group [4 others].

The story of the down current we both 'rode on' has been posted here before, but to stay on topic , to be at 17c in quick time is a shock.
The Mola Mola was deeper and colder.

 

[CF L]

True, last few trips I took 2 wetsuits, a 5mm and hood for that area and a 3mm [it's very thin now, so I bought a new one this week] for the other areas.
I like to stay warm while diving, even when it is over 30c suiting up.
The guides and I were the only ones wearing hoods on the fast boat diving Crystal Bay , my guide and I were the only two to see [and film] the Mola Mola , we did go deeper and further out and away from the group [4 others].

The story of the down current we both 'rode on' has been posted here before, but to stay on topic , to be at 17c in quick time is a shock.
The Mola Mola was deeper and colder.

When I went to Nusa Penida and saw Mola Mola a few years ago, I took a 5mm wetsuit and a Fourth Element Thermocline vest that is equivalent to 2mm, that gave me 7mm core insulation without having to bring 2 wetsuits, and I also brought a hood.

 

[Pressurehead]

When I went to Nusa Penida and saw Mola Mola a few years ago, I took a 5mm wetsuit and a Fourth Element Thermocline vest that is equivalent to 2mm, that gave me 7mm core insulation without having to bring 2 wetsuits, and I also brought a hood.

I am thinking of doing the same, [almost the same] this year ,I will bring either my Shark Skin or 1.5mm Frog Skin vest, this I have done on the Southern end of the GBR in July, the hood is a given.

 

[Laurie S.]

Liberty Dive Resort--I'm going back next January after some time in Palau.

 

[boletus1973]

Sorry I couldn't come up with a better title. We will be in Bali for a week early November, 2025, in between a liveaboard in the Coral Sea and a liveaboard in Raja Ampat. We are primarily looking to relax but we'd be up for two or three days of diving as well. I'm looking for a nice resort that offers diving but isn't strictly focused on diving. We'd be open to a place on the mainland or possibly Penida. Any thoughts?

One week in bali between two nice LOB? If you never been to bali you can do something different with a beautiful luxury hotel on the jungle in the middle of the island and forget the diving between LOB.. Bali has a ton to offer outside the tourist crowded places.. I simply love to rent a scooter and spend all day driving between mountains, rice terraces, temples and small villages… it’s very relaxing..
But if you can’t stay out of the water for more than 2-3 days I agree with the suggestion of candidasa from where you can organize diving full days in Padang bai/penida or amed/tulamben…

 

[stephen1254]

One week in bali between two nice LOB? If you never been to bali you can do something different with a beautiful luxury hotel on the jungle in the middle of the island and forget the diving between LOB.. Bali has a ton to offer outside the tourist crowded places.. I simply love to rent a scooter and spend all day driving between mountains, rice terraces, temples and small villages… it’s very relaxing..
But if you can’t stay out of the water for more than 2-3 days I agree with the suggestion of candidasa from where you can organize diving full days in Padang bai/penida or amed/tulamben…

The more we look into this the more inclined we are to not dive in between liveaboards and just stay at a nice resort. Any suggestions for the middle of the island? We've also received some recommendations for the Sanur area, which is on the SW coast. Anyone been there?

 

[Pressurehead]

I simply love to rent a scooter and spend all day driving between mountains, rice terraces, temples and small villages… it’s very relaxing..

Not me, if I want to do the tourist thing I hire a local driver driver , I can ride a scooter no problem , but you have to 'grow an extra radar' for the 'so called' road rules.
Wait a sec, your from Italy where mayhem is the order of the day on the road , when I went to hire a scooter in Florence [Italy] , the guy said " be careful, they can smell your fear". Mad,

 

[Darnold9999]

The more we look into this the more inclined we are to not dive in between liveaboards and just stay at a nice resort. Any suggestions for the middle of the island? We've also received some recommendations for the Sanur area, which is on the SW coast. Anyone been there?

I like Sanur, but it is pretty touristy. A bit of an older crowd and most of the resorts have been there quite some time. A nice beach boardwalk for a sunrise or evening walk. Traffic in and out is not great but not awful. You can easily hire a driver on the main street that will take you anywhere on the island. The price range of available resorts is significant from $20/30 to hundreds a day. My range is $50 - 80 and that gets you a very comfortable room with AC in a place that has a reasonable restaurant on site, not on the beach but within a two minute walk.

 

[Luko]

Any suggestions for the middle of the island? We've also received some recommendations for the Sanur area, which is on the SW coast. Anyone been there?

Nah... not Sanur : that's the tamest place in Bali. Nothing balinese there its like any touristy beachside place anywhere in the world.
Better stay in Ubud outskirts, although touristy in the day time, there's more of the Indonesian feel with better resorts and much better food. You just need to walk a few hundred meters from the mainroad and you're out in the paddy fields.
If you want a feel of real Bali with less tourists then Sidemen would me my suggestion,although it's a bit low key, nothing like the boutique resorts around Ubud.