One day to dive in Bali: where should I go?

[cal776]

I will be in Bali next week. Unfortunately, my trip is short and I can only allocate one day to diving. Because of that, I don't plan on dragging any scuba except a computer and mask halfway around the world with me, so I will need to find an operator with satisfactory rental gear. I'll be staying in Kuta.

Where should I dive? The Liberty wreck? Nusa Penida? Somewhere else? In other words, what's the "can't miss" Balinese dive spot at this time of year?

And, any particular dive operator I should use, bearing in mind that I will need to rent gear?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Satisfied]

My vote goes to the Liberty Wreck.

 

[scottfiji]

Only 1 day to dive in Bali? I'd go somewhere that I could weep!

you'll find Bali diving is very diverse, it really depends on your interests.. most likely either liberty wreck (more traveling) or nusa penida

 

[razorrob]

Liberty Wreck in East Bali about 3 hours from Denpasar is the way to go. To avoid the hordes, you could stay the night before in Scuba Seraya. (Book on the internet vs. direct to get the best rates.) If you get there the first dive of the day (which you will do if you go by boat from Scuba Seraya or any other resort in Tulamben), you should see good stuff. There will almost certainly be a school of 1000's of jacks at the bow, and a single great barracuda defending his turf. We saw great ghost pipefishes there. People get excited about a red anemone, and garden eels on the bow of the boat. Whatever. Anyway, the wreck is just off shore, quite accessible, very nice. Then in the afternoon you could go muck diving and see some colorful small things in the mud/volcanic sand. Don't bother with the reefs around this area... they might have been good 30 years ago.

 

[razorrob]

I hear the currents at Nusa Paneda are quite strong but it's the place to go in Bali if you want a shot at seeing big stuff. (Mantas, sharks.)

 

[philip2711]

Whatever choice you make it'll be the correct one; gooners don't make mistakes

 

[ScubaduoAdventures]

Without a doubt liberty wreck!!!!

 

[cal776]

I went ahead and dove the USAT Liberty wreck and was glad that I did. While just about any wreck dive will pale in comparison to the diving I did at Truk last year, this was certainly a worthwhile dive. And, at $80 for the two-tank dive, round trip transportation with pick up and drop off at my hotel (2.5 hours each way; a complimentary ground tour of a good chunk of Bali, if you will), breakfast and lunch, a guide, and all equipment included, this was a darn good value. The $25 nitrox supplement, on the other hand, was not, as nitrox wasn't particularly necessary given the dive profiles, but that was my mistake. I dove with Scuba Duba Doo, and thought their operation was fine. It was certainly interesting, to say the least, to see the female porters shuttle our tanks on their heads down the rocky beach to and from the dive site. About the only thing I could have asked for was thicker booties, as the rocks were pretty tough on the soles of the feet.

Anyway, thanks to all for the advice. And to those considering their own dive options in Bali, I can recommend diving the Liberty wreck.

 

[kkfok]

I would suggest you to go to Menjangan Island in the north west. A good combination of big stuff and macro.