JonnieB
Contributor
This is a report of my trip to Padang Bai in Bali, which is about a one and one-half hour drive up the north coast from Denpasar-Sanur. PB itself is a small crescent shaped bay, which takes all of ten minutes to walk from end to end. There is a port for both slow car/truck ferries to Lombok and maybe Java and the fast passenger ferries to the Gilis islands, Lombok, and Nusa Penida. Other than the port, the only other economic activity seems to be diving. There are also the hotels and guesthouses, restos, and cafes that cater to divers and those taking the ferries. There are only a couple informal mini marts in town, so don't expect to replace a forgotten scuba gear and bring with you anything you expect to need during your stay.
Lodging
I chose to stay at Padang Bai Beach Inn, a small guesthouse right in the middle of the beachfront strip. For about $25 a nite, you get a large clean room and a comfortable bed. There is a simple free breakfast of banana pancakes or eggs, with tea or coffee. The owners and their family are a very friendly bunch. The balcony rooms at the front of the building, with direct views of the bay, are prime and it's relaxing sitting there reading with a cup of coffee (hint...Billabong Coffee right next door is the best in town), while watching the ferry boats come and go discharging their cargos of people and cars is a relaxing way to wile away an afternoon after your morning dives. The ferries like to blow their rather loud horns to announce their arrivals and departures, so if you are a light sleeper, bring some ear plugs. Also, the first ferry departs about 4:30 in the morning so be prepared for an early morning toot. Also, the relaxing ASMR of the ocean waves lapping on the shoreline will filter into your room during the nite and lull you to sleep. If this is a problem, request a non beach facing room.
Eats
There isn't much to choose from and what is on offer is okay at best. The Colonial restaurant at OK Diver's Resort is probably the best of the bunch. The stir-fried garlic chicken I had there was one of my better eats of the week. My meal at La Cabana at Absolute Scuba was mostly forgettable, with the egg yoke in my spaghetti carbonara having curdled into scrambled eggs. However, they do have a wood burning pizza stove they fire-up at 17:00 hours, which I never got to try. A few honorable mentions are Little Bay Bakery bakery, which does nice sandwiches on home baked bread. D'Steel cafe also does sandwiches and pastas and had one if the best desserts in town: their carrot cake (skip their chocolate cake). Suka is your go-to for Italian gelato on a hot day. Overall my opinion on food in Padang Bai...this might be the place to start that intermittent fasting you've been wanting to try...or maybe that extended three or four day fast.
The Shops
Being my first time in PB, I wanted to try more than one of the dive shops in town. Reading through the reviews on Google Maps and conversing with a few of the shops on social media before my arrival, and walking the beach front street upon my arrival, I decided on Geko Divers and OK Divers. Price wise all the shops in town seem the same, IDR 1,200,000 (USD 80) for two local boat dives. OK Diver's is part of the OK Diver's Resort, which seems to be the most posh hotel in town. If you want a comfortable combined hotel and dive operation all in one OK and Absolute Scuba (which I didn't try) are the ones available. OK has a spacious gear room and storage area as well as rinse tanks. For most local dives, they return to the resort for the surface intervals, where coffee, tea, and homemade cake is served. (Be aware that if you are not a hotel guest, they will charge you for a towel to dry off after your shower.) On return from the second dive, a hot lunch is served. The diving is generally from small banka type boats, but if there is a larger group of divers, small power boats are used. The first dive leaves between 8:30-9:00 and the boat is back from the second around 13:00.
Geko Divers is what I would call a typical "diver's den" type shop...a little less structured and formal than OK Diver's (and more like I prefer). It is a dive only operation, however, there is a restaurant operation as well. The diving day is similarly structured, with in this case a buffet of Indonesian food on offer after the dives are over. I would think more "hard core" divers would be more comfortable at Geko and that holiday/resort type divers might prefer OK. The boats, guides, and prices are the same.
The Diving (Bring your full 5mm, booties, gloves, and hood!!!)
All the diving in PB is by boat (I believe). During my one week there, doing ten dives, all were by boat. The dive sites are close...10-15 minutes from the beach, with the furthest I dived, the "jetty" about twenty minutes away. The Jetty is a dive under an abandoned cruise ship pier. It is a "muck" site and rather deep at about 15 meters. When I dived it there was a strong current and limited visibility (2-4m). It was first dive at PB and the temperature was a brisk 23°. I was to find out that this is more or less the norm for PB (at least this time of year...it get even colder, 16°-18° during Mola-mola season in August-October). Though the conditions were a challenge, the jetty delivered, like all of the sites I dives at PB. There was a plethora of nudibranchs and a beautiful large pink painted frogfish hiding upsidedown in a sponge. I was told that sometimes up to a half-dozen froggies may be seen but on my dive just the one.
Most of the dive sites are in bays, sandy slopes, and walls just to the north-east of the beach...five to ten minute boat rides away. Another site called Sandy Beach is just to the south and a good site for macro, with a spectacular reef on top. Diving in May, temperatures ranges from 23°- 26°...in other words a bit in the chilly side. I was informed that during Mola-mola season, August to November it can get as low 16-18°. You are advised to plan your exposure protection accordingly. Currents, for the most part, were slight to moderate if present at all.
The cold water makes for clear water, vibrant coral reefs, and healthy populations of marine life. Hawksbill turtles are seen on most dives, with the occasional Green Turtle. Beautiful Painted and Giant frogfish can be spotted along the walls and in coral bommies in the shallow bays. I saw many new species of angelfish, groupers, and wrasse during my week diving PB. I enjoyed all my dives in PB, despite the cold water temperatures. The ease of access, clear water, and vibrant coral reefs and fish variety will definitely bring me back.
Lodging
I chose to stay at Padang Bai Beach Inn, a small guesthouse right in the middle of the beachfront strip. For about $25 a nite, you get a large clean room and a comfortable bed. There is a simple free breakfast of banana pancakes or eggs, with tea or coffee. The owners and their family are a very friendly bunch. The balcony rooms at the front of the building, with direct views of the bay, are prime and it's relaxing sitting there reading with a cup of coffee (hint...Billabong Coffee right next door is the best in town), while watching the ferry boats come and go discharging their cargos of people and cars is a relaxing way to wile away an afternoon after your morning dives. The ferries like to blow their rather loud horns to announce their arrivals and departures, so if you are a light sleeper, bring some ear plugs. Also, the first ferry departs about 4:30 in the morning so be prepared for an early morning toot. Also, the relaxing ASMR of the ocean waves lapping on the shoreline will filter into your room during the nite and lull you to sleep. If this is a problem, request a non beach facing room.
Eats
There isn't much to choose from and what is on offer is okay at best. The Colonial restaurant at OK Diver's Resort is probably the best of the bunch. The stir-fried garlic chicken I had there was one of my better eats of the week. My meal at La Cabana at Absolute Scuba was mostly forgettable, with the egg yoke in my spaghetti carbonara having curdled into scrambled eggs. However, they do have a wood burning pizza stove they fire-up at 17:00 hours, which I never got to try. A few honorable mentions are Little Bay Bakery bakery, which does nice sandwiches on home baked bread. D'Steel cafe also does sandwiches and pastas and had one if the best desserts in town: their carrot cake (skip their chocolate cake). Suka is your go-to for Italian gelato on a hot day. Overall my opinion on food in Padang Bai...this might be the place to start that intermittent fasting you've been wanting to try...or maybe that extended three or four day fast.
The Shops
Being my first time in PB, I wanted to try more than one of the dive shops in town. Reading through the reviews on Google Maps and conversing with a few of the shops on social media before my arrival, and walking the beach front street upon my arrival, I decided on Geko Divers and OK Divers. Price wise all the shops in town seem the same, IDR 1,200,000 (USD 80) for two local boat dives. OK Diver's is part of the OK Diver's Resort, which seems to be the most posh hotel in town. If you want a comfortable combined hotel and dive operation all in one OK and Absolute Scuba (which I didn't try) are the ones available. OK has a spacious gear room and storage area as well as rinse tanks. For most local dives, they return to the resort for the surface intervals, where coffee, tea, and homemade cake is served. (Be aware that if you are not a hotel guest, they will charge you for a towel to dry off after your shower.) On return from the second dive, a hot lunch is served. The diving is generally from small banka type boats, but if there is a larger group of divers, small power boats are used. The first dive leaves between 8:30-9:00 and the boat is back from the second around 13:00.
Geko Divers is what I would call a typical "diver's den" type shop...a little less structured and formal than OK Diver's (and more like I prefer). It is a dive only operation, however, there is a restaurant operation as well. The diving day is similarly structured, with in this case a buffet of Indonesian food on offer after the dives are over. I would think more "hard core" divers would be more comfortable at Geko and that holiday/resort type divers might prefer OK. The boats, guides, and prices are the same.
The Diving (Bring your full 5mm, booties, gloves, and hood!!!)
All the diving in PB is by boat (I believe). During my one week there, doing ten dives, all were by boat. The dive sites are close...10-15 minutes from the beach, with the furthest I dived, the "jetty" about twenty minutes away. The Jetty is a dive under an abandoned cruise ship pier. It is a "muck" site and rather deep at about 15 meters. When I dived it there was a strong current and limited visibility (2-4m). It was first dive at PB and the temperature was a brisk 23°. I was to find out that this is more or less the norm for PB (at least this time of year...it get even colder, 16°-18° during Mola-mola season in August-October). Though the conditions were a challenge, the jetty delivered, like all of the sites I dives at PB. There was a plethora of nudibranchs and a beautiful large pink painted frogfish hiding upsidedown in a sponge. I was told that sometimes up to a half-dozen froggies may be seen but on my dive just the one.
Most of the dive sites are in bays, sandy slopes, and walls just to the north-east of the beach...five to ten minute boat rides away. Another site called Sandy Beach is just to the south and a good site for macro, with a spectacular reef on top. Diving in May, temperatures ranges from 23°- 26°...in other words a bit in the chilly side. I was informed that during Mola-mola season, August to November it can get as low 16-18°. You are advised to plan your exposure protection accordingly. Currents, for the most part, were slight to moderate if present at all.
The cold water makes for clear water, vibrant coral reefs, and healthy populations of marine life. Hawksbill turtles are seen on most dives, with the occasional Green Turtle. Beautiful Painted and Giant frogfish can be spotted along the walls and in coral bommies in the shallow bays. I saw many new species of angelfish, groupers, and wrasse during my week diving PB. I enjoyed all my dives in PB, despite the cold water temperatures. The ease of access, clear water, and vibrant coral reefs and fish variety will definitely bring me back.
