Padang Bai & Tulamben

[Mike Veitch]

How do you do it? I couldn't walk on those rocks... each time i step on them, they shift and my feet cannot take the constant "massaging."

Maybe i'm just a wuss.

I haven't worn shoes for most of the last 10 years.. working on boats, tough feet.


Ya, there are a ton of sites in Tulamben, make sure who you dive with doesn't just take you to the sites Jeff mentioned. If they have a boat then it opens up a ton of opportunities.

There is also Candidasa around the corner from Padang Bai, very good diving there as well

 

[divedesign]

HI,
I would say that your choices are good. You could dive with Geko Divers in Padangbai which is one of the oldest and best companies there.They have excellent dive guides. Try Gorbanger he's got great eyes. Lot's of places to stay even in back of the divecenter.
Myself I like staying in Tumamben for the quiet. Depending On what your into one could stay in either place for quite a long time.I would suggest Puri Madha which is right in front of the wreck. You don't need any porters because you walk directly in from your bungalow. The evening are very quiet there. Ng nagh is a very good guide for the wreck as well as the other sites. i woud get to suraya for the harlican shrimp.
If you get tired of Bali come up to manado to our place M.C. Dive Bunaken and M.C. Homestay, Diveresort, diving and snorkeling in the Bunaken National Park, Bangka Islands, Popoh and Lembeh Street
Enjoy your time in Indonesia,
Stephen

 

[wetsuit]

Hi Jeff
Can you recommend any dive operators in Padang Bai? I'll be going there in August.
I'm planning my trip now - thanks for your info.

 

[littlce]

Hi Jeff
Can you recommend any dive operators in Padang Bai? I'll be going there in August.
I'm planning my trip now - thanks for your info.

Hey, I'm not Jeff, but I was extremely happy with Aquamarine. They took care of every aspect of my trip including the non-diving days and stays in hotels. The guide (Ketut) knew every site like the back of his hand and found things that to this day I don't understand how he found them. (like a pair of devil stingers that were buried in the sand next to each other)

I will be using them again the next time I go to Bali for my honeymoon.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[wetsuit]

Chris, Stephen and others:
Thanks for the info. It's such a dilemma to narrow down where to go and what to see on Bali - I only have three weeks, but I see I could easily spend three months . . . I appreciate your help.

 

[scorpenesub]

I would actually suggest more time for Tulamben, probably taking 5 days, and 3 days for Padang Bai. Reason is Tulamben offers convenience of shore dives and boat dives via dugouts the locals call jokong, which itself is an experience. Tulamben is has excellent macro environment, not to mention the highly accessible USS Liberty wreck, and on season, even Mola Mola (Sunfish).

I like Tulamben for its diving assessibility. Literally, you can dive till you drop, five or six dives a day is totally doable. I did six dives a day for two days consecutively, starting the first at 6am.... Even night dive is an experience like riding in space, especially with the pitch black sand taking away one element of dimension...

As others have said, you have varied dive sites to explore in Tulamben, my personal favourite is the wall dive at Drop Off where I have thus far merely touched 36.5 metres, and still the bottom seemed a long way off.... Drop Off and Coral garden is a total photographers' delight....while USS Liberty provides the sense of adventure as all wrecks do...

Doing boat dives from Padang Bai means you will have limited dives...usually just 3 or at best 4 dives a day...

I would recommend Tulamben Wreck Divers for your trip. Accommodation is excellent, food is good, and the best part is the company....The outfit is run by Australians Tony & Dot Medcraft, the friendliest dive operators on earth. TWD resort is located right infront of the Liberty wreck..... so its more or less a house wreck/reef.... The Medcrafts also have villa accommodations for those who need more pampering.....

TWD staff are very accommodating and friendly. Very personalised service, more like having your very own divemaster to accompany your dives....and flexible enough so you decide the time you want to dive.... I don't get this anywhere else.... which is why TWD is my preferred choice in Tulamben...

 

[fiksuviksu]

I personally found Padangbai very boring and dirty outside of the diving. lots of traffic because it's a busy port town. the beach is not very nice at all. i left after spending one night. originally was planning on staying three. decided to go down south to kuta/legian/seminyak area, stay there and travel to the dive sites instead. even spending such a time travelling i would still be back at my hotel around 3pm which left time for walking around/a nap on the beautiful beach/shopping.

 

[Vidiotic]

We stayed at Absolulte Scuba and got a really good deal, think it was about $65 for 2 dives on the liberty, free Nitrox on both dives and 2 night accomdation and that was for both of us not each - my girl friend - now wife - pulled off a blinder with that one by flashing our instructor/DM cards. Don't know what the guides are like though as we just dove the liberty on our own.

Plus barefoot all the way !!