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Bali main dive "zones" as seen by matts1w. Your milage may vary...The diving in Manjangan just isnt that great. North Bali is beautiful and super chill. There is nothing wrong with heading there to get away from the norm and experience its charm. But of the diving "zones" in Bali, it is very much the bottom of the list.
Tulamben:
World class macro/muck diving, the Liberty wreck, a few scattered very good coral sites, almost all diving done from shore
Nusa Lembongan/Penida:
Very good coral drift diving with the potential to see "big stuff"...most notably seasonal mola mola, very likely to see manta rays year round
Padang Bai:
Very good to world class muck diving, shops provide speed boats for day trips to the Nusa Penida mola mola and manta sites, a few nearby offshore blue water sites with seasonal mola mola
Nearby extensions of these three zones
Amed:
Some really good macro spots, the Japanese wreck, and the Tulamben sites are accessible as they are just up the road. There is a little more going on in Amed in terms of things to do like yoga classes, restaurants, backpacker culture, etc...
Candidasa:
The Padang Bai bluewater sites are just off Candidasa as it is just up the road. Some people choose to stay here as there are some high-end resorts and villas, but really one is diving Padang Bai.
All of south Bali (Sanur):
All diving advertised in the main tourist areas of south Bali (Seminyak, Kuta, Legian, Nusa Dua, Sanur, Canggu, Jimbaran) are going to put you in a van. You most often drive to Sanur for a speed boat run to Nusa Lembongan/Penida. Other options include trips to Padang Bai or even all day trips to do a couple of dives in Tulamben
Search this forum for reviews of diving Menjangan. The diving is ok, and there used to be a very famous macro site that has, for a number of reasons, become very average. It is a good 4 or 5 hours to the airport, and most will tell you the diving is decent, but macro is nowhere as good as Tulamben or Padang Bai, the coral nowhere as good as Nusa Penida, and you won't see big stuff.