Papua New Guinea or Maybe Something Else?

[matts1w]

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.

Bali main dive "zones" as seen by matts1w. Your milage may vary...

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.

 

[rmorgan]

Can you expand on NW Bali, we are staying at NusaBay Menjangen and diving with the dive shop there. Any particular reason to avoid this area or the park in general?

We stayed at the Menjangan Resort for four or so nights after a week in Tulamben last October. I did six dives on Menjangan Island and it exceeded my expectations. First, the national park is remote and stark--they have had a serious drought for several years--but lovely. Monkeys are around, and there is good bird life. As to the diving, Abyss Ocean World's good new (fast) boat picked me up on the dock at resort, from which it is a 15-20 minute ride to the island. The guiding was excellent, and the reefs were fertile; a good mix of fish, nudis, some turtles, and pretty much all the things. The reefs in Tulamben aren't the major draw; of course, it's the muck. But our Menjangan dives were just fine, including the largest field of garden eels I've ever seen.

I did talk to our guide about the mandarin fish in Pemuteran, and he said Pemuteran diving is not good (consistent with my research) and the mandarin show is not great.

That said, getting there is a long ride from Tulamben or Denpasar, 4-5 hours or more. So we did our last couple of dives at Tulamben (we were staying at Villa Markisa, which is outstanding), then had a driver to Menjangan, arriving at dusk. The sea is beautiful, of course, but the north shore of Bali is largely populous and the drive is pretty slow.

Part of the draw is the drive from Menjangan over the mountains into Denpasar, but the driver we had going back had no idea how to do it, spoke no English, and actually went back through Amed; I was curled up in the back with some kind of crud so slept through most of it but my wife up front had to work to keep him awake and in his lane.

If this is your first trip to Bali, I'd not take the time to go to the National Park. But if you want wilderness and some lightly-dived reefs, Menjangan NP and Island is a pretty cool place.

 

[huronbase]

We stayed at the Menjangan Resort for four or so nights after a week in Tulamben last October. I did six dives on Menjangan Island and it exceeded my expectations. First, the national park is remote and stark--they have had a serious drought for several years--but lovely. Monkeys are around, and there is good bird life. As to the diving, Abyss Ocean World's good new (fast) boat picked me up on the dock at resort, from which it is a 15-20 minute ride to the island. The guiding was excellent, and the reefs were fertile; a good mix of fish, nudis, some turtles, and pretty much all the things. The reefs in Tulamben aren't the major draw; of course, it's the muck. But our Menjangan dives were just fine, including the largest field of garden eels I've ever seen.

I did talk to our guide about the mandarin fish in Pemuteran, and he said Pemuteran diving is not good (consistent with my research) and the mandarin show is not great.

That said, getting there is a long ride from Tulamben or Denpasar, 4-5 hours or more. So we did our last couple of dives at Tulamben (we were staying at Villa Markisa, which is outstanding), then had a driver to Menjangan, arriving at dusk. The sea is beautiful, of course, but the north shore of Bali is largely populous and the drive is pretty slow.

Part of the draw is the drive from Menjangan over the mountains into Denpasar, but the driver we had going back had no idea how to do it, spoke no English, and actually went back through Amed; I was curled up in the back with some kind of crud so slept through most of it but my wife up front had to work to keep him awake and in his lane.

If this is your first trip to Bali, I'd not take the time to go to the National Park. But if you want wilderness and some lightly-dived reefs, Menjangan NP and Island is a pretty cool place.

We are going over the Dec holidays. starting in Nusa Penida, then Amed. Then to Menjamben. How did you get your driver? How much was it? Want to have enough Rph to get to Menjamben and back to Sanur.

 

[Dan]

I hope Indonesia will be open soon. I rescheduled my February 2022 trip to Raja Ampat to February 2024 and August 2021 trip to Sangalaki to August 2022. I also have a trip to Ring of Fire in November 2022 and a trip to Forgotten islands in April 2023 booked.

Since this old thread is brought back to life, I’d like to update my old post #8, quoted above.

The RA & Sangalaki rescheduled trips went well. So did the ROF & Forgotten Islands trip. Also I added another RA trip with Mermaid 2 in December 2022 and 2 trips to Bali-Komodo in August 2022 & August 2023 on M/Y Agnes (private yacht). Diving activity in Indonesia seems to be resuming to pre Covid era.

Some other diving trips in Indonesia that I have booked include Bali-Komodo on Mermaid 1 in August 2024, Alor-Komodo on Damai 1 in December 2024, RA (including Fak Fak & Triton Bay) on White Manta in January 2025, North RA on Blue Manta in February 2026, 16-day Biodiversity trip on Mermaid 1 in October 2026.

 

[rmorgan]

We are going over the Dec holidays. starting in Nusa Penida, then Amed. Then to Menjamben. How did you get your driver? How much was it? Want to have enough Rph to get to Menjamben and back to Sanur.

Transportation was arranged by the places we stayed (and added to our bills, of course).

 

[Luko]

Menjamben.

Errhh... is that half way between Menjangan and Tulamben... probably close to Tuljangan?

Out of joke, every restaurant, hotel staff, grocery shop in Bali has a family member who's either a cardriver or can organize a transfer anywhere (even to another island), usually much much cheaper than asking the official hotel transfer and more happily local too.

You can also check online with more organized transfer ops (ie. a guy who owns 2 or 3 cars and knows 3 or 4 cousin drivers) what are the usual fares).
For example here are the fares from two ops I know I have used many times in Tulamben Moyo and Ricky, they can also provide with day tours. They speak reasonnably good english, are both friendly and most of all trustworthy.
You'll find their price list. Typically a full day trip is 900kIDR, a transfer from airport to Tulamben is 600kIDR (very easy : they will wait for you at the airport with your name on a board, no worries).
Moyo : Moyo - Bali Tour & Transport Services
Ricky : Tulamben Transport Home

 

[huronbase]

Errhh... is that half way between Menjangan and Tulamben... probably close to Tuljangan?

Out of joke, every restaurant, hotel staff, grocery shop in Bali has a family member who's either a cardriver or can organize a transfer anywhere (even to another island), usually much much cheaper than asking the official hotel transfer and more happily local too.

You can also check online with more organized transfer ops (ie. a guy who owns 2 or 3 cars and knows 3 or 4 cousin drivers) what are the usual fares).
For example here are the fares from two ops I know I have used many times in Tulamben Moyo and Ricky, they can also provide with day tours. They speak reasonnably good english, are both friendly and most of all trustworthy.
You'll find their price list. Typically a full day trip is 900kIDR, a transfer from airport to Tulamben is 600kIDR (very easy : they will wait for you at the airport with your name on a board, no worries).
Moyo : Moyo - Bali Tour & Transport Services
Ricky : Tulamben Transport Home

Thanks. We are coming from Nusa Penida. Then heading to Menjangan after a few days in Tulamben.