Three days on Bali - how to maximize bottom time

[Bombarie]

Hi -

Am a lucky guy, need to meet clients in Jakarta early May and hey, it coincides with ascension day. This allows me a long weekend in Indonesia prior to my meetings, which I intend to spend on Bali.

Have looked on the board but cannot find the info I am looking for on the first 8 pages: What is a nice place on the beach (anything upscale of a hammock goes, but I want to be ON the beach) to spend three days? I am looking for Moalboal, Alona Beach, Koh Lanta, Perhentian Island, maybe even Sipadan style diving - wake up to the sound of the sea, have breakfast, step on a dive boat, make two or three good dives, have dinner, sleep - and the routine starts again. Am not looking for fancy places, just comfortable with friendly people and a place to wind down a little for a few days.

I guess the southern part Bali will never be really tranquil but in few of time constraints, I guess it is best to stay in that area?

Your thoughts are much appreciated.

regards - Arie.

 

[Quero]

I'm going to spend a few days on Bali beginning next week, as it happens, and I've decided to go up to Tulamben to stay at the Seraya Resort www.scubaseraya.com for a couple of days of wreck and critter dives (outbound to Wakatobi), and then (inbound from Wakatobi) one day out of Sanur to Nusa Penida for some adrenaline diving with Abyss Adventures or Bali Hai.

By all accounts, if you only have a little time, Tulamben is a great choice. See this article for a better understanding of Bali:
globalcoral.org/Bali%20Revisited%20in%20Depth.pdf

 

[davidlkh]

If you really want to maximize your bottom time you have to stay beach side as you indicated. Car rides and boat rides just eats into your bottom time.

If you like macro stuff, Seraya is SUPER good.

If you want to mix it up a bit and not far from Seraya is Tulamben. They have big and small stuff.

For low budget, Matahari and Paradise is OK.
For higher budget Tauch Terminal (closest to the wreck)
For luxury Mimpi Tulamben.

Seraya is also very luxurious and they can take you to Liberty wreck via the boat, only about 12-13 minutes away. Good thing is no rocky beach entry.

But if you really want MAX MAX bottom time, then stay precisely where you want to dive.

This means stay in Seraya, dive Seraya. Stay in Tulamben, dive in Tulamben. 5 Dives a days can be easily achieved.

I feel Tulamben has more dive sites within walking distance of where ever you stay.

Seraya has a super macro house reef, but not many sites within walking distance, you end up taking the boat. The sites are 3 min to 15 min away.

Tulamben has lose lava rocks which makes entry difficult. Seraya has a black sand beach.

Other areas you might want to consider is Pemutaran, but that site has limited house reef diving. Most dives are a 10 min to 45 min boat ride out.

 

[Bombarie]

...sounds fantastic, I googled it and it looks exactly like the place I was hoping to find. They have unlimited diving packages at Tauch terminal - always a good sign, albeit that I don't find the places cheap but hey, these guys need to make a living as well, I understand.

Scuba Seraya looks nice as well but was not sure whether this place has the housereef that David raved about - if it is please confirm, I am perfectly happy scouting for weird critters on the same reef for a few days.

As always thanks for your input.

Arie

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Tulamben ... great wreck, awesome wall, and lovely "coral garden", all off of one beach. I spent three days at Paradise Villa and loved it. They even have porters to carry your gear down the beach for you ... next time I'll stay a week ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[davidlkh]

Not many have heard of Seraya let alone dived it.

It is relatively new compared to Tulamben area. The resort was partly operational about 2/3 years back. It has tanks, compressors... etc... it is still building other structures and a perhaps a new pool.

Since it is still in the contruction phase, the prices are very reasonable for that level of luxury. Food prices however are quite expensive for what you get.

The house reef is like a muck dive critter hunt with fine silt on the bottom. The water visibility can be quite clear (40 to 60 feet) if the waves were not pounding in.

One major plus of diving Seraya is it will mostly be just you and your dive guide. Very unlikely to bump into anyone else.

Tulamben, try and get to the wreck early. Once the day trippers from Kuta and the other resorts reach the wreck, they generally stir up the silt and the vis drops dramatically. Becareful, as there can be a stiff current running along the wreck. If that happens during your morning dive, hide in the wreck structures and pop in and out as and when needed.

I do not work for Seraya or Tulamben or any resort or dive center. I am from Singapore and happen to be lucky enough to work in Indonesia once in awhile, and hence the go diving.

 

[davidlkh]

Besides Bali, there is Manado that also requires a flight from Jakarta.

Besides Bali, there is Lombok that also requires a flight from Jakarta.

Besides Bali, there is Thousand Islands just outside Jakarta (poor vis and marine life).

 

[Bombarie]

Thanks to all for your suggestions. I have contacted Tauch Terminal and was lucky to get a place (or at least, that is how they made it look). Especially like the fact that you can just walk into the ocean and start the dive - just go diving when you feel like it ...and that will be a lot of the time! Will post my report once back, but do not wait for it, won't be before mid May.

Anyway thx for your suggestions. Without it I would have got stuck in Kuta I guess...happy diving. I reserve Manado, Bunaken and surroundings for another time - those places warrant a much longer stay!

Arie

 

[Wisnu]

Hi Arie
You can't go wrong with Tulamben with to maximize your three day. Another luxury with Tulamben, you can asked the tiny girs to gring your gear for small money. Don't hesitate, they will thank you to support their community.
In Jakarta if you have spare time, you can also dive to Sanghyang or tempurung (3 hr from Jakarta, west coast Java) - sure not as good as Tulamben or Seraya, but much better than stack in the heavy traffic of Jakarta.

 

[RSdiver]

If you have no other considerations, then the hands down choice above all others is to go North to the Lovina town area and dive on Menjagen Island. It is a fantastic wall (I love wall diving so this is truly a jaded opinion) that drifts slowly to a sand saddle of garden eels. The amazing layers of coral life with small fish close in all the way to huge schools of larger fish the further out you go makes this a fantastic dive.

I swore that I never saw the same sponge/coral/anemone twice but it could just be sensory overload...