Working on my Bali itinerary

[Leejnd]

So I'm almost done with my Bali itinerary for my 3-week trip coming up in September, although the puzzle isn't complete yet and I still have a couple of questions. Any feedback I could get from all you wonderful Bali experts would be terrific!

We have 18 nights on Bali (we're spending a couple of nights in Hong Kong on the way) so here's what I've got so far:

Day 1-6 - Stay at the Santika Beach Hotel in Tuban. Spend the first couple of days vegging at the pool or beach, and boogie boarding in the waves. Day 3 - dive Nusa Penida for mola molas (I'm assuming I can get picked up at my hotel by the dive operator?). Day 4 - Dive local Padang Bai sites (again, getting transported by dive op).

Day 7-12 - Stay at the Mimpi Menjangan Resort near Pemuteran. Mimpi has their own on-site dive op...package includes four days of guided dives at Menjangan Island. A couple of days of topside adventures, including visiting the Bali Barat National Park.

Day 13-18 - Stay at the Tegal Sari Hotel in Ubud. No more diving -- offgassing and topside adventures, maybe a river raft trip, and climbing Gunung Batur.

Here are my questions:

1) I didn't include any diving in the Tulamben area, as I've read iffy things about it, and that I'll see alot of the same stuff at Menjangan without all the crowds of other divers. Should I reconsider, and figure out a way to work in dives at Tulamben?

2) Any recommendations on a dive op for Padang Bai and Nusa Penida? I've looked into a few, but a personal recommendation would be great.

3) On the dive op websites I've been looking at, they say they will pick you up from your hotel anywhere in the Kuta area. But given what I've been reading about the traffic sitch in Bali, is that unrealistic? Should I change my schedule and spend a couple of nights in Candidasa or Padang Bai?

One thing I have to factor into my travel plans is that I'm traveling with a non-diver -- my Mom -- so I need to stay at places that have stuff for her to do while I'm diving. That's another reason I didn't include Tulamben -- if we stayed there, it seems she'd be bored to tears. That's also why I figured we'd stay at Tuban and I'd get transport to Padang Bai. But I'm open to alternatives!

Thanks for any comments/suggestions.

 

[LekicINC]

EDIT: Just saw the post above and realize your mom will be in the spa and the park and no longer need to ask that question. Not sure if you like Muck diving or not, but you dont have any of those sites on your list. Something you might consider since your in marine bio diversity hot spot and these are creatures you may not get a chance to see again.

 

[Leejnd]

Y'know, you bring up a good point -- what exactly IS muck diving? I've been trying to figure that out. There's even a thread somewhere on here where someone asks this question, and the answers range from diving in mud to diving in chicken-crap! LOL! We get some pretty nasty plankton blooms around here and I've done my share of low-vis diving, which I don't particularly enjoy -- I like to be able to see my buddy without having to actually be making physical contact.

So I'd love to know what muck diving is, from the Bali perspective!

 

[Wisnu]

LeeAnne,
In my opinion, Tulamben still worth to visit - 1 or 2 days; diving there is not the same as Menjangan Island. Tulamben is combination of great easy wreck diving with rich marine life incl. macro with abundant fishes - ocssionaly pelagics; at least 1 resident great barcuda (120 cm) and huge school of jack fish.
Mimpi Tulamben and also other resort in this are also have nice spa. I agree, no topsite attraction here, no white sandy beach - but still not much different with Menjangan area - except, Mimpi menjangan resort is larger, more beautiful and has more facility - and akso more expensive than Mimpi Tulamben.

I will not say unrealistic to dive Tulamben from Kuta. Indeed, you'll spend approx. 4 - 5 hours on the road - in fact this around the same travel time to dive Nusa Penida from Kuta, Ubud or Tuban ; but many people doing this. That's why Tulamben getting very crowded at around 10:00 pm where many divers from south of Bali arrive. So, always recommended to stay there and dive in the morning.

Muck diving, there's another thread discussing muck diving. This may give some idea with muck diving in Bali. When we stayed in Menjangan we met with photographer couple with monster camera set who canceled almost all their trip to Menjangan island. His original trip was 1 day muck diving at Puri Jati and secret bay and then 3 days Menjangan Island. After fisrt day muck diving, he changed to 3 days muck + 1 diving + 1 day menjangan island.

 

[Leejnd]

Hmmm...well you've certainly given me food for thought! I'm trying to work in all the diving I can, without leaving my poor Mom with nothing to do or see, which is the main reason I had nixed Tulamben.

One option would be to take a day trip from Menjangan to Tulamben -- the Mimpi dive shop offers one, but it's an all-day trip and it's $95. But then they also offer a great package that includes a couple days at their Tulamben resort and a few days at Menjangan. Hmmm...serious consideration needed...decisions still to be made!

 

[LekicINC]

Muck diving is what the name implies, diving in for the most part muck. From what I understand, a lot of times its man made muck in Bali, but not always. Usually, its muddy or sandy substrate which provides a good benthic substrate for small crustraceans. There is usually stuff around, like dead coral, old fishing garbage, or even tires and the sort. Ok, so now your saying why go? well, the "muck" and the substrate provides the perfect habitat for the weird, the unusual and sometimes the rare. So, its not for the beautiful coral reefs, the great viz or, its for the animals. There are good chances to find bizzare shrimps, crabs, pygmy sea horses, angler fish, mimics etc. Many macro photographers go there because of the small specimens are easy to shoot. I love the beauty of the underwater world, but if you like crazy animals muck diving seems like fun, or if you wanna try your hand at macro. Google muck diving or youtube it. You'll get a lot of stuff on lembeh, also in indonesia, conisdered the muck diving capital of the world. Muckdiving.com (which does not have anything but this definition) describes it as " a term that was made up to denote diving on barren bottoms or places other than coral reefs. It also usually means that you are looking for small marine animals." On my trip to bali, I plan on diving Secret Bay, Puri Jati and Sereya(sp.?) for muck diving. I imagine night dives at these places are pretty cool. Googling or searching these placing in SB should give you some better info.

 

[Leejnd]

Wow, great description! I kinda thought that's what it was all about -- the tiny sea creatures. I haven't yet gotten into underwater photography -- I'm still a relatively new diver, I've been certified since August and have 64 dives under my belt, and haven't felt ready to task load myself with a camera. But I'm thinking I should get started before I go to Bali. Too much to see there -- I have to come home with some pictures!

 

[LekicINC]

Thats exactly how i feel. I am in the same position. I am gonna try some out before my dives. If not, im still really interested in all those creatures. I study invert zoology so i love the symbiotic shrimp, crabs, and if I see it, i will have found my holy grail, the blue ringed octopus! My feeling is these are a lot of the things that only the indo-pacific have. It really highlightes the fact that ill be diving in the biodiversity hotspot of the world.

 

[EvaL]

Hi LeeAnn,
Looks like you've got Bali covered geographically, based on your hotel locations. I'd plan my dive sites based on their distance from each hotel location as there are no highways in Bali and getting from one end of the island to another can take 5 hours or more. Although the drive from Kuta to Tulamben is scenic, you probably won't enjoy the 4 hr (assuming no traffic jam) trip after seeing it once. Hence if I'm staying in Kuta, I wouldn't dive any site further north of Padang Bai/Candidasa as I prefer spending my time either diving or exploring Bali and not traveling to a dive site.
In my opinion, Tulamben is definitely worth a few dives. Aside from the Liberty Ship wreck, there is the coral wall and slope on the east side. It is also ideal for a night dive (I saw octopus, spanish dancer nudibranch on night dive). As Wisnu said, Tulamben, especially the Liberty Ship wreck, gets crowded by mid-day, so you might want to stay at a hotel nearby. For this reason, I wouldn't recommend staying at Kuta if diving Tulamben. Another plus for staying at Tulamben, if shore diving, is you can spend your surface interval with your mother.
I went with Tauch Terminal dive op at Tulamben, which has low prices (discount if you have your own gear) and friendly staff (mostly Aussie instructors and local DMs) and dived Tulamben and Nusa Penida with them. They run a 3-star resort at Tulamben - you can hangout at the pool or dine at their restaurant in between dives. For Nusa Penida, they drove me (45 mins) to and back from the dock in Padang Bai (lunch was packed). I saw a magnificent swath pf healthy coral wall nearly a mile long at Nusa Penida - the biggest I had every seen. Nusa Penida has several reefs, so if the cold updrafts and drift diving don't deter you, I'd recommend doing more than one dive there.
I've also heard good reviews of Scuba Seraya (their nice resort is nearby), and Aquamarine (British owner,very friendly staff/crew, will pick-up from your hotel).
http://www.scubaseraya.com/
http://www.aquamarinediving.com/
If you like muck diving and taking macro shots like those BigBadWold took, you'd like Secret Bay. Another good site for beginners on the east side is Amed (shallow, good vis, lots of big fish).
I went to Bali with my parents who don't dive. I usually got 2 dives in by noon and spent the rest of the afternoon with them, or I spent the morning with them and dived in the afternoon/evening, which worked out well. There's a great deal to do in Bali above water, so I don't think your mother will be bored.
Have a great trip and dive safely!

 

[Leejnd]

Great advice! I think I've figured out a plan. Mimpi has resorts in both Tulamben and Menjangan, and they have a great 6-day package that includes accommodations, all dives, breakfast and dinner, and transport between the resorts. It's 2 days at Tulamben, and 4 at Menjangan, which should please Mom as the Menjangan resort is nicer.

Thanks for all the details! It's helped a lot.