Your top 4 macro sites in Tulemban & Padang Bai?

[jjmochi]

I'll be on the Bali-Komodo-Bali Mermaid 1 liveaboard in late Aug and have 3 days beforehand to dive. Doing 2 days for molas (1 day Gili Tepekong + Mimpang, 1 day Crystal Bay + Toyapekeh) and 1 day for Tulemban macro. I'll be diving w Geko the full 3 days.

I'm going to book a private guide for the macro dives so can request any site - what are your top 4 in Tulemban area that can be covered in 1 day? Only one on my hit list is Seraya Secrets. I know 1 day in Tulemban for macro is way too short, but I'm testing whether I'm fit enough to do/enjoy shore dives again - last time during OW training in Tulemban was miserable and I swore off shore dives - but I am too tempted by the donut nudi. If I can manage I'll probably do a full week next year w Liberty.

I'm also going to do 2 macro dives in Padang Bai area in the afternoon/night after the mola dives - what are your top 2? Here I only recall reading about the Jetty and have never dived in the area.

Thx!

 

[Searcaigh]

Melasti is one of my favourites at Tulamben.

Sheep nudis, seahorses, ghost pipefish, wonderpus, other octopus, other nudis.

 

[boletus1973]

everytime i've been to tulamben what used to be my top macro site has changed ... it's hard to rank without having been there recently

 

[Luko]

Tulamben highly depends on critters goodwill. On my last 4 stays in between Aug 2018 and Dec 2019, I would say :
Kuanji for the small nudis
Gerombong for all the specials (rhinopias, cyerce kikutarobabai, etc.)
Sidem for the night dives
Melasti for the variety incl the Donut doto

In Padang Bai : Jetty and Deep Jepun

 

[matts1w]

Tulamben highly depends on critters goodwill. On my last 4 stays in between Aug 2018 and Dec 2019, I would say :
Kuanji for the small nudis
Gerombong for all the specials (rhinopias, cyerce kikutarobabai, etc.)
Sidem for the night dives
Melasti for the variety incl the Donut doto

In Padang Bai : Jetty and Deep Jepun

and Secret Jepun.

 

[matts1w]

It is really misleading to say what one's favorite dive is and it really depends on what area is blowing up/on fire at the moment. Going in with a "hit list" isn't the way I would go. These guys dive the area every day and then network with each other as to what is where. All of them want to make their clients happy. For me, a far better plan is to talk to your guide about what you hope to see, listen to him about his recommendations, and then come up with a plan together. If you come in with a plan, "I want to dive Seraya!" he will absolutely take you there even if he knows the site has been slow. Anyway, that's my two cents.

 

[Wisnu]

In Padang Bai, my request to Widana was simple: keep me busy with camera and not less than 5mm.

 

[jjmochi]

Thanks for the recs. They just told me it's a 2 hour drive each way tho to Tulamben from Padang Bai so I think I'm going to stay put and just do the mola mola divs + Padang Bai pm/night dives. I guess that means I should plan for a full week in Tulamben next year.

 

[Centrals]

Thanks for the recs. They just told me it's a 2 hour drive each way tho to Tulamben from Padang Bai so I think I'm going to stay put and just do the mola mola divs + Padang Bai pm/night dives. I guess that means I should plan for a full week in Tulamben next year.

We had the same arrangement once and did not like it. We all agreed on a scuba trip, all the travelling to the sites should be done on boat.

 

[gekodivebali]

Going from Padang Bai to Tulamben by boat would take 2.5 hours on a good day. The fuel price would make the shared trip several hundred dollars per diver... I personally enjoy the early morning drive through traditional and natural Bali, although it's a tad long.