THE BEST DIVING SITES BALI

PADANG BAI
This dive site is cooler than most others and visibility can be quite low. The waters in this area are shallow and currents are slow. A good location for a refresher dive not far from the beach. The sites are reached by small local outriggers. What's more. padang Bai is charming little village with water's edge restaurants serving the freshest seafood.
Reef type flat,sandy bottom mixed reef, walls
Access 10 to 15 minutes by boat
Visibility 6 to 15 meters
Current gentle. Rarely 1 knot.
Coral verying outcrops
Fish good variety.
Highlights Titan Triggerfish,sting rays
Other underwater canyon, steep coral wall

CANDI DASA
A very good dive site with plenty of sea life. The island of Tepekong, Gili Mimpang and Gili Likuan can have strong currents and downdrafts. Sometimes unpredictable with cooler temperatures. a3mm wetsuit is advisable. Large species of fish have occasionally been sighted.
Reef type flat,sandy bottom mixed reef, walls
Access 10 to 15 minutes by boat
Visibility 6 to 15 meters
Current gentle. Rarely 1 knot.
Coral verying outcrops
Fish good variety.
Highlights Titan Triggerfish,sting rays
Other underwater canyon, steep coral wall

CEMELUK
An excellent dive site for sea life. Probably the best in Bali with superb coral walls carrying a large variety of coral species. The area offers a teeming variety of fish and rates in comparison with Eastern Indonesia dive site. A must if you dive in Bali.
Reef type coastal reef, and slope and walls
Access 5 minutes small boat or from the beach
Visibility 10 to 20 meters
Current gentle
Coral excellent variety, best hard coral in Bali
Fish exciting numbers and variety
Highlights the deep wall provides a rich
Density of fish, the corals are close to the beach

TULAMBEN
A very popular divesite. The USAT Liberty, a 10,000 tonne ship lies just off the beach between nine and thirty meters. There is plenty of sea life at swallow depths with good visibility for photographs. Access from the beach over rocks can be difficult when there is tidal surge, so boots are recommended.
Reef type ship wreck of the "Liberty", walls
Access 10 to 15 minutes by boat
Visibility 12 to 15 meters
Current, no current
Coral encrusting animals on wreck, fine coral wall
Fish superb numbers and variety
Highlights night diving at full moon, fish feeding
Other can be crowded in the middle of the day


AMED
Amed was traditionally dependent on salt-panning and fish and, despite the arrival to tourists, it has retained that asmosphere making it popular for longer stays. The road winds along the coast giving spectacular views and there is wide choice of accommodation for all bugdets. It's more pratical to visit Amed by car or bike, as there is very little public transport. While the fish life here is superb, in 1998-an El Nino year some coral bleaching occurred and although the reef is recovering, we cannot yet tell when it will reach its former glory.

Conditions here, from shore or boat, are easy, with good visibility, Amed Reef(depth 12-22 meters), with many different kinds of sponges and gorgonians and goby sets to schools of barracuda and Blue spotted rays. White tip reef sharks, Napoleon wrasse and big trevally are some times encountered, in addition to large schools of bannerfish,snapper and fusilier can be found at Amed wall(10-35m). The deep slope after the wall is rich in invertebrates with crinoids and commensally.
Reef type flat,sandy bottom mixed reef, walls
Access shore or boat
Visibility good
Current gentle. Rarely 1 knot
Coral many kinds of sponges and gorgonians
Fish good variety
Highlights Titan Triggerfish,sting rays
Other underwater canyon, steep coral wall


LIPAH BAY
3km southeast of Amed. A small blacksandy bay, is home to a 20 meter steel frieghter wreck(depth 6-12m)that is encrusted with many sponges, gorgonians, coral bushes and in habited by cloud of damshels and altheas, and parrotfish and anglefish. The deeper slope is recommended.

GILI SELANG
On Bali's eastern point, has at time, like all exposed sites, ripping currents. Selangis therefore a site for experiencied divers only. Here you may encounter Manta rays and dolphins, along with quite low lying, healthy corals with many Moray eels and schooling fish. Gili Selang can also be reached by fast boat from Padang Bai.

MENJANGAN ISLAND AND SECRET BAY
Highly recommended site with excellent visibility up to 50 meters.

Beautiful coral walls and excellent configurations in the reefs. You can enjoy dives at depth of 5 - 7 meters, or vertical walls descending 30 - 60 meters. Take a full day on the crevasses, caves and grottos, and an old wreck at 40 meters. It's a long drive for a day trip, so plan to stay overnight. There's good accomodation aviable on the mainland.

Reef type flat,sandy bottom mixed reef, walls

Access 30 minutes by boat

Visibility 25 to 50 meters

Current gentle.

Coral abundant number, variety, soft corals

Fish good number, average variety

Highlights ship wreck of the"Anker"

Other large variety of parrotfish

NUSA PENIDA
The temperatures can be cool at the dive sites of Ceningan and Lembongan island because of wellings. Several hours by boat from Bali but well worth the trip as coral and sea life is in abundance here. These are drop off dives and currents can be swift along with surges. It is advisable to be with an experienced guide, who can ussully find alternate sites if conditions get too tricky. Bring gloves and a 3mm wetsuit.
Reef type drop off, steep slopes
Access 45 minutes to 11/2 hours by boat
Visibility 15 to 30 mters
Current can be very strong, more than 4 knots.
Coral excellent variety of hard corals
Fish abundant variety, lots of pelagics
Highlights sweetlips schools, huge hawksbill turtle, sharks, manta and ocean sunfish
Other current are unpredictable and often fierce, temperatures can get very low