AMED DIVE SITES
Amed is located on the north-east coast of Bali. By car, about 15 mins south
of Tulamben, along the main road, and then 15mins on a local road, so Amed is
much prettier than Tulamben. Due to the easy conditions at Amed, it is suitable
both for novice and experienced divers. There is very rarely any wave action at
the surface, so any surface swims and ascents/descents, are worry-free. Divers
have virtually no currents to contend with, so no buoyancy problems for the less-experienced,
and the opportunity to get right up close for those who have perfected their buoyancy
and enjoy all the smaller animals on offer. The water temperature can be affected
by thermoclines, and the visibility is usually 14-22 M.
This small coral reef lies in depths ranging from 12-22 M. In this area you will
find many different kinds of sponges and gorgonians and the marinelife includes
everything from gobies and shrimp as well as anemones with attendant clownfish
to schools of barracuda and Blue Spotted Ray. Many different kinds of parrotfish,
angelfish, surgeonfish and moray eel. This dive site is from 10-35 M in depth
and although the Wall itself is a relatively small part of the dive, there is
great diving to be had here. On the Wall you can usually find white tip reef shark,
Napoleon Wrasse and occasionally big trevally. Huge numbers of fish can be found:
butterflyfish, bannerfish, snapper, fusilier and triggerfish. The deep slope after
the wall is rich in corals and invertebrates with crinoids as well as fishlife.
Coming shallower - hard and soft corals, bommies with sponges and gorgonians.
The fish found here include Lionfish.
MENJANGAN DIVE SITES
It was in 1978 that Menjangan became Bali's first internationally-known dive
location. Consequently, in older dive guidebooks, Menjangan is described as having
beautiful reef flats. Unfortunately that is no longer true. Over the years a combination
of dynamite fishing and (dive!) boats anchoring into the coral have taken their
toll. Then, in 1997 there was a population explosion of the coral-eating Crown
of Thorns starfish and, in 1998, coral bleaching as a result of El Nino. However,
these reef flats (5-15M) are now showing strong signs of recovery and will, in
all likelihood, come back with much greater diversity than they had before.
On a more positive note, Menjangan is actually famous for the wall-diving and
these walls were unaffected by the above problems. They descend to varying depths,
the shallowest being 26m, the deepest 60M+. The walls offer the greatest diversity
of gorgonian fans in Bali. They generally start at 10m with the flat coral reefs
offering gentle conditions and lots of sunlight. These are full of medium and
small fish. The walls are full of small nooks and crannies, overhangs, and bigger
cavelettes, crevasses, etc. They are covered with soft corals, gorgonian fans,
sponges. There are only rare sightings of large fish (pelagics - ocean-going fish)
in Menjangan due to the island being protected from the cold currents coming in
from the open sea.
NUSA PENIDA DIVE SITES
Nusa Penida is the largest of 3 islands (the others being Nusa Lembongan and
Nusa Ceningan). The water here is fairly cold (because of the ocean currents)
but often startlingly clear, with gorgeous corals and prolific fish, with some
turtle, shark (including grey reefs and silver-tips) and - Aug-Sep - Mola-Mola
(the weird and wonderful Sunfish).
We offers nine dive sites at Nusa Penida, three of which (Sental, Ped, SD) are
along Nusa Penida's north coast. You could, theoretically, go in at Sental, drift
along until you came to Ped, exit, change tanks, have a surface interval, re-enter
the water exactly where you exited, drift along to SD, exit, out, back in at the
same point - however, generally, due to conditions and changing currents, this
isn't possible. There is no diving nor coral, due to conditions, along Nusa Penida's
south coast.
PADANG BAY DIVE SITES
Amuk Bay, with the villages of Padangbay to the south and Candidasa to the north,
is about 6 kms across and located along the south side of Bali's eastern point.
Just north of Padangbay is the Blue Lagoon, a treasure-trove of marine life. 2
islands (Tepekong and Mimpang) are outside the bay, and Biaha a little to the
north,
offer some of the most breath-taking diving in Bali. However, due to conditions,
these 3 sites need to be treated with care and respect. The currents coming from
the Lombok Strait create unpredictable water movements that can result in a washing
machine effect.
The Blue Lagoon is actually a small bay, with a steep white sand beach, located
just a tiny bit NE of Padangbai. The steepness of the beach means there are waves,
therefore we take a 5 min jukung (outrigger) ride from Padangbai. The topography
is not spectacular: white sand bottom, which slopes gradually to 22M, has scattered
rocks, soft corals and a huge area of Staghorn Coral. However the fish life is
amazing! There is a large Napoleon Wrasse that lives here, several kinds of unusual
reef shark, stonefish, moray and blue ribbon eels, nudibranches, rays, squid and
octopus, Leaf Scorpionfish in every hue, Stargazers. While The Blue Lagoon is
easy diving, sometimes used for Open Water Courses and popular with snorkelers,
experienced divers and photographers also thoroughly enjoy the site. Visibility
is 15-20M, there is sometimes a little surge and a mild current, but the bay is
fairly protected. The site has a good variety of Sweetlips, Angelfish, Surgeonfish.
TULAMBEN DIVE SITES
The USAT Liberty is directly situated near the beach on Bali's northeast coast
- literally a short walk from the front door of Tulamben Wreck Divers. The 120m
long wreck rests on a 90 degree angle with the deck facing the open sea and used
to be an American supply ship. Anchored off the coast of Lombok, the ship was
hit by a Japanese torpedo during World War II. Miraculously nobody got hurt, but
the damage turned the ship into a non-functioning and useless hull. The American
Navy's plan to tow the ship to Singaraja harbor failed as the harbor was completely
occupied, so the ship was intentionally stranded on the rocky beach of Tulamben.
In 1963 Mount Agung (the volcano which towers over Tulamben) erupted and the
magma flow pressed the ship back into the sea where it presently rests at a depth
of 3 to 29 meters. Since then, coral has coated the wreckage turning it into a
new home for an extraordinary number of fish, coral and invertebrates. Bump-head
parrotfish, napoleon wrasse and barracuda are regularly spotted around the wreck.
The wreck is an absolute underwater wonderland of marine life - schools of trevally,
bream, fusilier and anthias mill all over and around the wreck - often following
you during the dive. Batfish, large sweet lips, angelfish, butterfly fish and
anemone fish (with resident anemones of course) hover under ledges and in crevices.
Lionfish, scorpionfish, hawkfish, bumphead parrot fish, pufferfish and coral trout
are everywhere - as are the gobies, blennies, shrimps and dottyback out on the
sand flats. The wreck is simply alive with life; corals, sponges and gorgonia
fans are breathtaking along with the thousands of invertebrate life within them.
Bali Dive Trip for Min. 2 Participants. PRICE in USD
Code |
Dive Sites |
Dives |
Dive Only |
PACKAGE |
Price / Pax |
Inclusive |
NBOX3 |
> Amed
> Tulamben
> Menjangan |
6 |
251 |
300 |
> 5 Nights Accommodation
> Land and sea transport
> 1 Tank/dive, dive guide
> Lunch
> Weight & weight belt |
NBOX4 |
> Padang Bay
> Amed
> Tulamben
> Menjangan / Nusa Penida |
8 |
336 |
420 |
> 6 Nights Accommodation
> Land and sea transport
> 1 Tank/dive, dive guide
> Lunch
> Weight & weight belt |
NBOX5 |
> Padang Bay
> Candi Dasa
> Amed
> Tulamben
> Menjangan / Nusa Penida |
10 |
413 |
530 |
> 7 Nights Accommodation
> Land and sea transport
> 1 Tank/dive, dive guide
> Lunch
> Weight & weight belt |
NBOX6 |
> Padang Bay
> Candi Dasa
> Amed
> Tulamben
> Nusa Penida
> Night Dive |
12 |
494 |
600 |
> 8 Nights Accommodation
> Land and sea transport
> 1 Tank/dive, dive guide
> Lunch
> Weight & weight belt
> Nights Dive at Tulamben/Nusa Penida |