Bali

Discover the best diving spots in Bali; home of the Gods

Indonesia

Bali diving is colourful and exciting

Alex Rose

Possibly Indonesia's most well known tourist destination, the diving in Bali is also excellent.

Many divers head to Tulamben on Bali's eastern coast, home of the USS Liberty wreck.

To the south of Bali lie the islands of Nusa Penida, Lembongan and Ceningan, where Manta Rays and Mola Mola can be seen in season.

A little off the beaten track, western Bali offers unspoilt dive sites, some great macro dives, and Bali's best wall diving to keep budding divers entertained.


Highlights

» Wreck of the USS Liberty in Tulamben
» Possible sightings of Manta & Mola Mola
» Superb macro photography opportunities

Bali dive sites map
Liveaboard diving asia
Liveaboard diving asia

Best diving spots

On Bali's east coast, the USS Liberty Wreck lies just a few metres from shore in Tulamben Bay, starting just 8m below the surface. This American WWII wreck was dumped in Bali on Tulamben beach after being damaged by enemy torpedoes.There it lay, until 1963, when the Gunung Agung volcano, which towers over the area, erupted. Rumour goes that the force of the eruption picked up up the wreck and moved it a few metres out to sea - at a perfect depth for scuba diving.

Just a short distance away is Seraya, one of the most popular sites in Bali for muck-diving. There is more good diving along this stretch of coastline, including Candi Dasa to the south and Kubu, a little to the north.

Nusa Penida, Lembongan and Ceningan are situated to the south-east of Bali. These islands lie at a meeting point of waters from the Indian and Pacific Oceans, meaning strong currents and relatively chilly water temperatures for the tropics. The islands have fantastic drift-diving, plus with the chance to encounter Manta Rays and the areas most famous visitor; the Mola Mola.

Menjangan Island, just off Bali’s north-western tip, is part of Bali Barat National Park. Reached by boat from Bali’s mainland, it has a lovely wall to dive, with plenty of small caves, crevices and overhangs, plus abundant soft corals. Menjangan Island is also home to a small interesting wreck, called the Anker Wreck. This wooden wreck dates back to the 19th century and sunk off the reef carrying a cargo of copper & ceramics.

Just around the corner from Manjangan lies Pemuteran and Secret Bay. Pemuteran offers good, relaxed diving. Secret Bay has no coral to speak of and could not be described as a beautiful dive site, however it is a great for underwater macro photographers.

When to dive

The best times to visit Bali are in April and May, then again from September to November. The seas are usually calmest during these months.

July to September can mean slightly choppier waters, but also the nutrients that attract pelagics species, including the Mola Mola.

The wet season from December to March reduces the visibility on Bali's dive sites, however the east coast can remain surprisingly arid.

Getting there

Bali has it's own international airport, so is easy to reach. From here, the east coast dive sites are 90 minutes to 2 hours drive. The island of Nusa Lembongan requires a car journey to Padang Bai and then a fast boat over to the island, with a number of boats each day. The western tip of Bali is a drive of four or more hours. Most Balinese resorts can arrive transportation for you.

Activities

In Bali, the main attraction aside from scuba diving is a visit to Gunung Agung volcano. Trips can also be made to Ubud, an interesting town inland and Bali's cultural heart. Bali also has many interesting festivals throughout the year, plus shopping, bars and nightlife in the tourist centre.

Resort and liveaboard options

There is accommodation to suit almost every budget on Bali, from backpacker to five star luxury. Most dive resorts tend to be somewhere in the middle. It is possible to stay in the main tourist areas in the south and arrange diving, but better to stay closer to the main diving areas such as Tulamben, Nusa Lembongan or Pemuteran.


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Sipadan & Mabul Island

Sipadan is Malaysia’s most famous diving spot. Nearby, Mabul Island offers more excellent diving for smaller marine life, and a good choice of dive resorts.

These nutrient-rich waters attract huge numbers of Turtles, while the area is also home to large number of White-tip Reef Sharks, Bumphead Parrotfish, Trevally and Barracuda.

Tunku Abdul Rahman

Just off the coast from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah's regional capital - the five islands that make up Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park are often overlooked by divers heading straight to Sipadan in the south.

The national park, which is named after a former Malaysian president, has some very good diving though, with pretty fringing reefs sloping gently down from white-sand beaches, plus some rare & unusual species.

Raja Ampat

Raja Ampat is located on the remote north-western tip of Western Papau in the Halmahera Sea, and fittingly means 'four kings'. It is the most biologically diverse place known to science.

With such natural riches, scuba diving in Raja Ampat is some of the best in the world, particularly for diving on coral reefs. There are some excellent diving resorts in Raja Ampat, but the area is best known for its liveaboard diving.

Boracay

Just off the northern tip of Panay Island, south of Mindoro is the small island of Boracay.

Famed for its white, powder sand beaches - reputed to be some of the world’s best - Boracay is one of the Philippines’ most famous tourist spots and is now open to visitors once again.

The island is also one of the most popular places to learn to dive in the Philippines, with a wide range of dive sites to suit all levels.

Bangka & Sangihe

Just off the northern-eastern tip of Sulawesi, between Bunaken & Lembeh, lies the islands of Bangka & Sangihe.

These volcanic islands are less renowned for diving than Lembeh or Bunaken nearby, but are equally fascinating.

The volcanic nature of the area has led to some very unusual dive sites, including the chance to dive an active volcano and a dive site in a sunken village.

Apo Reef

Lying off the west coast of the Philippines island of Mindoro Island is Apo Reef, a huge coral reef system. This reef is in fact the second largest single coral reef in the world.

The geography of the reef has created two internal lagoons, with spectacular plunging walls around the outside, comprising a total area of 34sq km.