Diving & Snorkeling in Bali

There is a number of towns, villages and peninsulas that act as starting hubs for diving and snorkeling activities. Starting in the south of Bali and going counter-clockwise these include:

• Kuta - party central in the South of Bali with several diving schools offering international diving certifications;
• Nusa Dua - easy-to-access snorkeling and family diving sites especially for short trips when you don't have time to travel to the northern and eastern coasts of Bali;
• Sanur - still party central and many dive centres with excellent learning facilities and boats for diving trips all around the harbour;
• Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan - Two tiny islands a 30 min boat ride from Sanur or Nusa Penida, each of them only a couple of kilometers or miles across but offering dozens of superb diving sites, many with stunning numbers of large fish due to the oceanic currents flowing past the islands;
• Padangbai - Blue Lagoon, say no more. Ferry port to Lombok and gateway to minuscule islands (Gili Tepekong and Mimpang) that offer some of the world's best current dives, also has great dive sites just around the port;
• Candidasa - Just across Padangbai another few snorkeling spots and dive sites and boats to the current dives;
• Amed - black sand beaches on the northeast coast of Bali, calm waters and plenty of fish and coral for snorkelers and divers at all experience levels;
• Tulamben - A huge 125 m (411 ft) shipwreck that is accessible for snorkelers too, fantastic night dives, astonishing marine diversity;
• Lovina Beach - The north coast of Bali with good night dive opportunities, a lot of coral and boat dives to more remote spots. Also accommodation for dives starting from Pemuteran and Pulau Menjangan;
• Pemuteran - Boat trips to Pulau Menjangan, Bali's first internationally recognised dive location and excellent muck-diving near the port; and
• Pulau Menjangan (Menjangan Island)- also known as Deer Island in the Bali Barat (West Bali) National Park. The best underwater visibility in Bali, often exceeding 50 m (230 ft) in October and November. Gorgonian corals, batfish, snappers, whitetip sharks and the Anker wreck make this a must see for your Bali diving or snorkeling trip.

Most of the 4,000 fish species living in Indonesian waters also frequent the sea around Bali. Biologists have counted over 2,500 fish and 700 coral species in Tulamben, East Bali over a 2 week period and declared it the world's richest marine biogeographic zone. In addition to large and small tropical fish living on the reef among the reef sharks, turtles and rays some of the boat dive sites with ocean currents also attract large pelagics like tuna, whale sharks, dolphins and the weird-shaped mola-mola, the ocean sunfish that can grow to 3-4 m (10-13 ft). For those interested in pygmy seahorses or tiny bottom-dwelling creatures, there are muck-diving sites with nutrient-rich volcanic silt, especially on the north shore of Bali.

• The USAT Liberty wreck in Tulamben or the Anker wreck near Pulau Menjangan;
• Ikuan Island (Gili Biaha Point) where hundreds of blue yellowtail fusiliers can surround you;
• Padangbai West with cuttlefish, gray reef sharks, mackerel, small tuna and stingrays;
• PED near Nusa Penida with a cornucopia of tropical fish and hard and soft corals on a steep reef;
• SD (Sekolah Dasar) Point near Nusa Penida for expert divers only: currents bring plankton that are eaten by small reef fish that are eaten by large fish that dart away from sharks, tuna and trevally;
• Kebun Chris (Chris' Garden) an easy night dive among sea fan corals or a last shallow dive for a busy diving day spent photographing crabs, lionfish and eels; and
• Blue Corner off Nusa Lembongan where black rays ride the current and giant sunfish munch on purple jellyfish occasionally.

Bali is an ideal base for a longer Indonesian diving or snorkeling holiday. It has an international airport (Ngurah Rai) near Denpasar, Bali's capital, offering direct flights to and from many cities in East Asia and Australia. There are several flights to nearby Singapore, a major international flight hub. Domestic flights enable you to hop to different islands in Indonesia. You can also continue your diving trip by taking a fast boat to Lombok, Bali's even more laid-back neighbour. Fantastic diving opportunities await you there or on the tiny Gili islands near Lombok.

While all the hundreds of kilometers of Bali's coast line look very inviting for snorkeling and diving we only recommend guided activities through reputable operators. Your guides will not only direct you to the best spots but more importantly they know everything about local conditions like tides, currents, cold water upswellings and such. As Bali is at a crossroads between a shallow seabed and deep ocean there can be dangerous currents everywhere, even between the bay you are holidaying in and that small island or reef that seems to be a few minutes of breaststrokes away.