Bali - Is it a dive destination

Looking at going to Bali and have read a bunch of past posts about it. I have a few questions:

- Is Bali itself a dive destination? Can you do 7 days of 4 dives a day and still be wanting to dive more?

- What can it be compared to quality wise? Anilao, Lembeh, Dauin, PNG, Palau...etc...

- Is February thru May a good time to go? I would like to go in february, but it looks like it might not be good.

- Is there a dive operator that can help with diving the whole island. SEcret Bay, Manta Point, Tulamben?

- What percentage is wide angle vs. macro?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Dustin

Yes, Bali is a great dive destination. It offers both great macro (east coast and Northwest) and wide angle opportunities, with beautiful corals and pelagics at different times of year. You won't see a lot of big stuff. You are better to go later than February, as it can be rainy. However this year, seasons were particularly screwy in Asia. March and April had a ton of rain, which is not usual at all. (Bali, Lembeh and Anilao had tons of rain). There are several operators that can put together a package around the island. I am sure others will chime in with operators.

Highly recommended places:

Parigata in Sanur

Villa Markisa: Seraya

Take some time for Ubud to relax and see cultural activities.

Have fun!

Cheers,

Marli

Bali is wonderful, I use http://www.aquamarinediving.com/bali_dive_sites.html They meet you at the airport and arrange your complete Bali trip so it is hassle free. I have dove Tulamben including Secret Bay, Crystal Bay, Manta Point and a live-a-board to Komodo with them. Aquamarine can advise you on where to dive and when to dive and of course accommodations depending on your budget. I highly recommend them. Tulamben/Secret Bay is macro like Anilao or Lembeh and Manta Point is as it is named a Manta site.

Elmer

Spent eleven nights on Bali last sept and loved it. Suggest you spend most of you time around tulamben. We stayed at Mimp in tulambeni--mimpi was ok,but I wouldn't stay there again. Will try Scuba Seraya next time in Tulamben.

Pj and secret bay in the north if you like muck--we stayed at Villa Amertha for 2 nights while in the north(Villa Amertha is wonderful)

If you go during mola mola season(not Feb.), you might want to stay on lembongan so you can get to secret bay early---lots of people there to see the mola....best chance to see the mola if you beat the crowd. Spend a couple of days at Ubud to offgass and take in the culture. Mostly macro from what we saw.

We used Bali International Diving Professionals(BIDP) and would book with them again--they arranged the whole safari and did an excellent job.

Love Bali...will go back next year on the way to R4.

Hi,

I certainly hope its a good dive destination! We just booked 10 days in early November.

I had been reading this post..... http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=41844 and decided to check out the Liberty dive Resort. Wayen the manager was very helpful and we got a very good deal. It gets excellent reviews on tripadvisor both for the diving and accommodation.

Cheers,

Andy.

Thanks everyone for their replies.

Tell me about the dive seasons. What are the best times? do they coincide with mola mola and manta season?

Dived 400+ times in Bali, and I cannot seem to have enough! I particularly enjoy diving in Tulamben on th east coast, where you can dive on the famous Liberty wreck and many other dive styles. I have been in Lembeh, Komodo, Bunaken, Raja Ampat, and Lombok, and sincerely I can find as many critters in Bali than I do in the other places.

In Tulamben, I often stay with Scuba Seraya Resort which offers great diving in a relaxed athmosphere. In the front of that resort, there is a house reef, great for muck diving.

Enjoy

Cheers

Daniel

Dived 400+ times in Bali, and I cannot seem to have enough! I particularly enjoy diving in Tulamben on th east coast, where you can dive on the famous Liberty wreck and many other dive styles. I have been in Lembeh, Komodo, Bunaken, Raja Ampat, and Lombok, and sincerely I can find as many critters in Bali than I do in the other places.

 

In Tulamben, I often stay with Scuba Seraya Resort which offers great diving in a relaxed athmosphere. In the front of that resort, there is a house reef, great for muck diving.

 

Enjoy

 

Cheers

 

Daniel

Thanks Daniel. I was just curious if Bali was a standalone dive destination, or a place to have a few warm up dives before you embark on a komodo itinerary. The more I find out, I am realizing it is a pretty spectacular place. I was going thru an Alex Mustard and a couple Roger Steene books and they have tons of pictures from Bali. I need to get over there!!!!

Can you tell me how the seasons work in Bali?

Can you tell me how the seasons work in Bali?

Dive, eat, dive, eat, dive, eat, dive, drink, repeat. 365 days a year. If around Ubud add shop to the list.

Great conditions April to December, December to March it might rain, from June to September a little more wind.

Recommend you go at earliest opportunity.

Cheers,

Steve

Don Silcock a fellow wetpixel member has a very nice website about diving around Bali which you will find very helpful.

http://www.indopacificimages.com/index.php.../bali-overview/

Regards Mark

I stayed at Tulemben Wreck Divers. Very inexpensive. You can walk across the street for the Liberty Wreck and a couple of others for a pittance. Other sites require transportation and cost about $10/dive more. There is one restaurant across the street.

In my less than humble opinion it does NOT compare to Wakatobi or Palau, more like the Philippines.

Tom