Headed back to Bali - ops and suggestions in the south?

Hello All,

In August, my wife and I are making our second trip back to Bali. On our previous visit, we had a fantastic time and did our diving in the north. This time, we have an opportunity to stay inexpensively in Nusa Dua. August looks to be in Mola Mola season and busy busy.

We didnt use any non-resort ops the last trip.

Would aquamarine or BIDP fit well for pick ups in Nusa Dua and then transport to Nusa Penida (I assume that would be the place to dive?)?? Or does anyone have some better suggestions for dive ops that would bode better?

Unfortunately on this visit, we are only going to be able to get about 3 days of diving in. Do the ops tend to go out for two tank dives or 3? And to get a sense of how the day would go, would the dive day start typically around 7-8am and and go until about 3pm with transport?

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions.

paquito

I have used Aquamarine and would highly recommend them. They picked me up at the airport and took great care of me on my Bali visits.

A friend of mine who has been using them for 10+ years turned me on to them.

Elmer

With Aquamarine, their boats are in Padang Bai. So the ride from Nusa Dua to Padang Bai will be about 1.5 hours plus depending on traffic. Unless they hire a boat that leaves from Sanur, which is what BIDP does already. Most dive days are 3 dives which usually means 2 mola/reef dives lunch then maybe the manta dive. Usually starts around 7ish (pickup) and finishes around 3ish. You can also ask for the more advanced sites with BIDP (or any other ops) on Penida to avoid from the Mola mad crowd at Crystal, TP,SD.

I won't bother recommending the sites on Bali itself since you are staying in Nusa Dua. Driving 2-3 hours to get to a site isn't fun. If you get seasick, make sure you have the motion sickness preventatives as the Badung straits crossing can get rough, especially if you are diving the northern sites of Penida.

I know there are dive ops that leave from Nusa Dua side of Benoa since I see the boats once in a while. I can't comment on them as I've never used them.

You are going to be busy diving Indo and East Africa.

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, exactly Drew, no plans at this point in time to travel up to tulamben (again) or the far northwest corner. Bali is so wonderful, I hope I am fortunate to return often. Thanks a lot for the added suggestions. The advance sites are a good option as long as the operator knows how to do them right.