Wrecks, Critters, Mantas, Mola Mola: Dive the Best of Bali!

Why We Love It

It's no wonder that Bali is the 'Island of Gods' - with its volcanoes, rice fields, black and white sand beaches, cliffs, and temples there is a lot to see on land. But its underwater world is fantastic too! During this week, you will discover the best sites of Bali and an extraordinary variety of marine life: mantas and mola mola in Nusa Penida, the Liberty Wreck in Tulamben, colorful corals in Amed, critters in Padang Bai, and sharks in Gili Tepekong. After diving, relax in the pool of your brand new hotel or chill in the nearby cafes and restaurants.

Conservation

The dive center is a Project AWARE Dive Center as well as being Green Fins certified. The team conducts regular underwater cleanups. They use reusable bottles and lunch boxes, and all waste is separated for recycling. They also work with the Ocean Sunfish Project and the Coral Triangle Center.

Who Is It For?

For advanced divers. If you are not yet advanced, you can take the course once there - just ask us! Non-divers have a lot of options as well: visiting villages, taking cooking classes, enjoying massages, yoga courses, surfing (the waves are very good!), cycling through rice fields, trekking on volcanoes, exploring temples... you can do it all in Bali!

Prices and Dates

Trips could start any day of the year for a duration of seven nights. If you want to stay more days, dive only in specific areas, or combine this trip with a liveaboard from Bali to Komodo (7 nights starting from ...), contact us and we'll customize this package for you.

Program

DAY 1: arrival and transfer to Akaya Bali in Sanur

Transfer from Bali International Airport (DPS) to Akaya Bali Hotel in Sanur, where you will stay each night. Akaya Bali is a brand-new hotel located a short walk from the beach. It has a pool where you can relax after your dives and a Café offering delicious breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and light dinners. The dive shop is just next door.

DAYS 2 to 6: 11 dives to the best sites of Bali and Lombok

Your day will start at 7:30 where you'll meet the staff at the dive shop and get your equipment ready for your dive trip. You'll get to do a total of 11 dives in five different areas, discovering the best dive sites of Bali and Lombok.

• 2 dives in Tulamben: the US Liberty wreck

  • You'll get to dive the US Liberty Wreck, and the Coral Garden and/or the Drop Off.
  • All sites can be reached from the beach.
  • The Liberty was torpedoed by the Japanese in World War II, and rests between 3 and 30 meters depth.
  • Lots of coral has grown over the ship, attracting many schools of fish: bumphead parrotfish, moray, scorpionfish, angelfish, leaf fish to name a few.

• 2 dives in Padang Bai: drift and critters

  • Padang Bai offers a variety of dive sites that will be chosen according to your dive experience and your taste.
  • You could do a drift dive or search for critters if that's what you like.
  • Expect to see some stingrays, sharks, lots of fish, and good macro is often seen: ghost pipefish, pygmy seahorses, and many nudibranchs.

• 2 dives in Amed: black sand and another wreck

  • Dive sites are either accessible from the shore or with a short boat ride.
  • Accessible through Amed beautiful volcanic black beach, you'll dive on a fantastic coral garden. There is also a wreck in Amed: the Japanese wreck, lying between 2 and 12 meters.
  • You might see lots of fish again, some turtles, bumphead parrotfish, and some Ghost Pipefish of all colors.

• 2 dives in Gili Tepekong: mola mola, manta rays, and sharks

  • Gili Tepekong dive site is made of three small rock islands.
  • In season, you'll have good chances to see the mola mola and manta rays. Shark Point is another site where you can see some white tip reef sharks.
  • Currents may be strong so this dive site is for advanced divers.

• 3 dives in Nusa Penida: more mantas and mola mola

  • Nusa Penida, with its famous Crystal Bay and Manta Point dive sites, offer some of the area's finest diving.
  • The marine life you'll expect to see in season is the famous mola mola, or the Ocean Sunfish, and resident reef manta rays in their cleaning stations.
  • Currents are often strong in Crystal Bay.

DAY 7: free day

Why not use this day to discover Ubud rice fields, or the nearby Bukit peninsula.

DAY 8: transfer back to the airport and going home, or pursue your trip with a liveaboard

The team will bring you back to Bali International Airport and you'll fly back home.

You may want to do more diving, in which case the liveaboard from Bali to Komodo (7 nights starting from ...) is a perfect trip to combine your week with. Departures and arrivals will be from Akaya Bali - so you can relax and enjoy your morning by the pool before getting picked up to go on the boat.

Dive Briefing!

Marine Life

• In Bali, you can find critters, wrecks, walls, coral, muck-diving, schooling fish, pelagics, and more!
• On the 'big' side, Manta rays, reef sharks, schooling jacks, octopus, cuttlefish, stingrays, bumphead parrotfish, barracudas, tuna, napoleon wrasse, and wobbegong sharks (if you're lucky!) can be seen. Mola Mola can also be spotted from July to October.
• There is also great macro-life, with frogfish, many nudibranchs, leaf scorpionfish, pipefish, eels, mantis shrimp, pygmy and larger seahorses, and more!

Dive Conditions

• Season: diving is available all year long. Mola Mola sightings are frequent from mid-June to early October, with most sightings occurring in July and August.
• Currents: can be strong in Nusa Penida.
• Visibility: usually 25 meters (80 ft)
• Water Temperature: 23° to 29°C (73° to 84°F)
• Depth: both deep and shallow dives are available.

Dive Sites

• Most dive sites are suitable for all levels, however some do have deep dives and strong currents (especially in the Nusa Penida area), so experience and a certain level of certification are required
• Dive sites: you will be taken diving to the best spots of East and South Bali, in Amed, Tulamben, Padang Bai and Nusa Penida. Depending on conditions, the itinerary may be slightly modified by the dive shop.

The Team

• Established in 2011.
• PADI Five-Star Dive Center.
• Maximum number of guests per guide: 4.
• Courses range from Bubblemaker to Divemaster and Specialties - ask us for more information!
• Languages spoken: English, German, Danish, Swedish, and Indonesian
• Fast boat with lots of shade, reaching Nusa Penida in 40 minutes

Safety Information

• Equipment Recommended: 3 to 5 mm long wetsuit, dive computer, surface marker buoy (SMB), and a whistle.
• Insurance: Both dive insurance and travel insurance are mandatory. We recommend DAN Europe, which has plans that cover both - please ask us for a quote
• Nearest Hyperbaric Chamber: Denpasar (although there are others on Bali)

Visas, Flights, and More!

Visa Requirements

• Many nationalities are eligible to enter and remain in Indonesia without a visa for 30 days. Others need to obtain a Visa on Arrival for 30 days at the major entry points to Indonesia. Visa on Arrival costs $37 (about ... EUR) and usually can be extended for another 30 days.
• Passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of arrival and have one full blank page
• Must be able to show an onward ticket that departs before your visa expires
• For official entry requirements for your nationality, consult Indonesia's Directorate General of Immigration

How to Get There

• Take an international flight to Bali (DPS)
• To lower your travel costs, from Europe consider flying to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, or Bangkok, and then fly with a low cost company such as Air Asia.
• From the USA, the flights usually make a stop in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tokyo, or Seoul
• Make sure you have adequate connection time between flights

More...

• Bring sunscreen, hat, rash guard, sweater or lightweight jacket, walking shoes, insect repellent, mask and snorkel, and ofcourse any prescription medicine you might need