Indonesia is world renowned for its vast array of diving sites both well known and yet to be discovered. Bali and it’s surrounding islands, in particular, attracts hundreds of thousands of divers annually of differing experience and skill levels. We suggest finding a dive school that’s right for you and check out some of these incredible sites below.
North Bali
Seraya Secrets
Location: Year-round diving for the patient diver, located in the Muntig Bay.
Depth: 5 – 17 metres
Skill Level: A difficult dive site that is suited to experienced divers only. We recommend only taking on this site at high-tide and whilst the currents aren’t too strong.
Marine Life: Dive deep past the 10-metre mark to find some of the most obscure marine life such as dragonets, pipefish, frogfish, shrimpfish and seahorses.
Image credit: Dive Concepts
Noisy Reef
Location: True to its name, Noisy Reef is known for the sound of the clicker clacker of the juvenile reef fish. You can find this dive site at the western end of Muntig Bay near the Marquisa Resort.
Depth: 12-metre miniature reef.
Skill Level: Suitable to all levels of experience for year-round diving.
Marine Life: A macro photographers paradise with a diverse range of reef fish, blue dotted sting ray and triggerfish.
East Bali
Jeladi Wilis
Location: East Sanur
Depth: 3 – 20 metres
Skill Level: This gentle dive site per perfect for those wanting to improve their skills. As the current can become strong it is suggested that slack tide diving is the most advantageous.
Marine Life: If night diving is of interest to you this is the ideal place to visit, with nudibranchs, stingrays, scorpionfish and octopus all vibrantly lit up in the dark.
Sanur Bay
Location: Sanur channel.
Depth: 5 – 10 metres
Skill Level: Most frequented by PADI Rescue Diver courses and PADI Navigation Courses for its beginner level difficulty, steady slow currents and sandy reef platform.
Marine Life: Though visibility can be limited, however, if you find the right conditions you will be able to swim with sea snakes, cuttlefish, batfish, octopus and nudibranchs.
Penjor Reef
Location: a 5-minute boat ride off the coast of Sanur.
Depth: 5 – 10 metres
Skill Level: Suitable for a beginner to moderate skill level as there is an abundance of marine life and thus long visibility is not required.
Marine Life: It is usually unheard of to find healthy coral and an abundance of marine life this close to shore. Being that it is located a short 5-minute boat ride off the coast of Sanur, the high sea activity at this site always ensures for a quality dive site.
Amed
Approximately a 2-hour drive from laid back Sanur is the town of Amed. Located on the North-East coast of Bali, Amed has become well-known for it’s snorkelling sites.
Jemeluk Bay
Location: directly off the shoreline of Amed.
Depth: 5 – 20 metres
Skill Level: You will need open water or equivalent diver certificate to take on this site, however, it is mostly protected with calm currents and guide wall tours making it easy for you to explore.
Marine Life: This site is made up of artificially created reefs that encourage the breeding of marine life in the area as well as protects the habitats of large sea fans. You will find as a result there is loads of macro life present as well as seahorses, ghost pipefish, frogfish, crabs, shrimps and nudibranch. The deeper you travel the more coral gardens you will find where turtles, reef sharks and larger marine life are inhabiting.
Video credit: Tim de Haan
Amed Walls
Location: On the right-hand side of the Amed Bay is the Amed Wall.
Depth: 10 – 40 metres
Skill Level: Amed Walls is suitable for all skill levels as the current is usually very mild. It is best accessible by a short swim or a jukung (local boat) ride.
Marine Life: This coral wall is covered in beautiful hard and soft textured coral, sponges and sea fans. You will find that this site is rich and abundant with lionfish, pufferfish, angelfish and triggerfish. Upon the drop off is where the sharks and other larger pelagics swim.
Lipah Bay
Location: 15-minute drive from Amed.
Depth: 5 – 20 metres with a steep eventual drop-off.
Skill Level: moderately difficult dive site due to the strong currents that can quickly change.
Marine Life: An iconic location for its shipwreck that is surrounded by a team of coral and sandbanks. You will be able to spot gorgonian sea fans and large sponges that are teaming with schools of fish.
Video credit: Diving Bali
Gili Selang
Location: Accessible by boat off the coast of Karangasem. The walls of the small island are covered in coral.
Depth: 10 – 20 metres visibility with an unknown depth.
Skill Level: Highly recommended for experienced divers only due to strong currents that are unpredictable.
Marine Life: If you are keen to experience larger pelagics, this is recommended for you. You will find large fish, mola mola as well as hammerhead sharks.
Image credit: Dive Plan It
Blue Lagoon
Location: Located on the east coast of Bali, Blue Lagoon is a protected bay in Padang Bai.
Depth: 5 – 30 metres
Skill Level: The perfect beginner dive sites due to the crystal clear visibility and loads of marine life. This site is accessible by boat and allows beginners to easily explore with its generally calm currents.
Marine Life: Renowned for it’s crystal clear waters, Blue Lagoon boasts a sandy bottom with coral bommies. Whether you are wanting to complete a photography dive or simply explore, you will find several kinds of reef sharks, morays, eels, squid and octopus as well as brightly colour fish.
West Bali
Anchor Wreck
Location: Located in the West Bali National Park, amongst the famous island of Manjangan island.
Depth: an average 30 – 40 metres, however, the namesake anchor sits on top of the reef at 10 metres.
Skill Level: Ideal for beginners as a site to complete your deep diver speciality course, with the added bonus of an inquisitive wreckage to explore. This site is also prone to great visibility and thus a great location for photography.
Marine Life: With the varied cargo that remains with the wreckage, you will find colourful coral growing from the ceramics and glass bottles. If you are lucky you will be able to spot whale sharks, morish idols, pyramid butterfly fish, and turtles.
POS II
Location: Found on the South East corner of Menjangan Island.
Depth: 12 – 25 metres
Skill Level: A beginner level site with a calm current and steady sandy slope.
Marine Life: You will find a school of creatures to look out for such as Orangutan Crabs, Nudibranchs and Pygmy Seahorse. Dive deeper along the eastern wall to the cooler waters where the larger pelagics like sharks, Mola Mola and Manta Rays.
Bali’s Neighbour’s – Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Ceningan
A short 35-40 minute fast boat ride from Sanur/ Benoa harbour is the popular islands of Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. Known for their sought after sunsets and relaxed pace of life – we suggest staying for a few nights to really explore the depths of dive sites available. Also, a short 10-minute boat ride from Nusa Lembongan is the magical dive sites of Nusa Penida.
Mangroves
Location: Most easily accessible by boat, Mangroves dive sit true to its name is located on the north-eastern corner of the island.
Depth: Up to 5-metres in depth.
Skill Level: Suitable for all skill levels due to its shallow depths and relatively protected area.
Marine Life: This colourful coral reef features small coral bommies, table corals and a variety of small sea life. For the large species, marble rays and sharks – you can find them near the drop off and deeper waters.
Lembongan Bay
Location: Most easily accessible by boat, Mangroves dive sit true to its name is located on the north-eastern corner of the island.
Depth: 10 metres
Skill Level: Considered a fantastic beginner level dive site for its calmer conditions and shallow depths.
Marine Life: The sandy ocean floor has created small coral bommies with a playground for frogfish, moral eels, silversides and unicorn fish to play.
Nusa Ceningan Wall
Location: The coral wall begins at the foot of the ocean cliffs to the north of Nusa Ceningan.
Depth: Vertical drop of 180 metres
Skill Level: Reserved for the most experienced divers due to the strong currents and challenging conditions.
Marine Life: It’s not often you experience coral walls as vast and diverse as this – both colourful and dense with coral sponges and an abundance of nudibranchs. You will sometime find the local school of eagle rays will guide you on your dive tour whilst you admire the oriental sweetlips and sleek unicorn fish.
Island Time in Nusa Penida
Getting to Nusa Penida’s famous diving spots is not too difficult with tours running daily (weather and sea conditions permitted). From Bali, the closest port is from Sanur/ Benoa Harbour with fast boat transfers ranging from 45 – 60 minutes depending on your chosen dive site and guide.
Manta Point
Location: South West point of Nusa Penida approximately a 60-minute boat ride from Sanur harbour.
Depth: 5 – 15 metres
Skill Level: Intermediate to advanced diving sit due to strong currents and accessibility by boat required.
Marine Life: You can find manta rays almost daily at this year-round dive sit as well as blue spotted rays on the ocean floor, octopus and bamboo sharks.
Image credit: Dive Concepts
Crystal Bay
Depth: 5 – 40 metres
Skill Level: Intermediate to advanced diving sit due to strong currents and accessibility by boat required.
Marine Life: You will encounter schools of large fish year round as well as sightings of frogfish, mantis shrimps and nudibranchs. If you want the best viewing opportunities for Bali Sunfish or Mola Mola, July – October is the most ideal time of year.
Toyapakeh
Toyapakeh offers divers an abundance of coral and active marine life and thus gains popularity due to its great visibility through clear waters.
Depth: 5 – 40 metres
Skill Level: Intermediate to advanced diving sit due to strong currents and accessibility by boat required.
Marine Life: With a large variance in depth you will find that Toyapakeh has some of Nusa Penida’s best soft and hard coral. In the shallows, you will find large schools of fish, coral pillars and gorgonian sea fans. Dive deeper and you will enjoy sightings of turtles, reef sharks and mola mola (July – October).
Video credit: Tim de Haan
Gamat Bay
Location: A sheltered bay running between Nusa Penida and neighbouring islands that are highly colourful and boasts clear waters.
Depth: 15 – 30 metres
Skill Level: Even though Gamat Bay is most sheltered, it’s positioning does experience quick changes in currents and thus is recommended for intermediate to advanced divers.
Marine Life: Navigating your way through the hard and soft coral, you will find you have a great viewing of the marine life below. Coral bommies and pillars allow an array of fish to take shelter in the changing of the currents, whilst turtles, sharks, rays and mola mola glide beneath the surface.
Blue Corner
Location: Known for being a highly experience divers’ sought after location, as it is a temperamental dive site regularly unavailable to explore due to very strong currents frequenting the area making it inaccessible.
Depth: 12 – 30 metres.
Skill Level: Highly experience – advance divers only.
Marine Life: True to its name, the waters here are some of the deepest hues of blue you will ever witness. With the constant change of currents, no two days are the same and that goes the same for marine life sightings. More seen as a thrill-seeking diver where you can battle currents, and appreciate the bright watercolour the ocean provides.
Image credit: Blue Corner Dive
Sental & SD
Location: The northern coast of Nusa Penida is where you will find this drift dive site.
Depth: 15 – 30 metres
Skill Level: Moderately skilled divers will enjoy this drift diver as it allows you to see more than one site in a day. Depending on currents, you will find your dive to be super quick or at a slower pace.
Marine Life: Healthy, vibrant corals and huge sea sponges make themselves well known along these dive sites as well as reef sharks, seaweed farms, large puffer fish, turtles, reef fish, giant map puffers, tiny shrimp and nudibranchs.
Diving is one of Bali’s most popular tourist attractions, with dive sites to suit the most experienced professional and entry level beginner. As you can see it’s not only boutique shopping and incredible dining that Bali has to offer, it is also home to an underworld that is waiting to be explored.
