Diving in Bali

Entering the water from the shoreline, this is a dive perfectly suited to re-adaptation. There are nudibranches of all kinds, clouds of pyjama cardinals and the very stirring Mandarin fish. The dive finishes on a strange artificial reef, known as project "bio-rock". Underwater metal structures are connected to electricity creating coral growth up to 10 times faster than in normal conditions!

Definitely something you don't see every day.

To the west of the island of Menjangan, in the West Bali National Park, a diving dream awaits you. Frog fish, leaf fish, harlequin ghost pipefish and pygmy seahorses for the smaller stuff. Schools of big eye jacks, pompano, white black and grey tip sharks, eagle rays and tuna for the big stuff. What more can we say?

A dive in the region of Gilimanuk, north of the island, is not to be missed under any circumstance. A "muck-dive" by excellence, the seabed is made up of a mixture of sand and oozy mud where the coral is rather rare. The interest of the dive lies in the abundant wildlife and abnormal atmosphere with seahorses, pegasus fish, mandarin fish, harlequin ghost pipefish, several species of frog fish, nudibranches or pleurobranches, without forgetting the magnificent and endangered Banggai Cardinalfish. This dive is a real treat for photographers and lovers of the macro.

Torpedoed during the destruction of Lombok in 1942 by a Japaneese submarine, this American ship was towed and then left stranded on the beach at Tulamben. It wasn't until the eruption of the Agung volcano in 1963 that the vessel actually went completely underwater. Lying on a black sandy slope between 4 and 30 meters in depth, this dive is one of the most famous and fabulous in Bali. Multicoloured soft corals, sponges and gorgonian fans add beautifully to the abundance of fish life including surgeon fish, damsels, sweetlip and groupers. The smaller life includes leaf fish, nudibranches, harlequin ghost pipefish and frog fish. The bigger stuff includes white and black tip reef sharks, hump-head parrot fish and large schools of jacks to name a few. Combine the wreck and the abundant marine life and you have a truly remarkable dive.

This dive is accessed from the mainland by using traditional Balinese canoe style fishing boats and starts on a black sand base where we first pass a forest of garden eels. As the depth increases we encounter coral heads and the beginning of an area of giant barrel sponges, which is a perfect hiding ground for the beautiful juvenile Emperor Angelfish, small shrimp and both the ribbon and mosaic moray eel. On the deeper blue side of this dive we regularly see schools of butterflyfish, sweetlip and snapper, triggerfish, barracuda, stingrays and white tip reef sharks.

This dive at Nusa Penida, off the coast of Padang Bay, is true to its' name. The visibility at this site is often exceptional, going hand in hand with cooler water temperatures, and provides optimal conditions to see the amazing giant ocean sun fish. This fish can measure up to 4 meters in diameter (the largest bony fish in the world) and lives usually in deep water. The ocean sun fish approaches the reefs only to visit the cleaning stations, which in this instant are provided by the butterfly fish and emperor angelfish. This is a meeting not be missed and completes a fantastic dive, and experience.

A short boat trip from the port of Padang Bay, in a small sheltered bay, this site will remain imprinted in your memory. Dozens of different leaf fish of all colors, frog fish, stone fish, schools of sweetlip and sometimes carpet sharks. When night diving at this site we also have a good chance of seeing Spanish dancers and stargazers.