BALI back on the market

Back on the market as a quality dive destination, Bali is an area tour operators are keen to promote, but where do you go and what do you see?

Back on the market as a quality dive destination, Bali is an area tour operators are keen to promote, but where do you go and what do you see?

Although it is just one of more than 13,000 islands in Indonesia, Bali is by far the most famous. Yet while the name is still synonymous with exotic travel, it has more recently been associated with the nightclub bombing of 2002, which resulted in 202 deaths at the surfing centre of Kuta. The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office recommended against ‘non-essential’ travel to the whole of Indonesia, which meant that most travel insurers have refused to cover the zone. The island’s vital tourist economy withered.

Tour operators have been campaigning against the FCO’s stance for months, and won a major victory recently when it was decided to cancel the warning for Bali, effectively re-opening the door to one of the world’s great travel destinations. To make the most of the publicity, tour operators are putting out lots of competitive deals, but the question remains – what does Bali have to offer diving travellers?

The island has traditionally been used as a starting point for liveaboard operators who concentrate on the islands to the east, notably the Nusa Tengarra region and the Spice Islands. These are among the most lusted-after dive spots, but should we be in such a hurry to leave Bali and head off to the east?

There’s little argument that Bali is one of the most pleasant place to stay in the whole of Indonesia. The Balinese people are incredibly welcoming and good-humoured, with an incredibly rich culture. There’s a huge range of accommodation, from private villas overlooking rice terraces, to humble homestays charging a few dollars a night for a room with a ceiling fan. Mid-range hotels suitable for divers tend to be reasonably priced, so it’s worth shopping around.

But what about the diving? For a relatively small island, Bali offers a surprisingly broad range of dives. There are excellent wreck sites, beautiful coral walls, productive muck dives for macro photographers and some prime sites for pelagic action. It is possible to base yourself in one hotel and be driven all over the island depending on your personal preferences, but our recommendation is to plan your own itinerary, staying at three or four different locations.

Even for the most single-minded diving connoisseur, it would be a crime to miss out on topside Bali. By moving around the island and basing yourself in different locales, you stand to experience far more of the people and culture, at the same time sampling the very best of the diving. What follows is a guide to the best diving, plus accommodation options in each of the zones.

Where to stay

For Menjangan Island and Secret Bay
For a touch of untamed Bali, stay in the Pemuteran area, where the small hotels have beautiful gardens which run right down to the sea. Taman Sari Bali Cottages (http://www.balitamansari.com) offers ocean view cottages for around US$65. If you want to go upmarket, try the Matahari Beach Resort and Spa http://www.matahari-beach-resort.com, with doubles from US$185. Both hotels will be able to arrange diving.

For Padangbai
The best hotel in Padangbai is the Hotel Puri Rai (tel: 00 62 363 41385), which has air-conditioned and rooms with fans for US$30 a night. For a more fun stay up the coast at Candidasa, stay at the plush Grand Natia  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for US$80 a night

For Nusa Penida
It is possible to stay on the island, though accommodation options are fairly limited. Many divers make the boat journey each day from mainland Bali, catching a boat from Padangbai, Kusamba or Sanur to the south. Another option is to stay on Nusa Lembongan, a smaller island next to Nusa Penida, which has more places to stay. A budget option here is the well-regarded

Pondok Baruna (http://www.world-diving.com), which has double rooms for $10. However, the best option at Nusa Penida is to choose your dive operators first, then ask them what your best accommodation option is, as they may specialise in picking up from the mainland.

For Tulamben
Your primary concern here is to have direct beach access, to make those shore dives as easy as possible. The Paradise Palm Beach Bungalows (tel: 00 62 363 22910) have neat rooms, a decent restaurant and a pretty garden from around $20 for a double room.

TOP TIP: Though you may wish to book accommodation in advance, it’s still very much a buyer’s market in Bali. As soon as you pitch up in a town, you will most likely be besieged by representatives of various hotels offering tempting rates at the low to middle end of the market.

What to wear
The best time to visit Bali is during the dry season, from April to October. The rest of the year is more humid, but the diving is still good. Bring lightweight clothes, a 5mm wetsuit and 3mm shortie or a skin, as water temperatures vary by region.

Bali’s east coast is not famed for its reef diving, but there are a few offshore sites between the villages of Candidasa and Padangbai which offer world-class dives. These reefs – Mimpang, Tepekong, Biaha and the Blue Lagoon – offer incredible variety, particularly in terms of the reef fish. We could embark on a long list here, but there’s no point in turning DIVE into a marine ID reference. Suffice to say you can expect to see a great many fish here.

If you had to visit just one diving area in Bali, this should be it. Again, the dives are fairly advanced and the water is cooler as a result of ocean upwellings. White-tip reef sharks are often seen here, and the coral looks great. One of the best dives here is at Biaha, where the sharks can be found sleeping in a cave. The area is infamous for down-currents, and the ultimate decision on whether to dive is in the hands of the guides. If you really want to get onto these sites, hope for good conditions and try to put together a group of experienced divers.

The Padangbai sites are conveniently located and not too far offshore, making them well worth a visit. We’d recommend an absolute minimum of three days here, but allow much more if you want to make a thorough exploration of these sites. As well as some healthy coral and schooling fish, there’s lots to see on the reef, including leaf fish and other benthic beauties.

For those in search of a more sedate experience, the Blue Lagoon – a small bay to the north of Padangbai – is a favourite with fish-spotters and is generally current-free.

This 17-mile long island has been a closely-guarded secret among adventurous divers for some time, but now that Bali’s dive operations are trying to win your business back, it is likely to rise to the fore. Located off Bali’s current-blasted southeast coast, this is the place to find pelagics. You could argue that this region merits a week on its own in a Bali itinerary, but it’s very much down to your preferred style of diving. Suffice to say it’s not a place for the fainthearted.

You can expect drift dives, big visibility and some close encounters. In August and September, ocean sunfish (Mola mola) are routinely seen visiting cleaning stations. Conditions are unpredictable and photographers have complained it is hard to get good footage or shots – it’s all part of the challenge!

Most of the dive sites seem to be clustered around Nusa Penida’s northern coast. There are good sites for manta rays, sharks and schooling fish, though current and heavy swell often come into play. One of the most interesting sites here is Blue Corner, Bali’s answer to the Palau site of the same name. The idea is to descend along a slope to a vertical wall (the ‘corner’) where the current is strongest. This is where you get the big fish – eagle rays, Napoleon wrasse and, if you’re lucky, those elusive sunfish.

Another well-regarded site here is Malibu Point, where grey reef and silvertip sharks are regularly seen. As with all shark dives these days, it can be hit-and-miss, but anyone in search of a thrill is well advised to check this one out. By reputation, this is the best place in Bali to dive with sharks. There is also a series of manta sites, though the local operators all seem to disagree about which spot is most likely to yield an encounter. The preferred sites lie off the exposed southwest coast and are subject to big swells.

READER'S VERDICT

Stuart Mitchell,
Experienced diver

‘If only they’d concentrate Bali’s best diving into one place… I spent ages travellingaround the best places in a rented car, only to discover that the most exciting dives are off Nusa Penida. I was there in August and there were mola mola, the weirdest things I have ever seen in the sea. We had some fierce currents and it was difficult to get close to the beasts, but I came across one that didn’t seem too scared. I think it was being cleaned by some small fish. Otherwise, we had some excellent manta dives and some fast drifts. All the photographers moaned that conditions were too tough for them, but I had a great time and just enjoyed the ride. We saw a few reef sharks, but they tended to keep their distance from the divers.’

Low visibility and shallow waters do not often make for enjoyable diving, but the extraordinary array of creatures found here make it an obligatory stop for photographers. Located on the northwestern tip of Bali, this is the area where the Java ferries dock, also known as Gilimanuk Bay. This is the only bay lying off the Bali Strait, where tidal currents race between Bali and Java. A reef outside the bay channels water inside, creating a sort of trap for juvenile fish and larvae. The end result is a fish nursery for all sorts of benthic species.

Dives typically take place early or late in the day, when the bay has relatively good visibility. You can expect typical muck-diving conditions – shallow dives on a black, sandy sea bed, with lots of rubbish brought in by the tide. It could hardly be called a romantic setting, but conditions are ideal for juvenile fish and some macro rarities.

Highlights include gobies, mandarinfish, and several species of scorpionfish. There are lots of long-spined sea urchins, which provide lots of opportunities to locate the elusive clingfish.

Night diving is recommended here, particularly if you want to find octopus and squid. Dives can be carried out either from the shore or by boat, but it’s worth bearing in mind that the water here is cooler than elsewhere on Bali. You can expect water temperatures to average about 25ºC, making a 5mm wetsuit your best bet.

It’s worth at least a day diving here, but photographers will want to stay longer, as the bay gives rare opportunities to photograph some seriously ugly fish.

Further along the coast to the north is Pemuteran, a cluster of resorts which have sprung up around some coral banks. It’s worth a dive if you’re in the area, but the area is not highly regarded.

READER'S VERDICT

Ryan Thompson
Experienced diver

I stayed at a north coast beach town called Lovina with a few mates,’ says Ryan Thompson. ‘We were told that the best nearby diving was at Menjangan Island, and paid for a few day trips. It’s not so hot near the surface, though there are loads of batfish. The water is a beautiful blue and the wall gets more spectacular the deeper you go. I’ve never seen such big gorgonian fans. We even saw a few white-tip reef sharks.’

Low visibility and shallow waters do not often make for enjoyable diving, but the extraordinary array of creatures found here make it an obligatory stop for photographers. Located on the northwestern tip of Bali, this is the area where the Java ferries dock, also known as Gilimanuk Bay. This is the only bay lying off the Bali Strait, where tidal currents race between Bali and Java. A reef outside the bay channels water inside, creating a sort of trap for juvenile fish and larvae. The end result is a fish nursery for all sorts of benthic species.

Dives typically take place early or late in the day, when the bay has relatively good visibility. You can expect typical muck-diving conditions – shallow dives on a black, sandy sea bed, with lots of rubbish brought in by the tide. It could hardly be called a romantic setting, but conditions are ideal for juvenile fish and some macro rarities.

Highlights include gobies, mandarinfish, and several species of scorpionfish. There are lots of long-spined sea urchins, which provide lots of opportunities to locate the elusive clingfish.

Night diving is recommended here, particularly if you want to find octopus and squid. Dives can be carried out either from the shore or by boat, but it’s worth bearing in mind that the water here is cooler than elsewhere on Bali. You can expect water temperatures to average about 25ºC, making a 5mm wetsuit your best bet.

It’s worth at least a day diving here, but photographers will want to stay longer, as the bay gives rare opportunities to photograph some seriously ugly fish.

The wreck of the USAT Liberty is Bali’s most famous dive, and one of the world’s great all-rounders. As a result, the village of Tulamben on the northeast coast has become extremely popular with divers. Even during the past two years, a time in which many tourist centres in Bali became virtual ghost towns, a steady stream of divers made the journey to Tulamben. Although the place was hardly crowded, committed aficionados kept it alive.

The signature dive here is obviously the Liberty, which has one of the strangest stories associated with a shipwreck. On 11 January 1942, the ship was hit by torpedoes from a Japanese submarine while crossing the Lombok Strait. Two destroyers were sent to try to tow her back to port, but she was taking on too much water so they ran her aground on the beach at Tulamben, where the ship stayed for 21 years.

In 1963, Gunung Agung – the imposing volcano which overlooks Tulamben – exploded, killing thousands of people. The explosion also pushed the wreck of the Liberty off the beach and over the drop-off. The hull was split in two, but both sections came to rest close together, with a maximum depth of about 29m. It’s one of the best shore dives anywhere, and works on different levels for different divers.

It’s an ideal training dive, as parts of the wreck rise as close as 8m from the surface; it also serves as a superior wreck dive, as the 120m-long structure still has lots of recognisable features such as boilers, toilets and even guns. But what really puts it in a league of its own is the amount of life on the wreck. Large gorgonian fan corals grow off its deeper sides, and hard corals dominate the superstructure. There are huge amounts of fish, including the most photogenic school of big-eye trevally in the world. For some reason, they often come together in the spiral formations which are seldom seen elsewhere. It’s a great photo-opportunity.

The wreck and its surroundings are popular with macro photographers, as many of the fashionable subjects can be found in the black volcanic sand. Highlights include harlequin ghost pipefish, tiny octopus and pygmy seahorses. The Tulamben district also has coral gardens and a wall dive, making it worth at the very least a three-day stay. Experienced divers say they could happily dive the wreck all week.

READER'S VERDICT

Carly Adams,
Experienced diver

‘We wanted to alternate diving days with party days, so my partner and I based ourselves in Sanur on the southeast coast and arranged diving with Aquamarine. They seemed to have quite a few clients in the area, so a minivan came round the various hotels, picked up six or seven of us each day and took us off to the chosen dive sites. I wanted to keep the diving simple so we spent a bit of time in Tulamben, where you can just go off the shore. These tiny women come and carry your kit for you across the beach, which makes you feel it a little embarrassed. The wreck has loads of life, but the visibility was only 12m.’