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The isle of Gods is located in the Lesser Sunda islands of Indonesia. That position makes it an ideal place to have amazing diving experiences. Diving in Bali will leave you with memories you will hold dear forever. Some of the most famous diving spots of Indonesia are located in Bali, like the U.S.A.T. Liberty in Tulamben or Manta Point in Nusa Penida.
Thanks to its three volcanoes, Agung, Batur, and Bratan, most of its beaches are made of black volcanic sand. This distinctive characteristic is an incredible advantage when diving. Indeed, it makes the color contrast between the sand and the underwater flora and fauna, especially the corals, quite stunning.
The underwater biodiversity of Bali is amongst some of the most miscellaneous in the world. Coming diving in Bali will easily allow you to observe turtles, reef sharks, humphead parrotfish, giant trevally, barracudas, pygmy seahorses, an incredible variety of nudibranchs, crustaceans, like the famous mantis shrimp, and corals. Every dive in Bali is guaranteed to be full of life and wonders, for any diver, whether they are beginners or experienced. Some incredible encounters can sometimes be made in a 1m depth!
You might wonder when to come diving in Bali. Being located less than a thousand kilometers south of the Equator, Bali benefits from a tropical climate all year long. Therefore, any day can be an awesome diving day in Bali. However, the best time to be sure to enjoy state of the art diving conditions is between May and November. From December to February, the rainy season can, unfortunately, deteriorate diving conditions. But, despite this natural phenomenon, some parts of Bali, like Amed and Tulamben, are fairly spared from the worst of the monsoon and still allow decent diving during that season.
Evidently, the tropical climate ensures a water temperature of a minimum of 27°C. Diving in such conditions is rather comfortable. You will only need a 3mm suit when diving in most parts of Bali, with the exception of Nusa Penida/Lembongan and Secret Bay’s dive sites that are usually colder. Who would want to get cold on a tropical holiday?
Several features make Bali a great place to come diving. First of all, the Isle of Gods is one of the best destinations in the world to go muck diving, also sometimes called macro diving. Essentially, muck diving entails diving on the bottom of a dive site covered in sediments and look for the tiny organisms that live in it. Indeed, the muck, made of dead coral skeletons and algae, is home to a series of juvenile, exotic and unusual life forms, such as nudibranch, shrimps, and octopi. Muck diving is especially popular amongst photographers and experienced divers, so if that is the kind of diving that interests you, don’t forget your camera!
Another type of diving that is rather popular in Bali is drift diving. The many currents that surround the island make it an ideal place for divers to just go in the water and let the currents carry them. Perfect conditions to « sit back », relax, and enjoy the view.
If you are not an experienced diver, or even if you’ve never dived before, Bali can be a great choice to start or continue your training. The great visibility, gentle currents, and water temperature are ideal conditions to get introduced to the wonders of underwater discoveries.
One of the strong suits of Bali when it comes to diving is that the bottom of its seabed is packed with shipwrecks. As mentioned before, the most famous one of them all is the wreck of the U.S.A.T. Liberty, a WWII cargo ship damaged by a Japanese submarine that was later sunk by an eruption of Mount Agung. Divers come from all around the world to explore this colossus. And the best part of it is that this site is accessible to all divers, beginners, and experienced ones alike. But this is not the only wreck available to divers. Abyss Dive Center Bali offers, for instance, a dive on a fishing boat wreck called the Japanese wreck that is filled with damselfish. A rather lovely sight to have!
But shipwrecks are not the only things that enliven the bottom of Bali’s underwater world. Local diving societies regularly submerge statues and other sculptures as a base for underwater wildlife. It creates an unusual but delightful environment to dive in. Amed has several sites where you can observe these funny inhabitants of the sea.
If you’re wondering how you’ll go diving in Bali, you have two main options. Most dive sites are only accessible by boat, and Bali does that, like everything else really, in style. You will have the opportunity to board a jukung, a traditional Balinese fishing sailboat. A quite colourful way to go diving! The other option is to start your dive directly from the beach, as some of the most beautiful dive sites of Bali are actually quite close to the shore.
Last but not least, a great reason to come diving in Bali is everything else. Bali is a popular and beautiful touristic destination that will enchant your senses, from the gorgeous rice terraces to the traditional Hindu ceremonies, stunning coast landscape, and lush tropical forests. Anyone who’s been here will tell you, it is definitely a place you need to explore at least once in your life.
So what are you waiting for to come diving in Bali?