One of the most beautiful islands in the world, you may know Bali as Indonesia's most popular holiday island, but it is also one of its best dive spots and highly affordable. Many visitors find the combination of fascinating cultural attractions as well good shore-based resort diving set against the stunning Balinese back drop of huge volcanoes and picturesque rice paddy terraces simply irresistible.
Equally attractive are the mola mola, mantas, sharks and coral reefs, plus the shallow shore dive that is the famous wreck of the warship the USS Liberty. Together they make Bali a highly diverse dive package destination, as well as one that is suitable for non-divers.
Mythical and magical, a diamond shaped tropical island (140 km by 80 km) of spectacular volcanic mountains and lakes, enchanting rice terraces, ancient temples and palaces, surrounded by sparkling and warm coral seas, picturesque Bali is alight with its own unique culture and traditions. You may be surprised by Bali's modern tourist facilities, but you will be amazed by its medieval culture - still a vibrant civilisation, very much alive and breathing in its golden age. This helps explain the island's enduring popularity with so many holidaying couples and families.
While most tourists stay in the towns of the south, the best dive sites are spread out across the island in the more pleasant and less populated regions, and on the neighbouring islands of Nusa Penida and Lembongan. This means that, if you want to experience the best scuba diving on offer in Bali, you'll need to choose a dive resort location or two; and you'll get a great overview of this majestic island whilst doing so!.
Located on the northeast coast, Tulamben is Bali's best known resort diving destination and is home to the Liberty wreck as well as many other high quality sites. It has now grown into a small village to cater to the needs of divers and there are a range of accommodation options, all very close to the main sites. It is here where local women will carry your scuba gear on their head, a feature that is common to both the cheaper accommodation options and the high-end, but still quite small resorts. [More information on these dive sites: Tulamben].
There are half a dozen different dive sites in the immediate area and several more in the nearby vicinity. Some Tulamben resorts include unlimited shore dives in the packages and offer excursions to some of the other top diving locations around Bali.
> [More details: Tulamben Dive Resorts]Casual divers might prefer to stay in the south of Bali in Kuta, Sanur or Ubud, and make occassional day trips to a smaller selection of the 80 dive sites available around the island. Although the journey times are much longer each day, all the best destinations in Bali are offered as 2-dive package days, with lunch and refreshments included. [More information on these dive sites: Bali].
Daily dive trips will appeal to tourists whose main holiday focus is to enjoy Bali's other attractions such as sightseeing, culture, watersports and nightlife, as well as sample some of the diving.
> [More details: Mainland Bali Diving Day Trips]The island of Lembongan and nearby Nusa Penida are Bali's second premier diving region and it is home to a dozen or so of the best hard coral reef drift dives around, all of which can be accessed by daily boat trips run from the main beach area of the island. In addition, it is the world's best place to dive with Mola Mola in season, and there are some great manta ray encounters on offer, which all make for an unforgettable holiday. [More information on these dive sites: Nusa Penida and Lembongan].
There are a few different resort accommodation options on Nusa Lembongan, from beachside simplicity to spacious villas with stunning views across the Lombok Strait, and all close to the diving. Staying in Lembongan is like it was to stay in Bali 20 years ago, before the larger hotel chains moved in, so to stay here is to opt for easy-going island charm, far from the hordes of tourists.
> [More details: Lembongan Island Dive Packages]To experience all the best scuba diving and to avoid long and arduous daily road transfers, we recommend that you book a combination of resorts in Bali, including the Tulamben area to dive the east coast, and Lembongan Island to dive Nusa Penida. Stays of 5+ days are ideal for one location or 2 weeks for a "Best of Bali". Bali dive packages normally include accommodation (some full board, some breakfast only), dives and transfers.
Tulamben Wreck Divers
Customer rating: Excellent!
Bali Island Dive Daytrips
Customer rating: Good
Kubu Indah Resort
Customer rating: Good
Lembongan Dive Daytrips
Customer rating: Good
Siddhartha Dive Resort
Customer rating: Good
TWD Villas
Customer rating: Good
The dry season is between the months of April and October, with the coolest months of May, June and July having an average temperature of 28°C. Rainy season is between November and March, with sudden downpours interrupted by periods of sunshine. Tourist High Season is July and August for Europeans and Americans, and December and January for many vacationing Australians.
You can scuba dive Bali all year round since the weather affects the sites here only in certain areas at specific times of the year. Please check our dive site descriptions for more detailed information on the seasonal variations around Bali. We recommend a visit between April and December.
Bali lies in the chain of islands directly between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. There are direct international flights to Denpasar - Ngurah Rai International Airport from Singapore, Hong Kong, Hawaii and Guam, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Phuket, Tokyo and Taipei.
Denpasar is located just south of Kuta and is served with daily flights from Jakarta. Flights are frequent and take 80 minutes. There are many other direct internal routes including Maumere - Flores, Manado - Sulawesi, Kupang - Timor, Bima - Sumbawa and Ambon - Banda Islands. Indonesia's domestic airlines include Lion Air/Wings Air, Garuda and Air Asia. You should be able to book direct online with them and pay with your debit/credit card. If you experience problems, please ask us for help.
Tulamben, meanwhile, is a 3 hour taxi ride from the airport and may, depending on your dive resort choice, be included in the price.
We recommend you consider diving, travel and trip cancellation insurance. See our insurance programme for a competitive quote:
If you plan on booking your own accommodation for your Bali resort diving vacation, you will find a large range of choices at hotelscombined.com, our affiliated hotel reservation specialists:
Take your pick from dozens of options, from top-of-the range international beach resorts to budget guesthouses, and everything in between. And you can be sure that whatever option you go for, it will be backed up by their 'Low Price Guarantee' to ensure you get the best value for money.
Dive The World was great about helping us reschedule our daytrips several times to work around an illness
