Bali is a popular year-round tourist hotspot in Indonesia, known by scuba divers for its excellent muck diving, beautiful walls, easy shore dives, interesting wrecks, and thrilling encounters with manta rays and mola molas. Topside, Bali offers beautiful sceneries with lush rice fields, tropical jungles, and mountainous terrains. There is an endless list of things to do for scuba divers and non-divers alike, making Bali one of our favorite dive destinations for families. Bali not only offers great diving and beautiful topography, but any visitor is sure to enjoy the diversity of Balinese culture and cuisine.
Check out diving in Thailand for a similar experience.
A good number of reputable dive operators and resorts can be found in Bali. Whether you're traveling solo, as a couple, with a group of friends, or as a family; there's something for everyone in the "Island of the Gods"!
All the information you need to book your dive vacation and learn about the best Bali dive resorts.
East Bali
Home to Tulamben, Amed, Padang Bai, and Candida, East Bali hosts a variety of land-based dive operators and resorts catering to all kinds of budgets.
- Tulamben is best known for the world-famous USAT Liberty Wreck, which many believe to be the world's easiest wreck dive. It iseasily accessible from the shore and has become an artificial reef teeming with interesting marine life, including resident schools of jacks, barracuda, and Napoleon wrasses.
- Amed Bay is a quiet area with a black volcanic sand beach with scenic views and great muck, wall, and wreck diving.
- Padang Bai and Candidasa offer some of Bali's most interesting dives, a wide variety of macro and wide-angle sites.
These 4 areas are no more than a 15-minute to 1-hour drive away from each other. Wherever you stay in East Bali, most dive operators will be able to arrange a dive at any of the sites in these areas. Day trips to Nusa Penida are also common from Padang Bai and Candidasa.
Nusa Penida
Nusa Penida, especially Crystal Bay, is one of the very few places divers reliably see the oceanic sunfish (mola mola). Manta Point is another popular dive site nearby, which, as the name suggests, offers the chance to swim or dive up close with manta rays.
The island is deceptively large and with relatively poor infrastructure, so plan to stay at a dive resort for easier logistics. You'll also find accommodation options and land-based dive operators on neighboring Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan islands.
Northwest Bali
Head to Pemuteran in the northwest corner of Bali to escape the crowds and enjoy some of the best diving on the island. Pemuteran Bay offers a mix of muck and reef diving, and Menjangan Island boasts spectacular plunging coral walls and stellar visibility. Day trips to dive popular muck sites Secret Bay and Puri Jati are great for macro photographers.
Pemuteran and the nearby villages of Sumberkima and Pejarakan offer a wide variety of accommodation options to suit every budget and taste, and you'll find a selection of reputable dive centers.
Find more information on the diving season, marine life, dive sites, and how to get to Bali on our in-depth guide to diving in Bali
Bluewater Travel can help you book a dive resort in Bali and over 40+ destinations in the world at the same price or even lower than booking any other way. We are experts in accommodation, diving, and logistics in Bali. Email us today or leave us a message through the live chat box to start planning your dream dive vacation in Bali!
