If there is one important thing to known about scuba diving in Bali, it’s the fact that no matter what your interest or your skill level, there’s some exciting for you to see and do. It doesn’t matter what your experience has been, Bali has some of the most beautiful, yet challenging areas to dive anywhere.

Are you a beginner? Currents that are gentle or nonexistent can be found in the areas of Padang Bay, Pulau Menjangan, and Amed. If, on the other hand, you are a more experienced and advanced diver, there are areas with many drift dives around Bali such as those around Candidasa, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Penida. In these latter areas the currents can be very strong and regardless of where you dive, sites should be treated with respect and deference.

Going Afte Critters and Such

If you don’t dive so much for just seeing the sights, but you want to dive for critters and other things, you would be best served to dive in Secret Bay and Seraya Secret. You will also find that Amed also has fantastic spots for muck diving all over. If you like to do underwater photography, you will be in heaven.

And if snorkeling is more your thing, you will be more than thrilled with Bali, especially when you hit the East Coast from Padang Bay to Amed.

Seeing Forever

There are a lot of places in the world where visibility is great and you should never miss the opportunity to dive those, but when it comes to Bali, the view is nearly always the same, good to great. The visibility usually ranges from 10 to 50 meters, according to most authorities, but for those of us who have actually done it, that’s a bit on the pessimistic side, since most of the time not only is the view great, the things you get to see are also wonderful. The areas that are usually best include Pulau Menjangan and Nusa Penida.

Community Organizers

There are a number of dive centers scattered around the island of Bali. Obviously, there are some that are better than others. They range in both prices and abilities, but don’t always go for the best deal since prices are subject to change, and the center that might offer you the best price won’t necessarily offer you the best experience. The best way to judge is to walk around to all of them and get their prices as well as what they are offering.

Sights and Sounds

If you want the best advice for visiting diving sites around Bali, this is it: go for what you want to see. That’s it. And it’s that easy. If you want to get the most for your diving buck. For example, if you want to do some wreck diving, one of the best in the world is right off Tulamben, where the USAT Liberty rests. The Liberty is one of the most famous wrecks in the world, which can make it a bit crowded from time to time, but it’s worth the trouble. The Liberty was an Army transport ship during WWII when it was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine and sunk. American forces rescued the vessel for scrap by beaching it on Bali until an earthquake shook it loose and it ended up on a sand slope in about 10 feet of water.

For muck diving, especially for photographers, there’s the Seraya Secret Dive Site , which doesn’t offer the greatest visibility, but then, what’s the sense in muck diving if the visibility is good? Regardless, at this location, there’s lots of black sand that you can dig through to find all kinds of different creatures, in addition to what you will see swimming all around you. If this is what you like, make sure to bring your camera.

Finally, regardless of your skill level, if you like reefs, you will love Kubu, which is about 2 kilometers from Tulamben, and offers some of the most spectacular reef diving experiences available anywhere. The sharks and other fish are everywhere, but they only heighten the experience for you. This is also a great place for night diving, so if you have the chance to avail yourself of this, do it. It’s worth the time and trouble.