Scuba Diving

Bali is famous for surfing, probably being all in all, one of the best locations in the world. Bali is also a scuba diving location with several decent spots. These include Amed and Tulamben on the East coast, Menjangan and Pemuteran on the NW coast and Nusa Lembongan across the Badung Strait, one the south coast.

You can also hop over to the Gili Islands in Lombok (30 minutes flying, Bali-Lombok). Of course the islands to the east offer a whole other level of diving with Komodo, Ambon and Papua the cream of the crop. For first time visitors to Bali you can hook up with dive centers in Kuta and Sanur. You can walk along the street and look out for dive shops, look in the Yellow Pages, type ‘Bali diving’ into Google, or ask your hotel to hook you up. Going straight to the source is usually the cheapest way.

You can also find independent expats overs here who advertise and accompany people wherever they want to dive, giving tips on accommodation and having local diving knowledge. Getting to Menjangan from Kuta will take about 4 hours, Amed about 3.5, Tulamben about 4 and Nusa Lembongan under 2 hours by boat. Other Bali dive spots include Candi Dasa, Deer Island, Jemeluk, Padang Bai, Senggigi. Last year I met 2 divers from Turkey who told me they much preferred NW Bali to Amed for good diving conditions.