Diving in Bali

Season

You can dive Bali all year, best from April to November, in water at 27 to 29°C in Tulamben. At Nusa Penida, sunfish show up from July to October, but the water then drops to between 18 and 24°C at Crystal Bay. Mantas circle all year at Manta Point.

Budget

In Tulamben, the shore dive on the Liberty costs IDR 350,000, and three dives in a day IDR 1,100,000. At Nusa Penida, the two morning dives cost IDR 1,825,000 to IDR 1,925,000, plus IDR 100,000 a day for the marine area.

Getting there

You land at Denpasar airport, where the visa costs IDR 500,000, and the Bali tax, IDR 150,000, is paid online or on arrival. Tulamben is two and a half hours away by road. Nusa Penida is 30 to 45 minutes by fast boat from Sanur.

Dive sites in Bali (2)

A gray sunfish with pale spots, seen three-quarters on in open blue water, its long dorsal and anal fins stretched out, surrounded by small reef fish.

IndonesiaPelagic

Crystal Bay

Bali and Nusa Penida

5 to 30 mAdvancedFrom July to October

BoatCurrent: strongVisibility 20 to 40 m

Crystal Bay is a bay on Nusa Penida, off Bali, where sunfish rise to be cleaned from August to October, in 18 to 20°C water.

The Liberty's hull covered in pink and brown encrusting corals, a blue-ringed angelfish along the plating and yellow butterflyfish in the blue

IndonesiaShore dive

USAT Liberty wreck

Bali and Nusa Penida

5 to 30 mOpen WaterFrom April to November

ShoreCurrent: lightVisibility 10 to 20 m

The USAT Liberty is a 125 m American cargo ship, torpedoed in 1942 and beached at Tulamben, then pushed into the sea by the eruption of Mount Agung in 1963.

Dive sites on the map

Tulamben or Nusa Penida: which side of Bali should you dive?

Bali has two diving coasts with nothing in common. In the northeast, the Tulamben and Amed coast, sheltered from the wind, slopes gently over black volcanic sand. This is calm, warm shore diving around the wreck of the USAT Liberty, an American cargo ship torpedoed in 1942 and pushed into the water by the 1963 eruption of Mount Agung. It lies between 5 and 30 meters, a few dozen meters from the beach. In the southeast, across the Badung Strait, Nusa Penida faces the Indian Ocean: powerful currents, cold water welling up from the deep and, from July to October, sunfish rising to be cleaned at Crystal Bay and Blue Corner, while manta rays circle all year at Manta Point.

Where do you stay to dive Bali?

Tulamben, a fishing village turned dive resort, lines its dive centers along the coastal road, a short swim from the wreck, the Drop-off and the Coral Garden. In high season, about a hundred divers go down on the Liberty every day, so it pays to dive early. Nusa Penida is reached by fast boat from Sanur, for the day or to stay overnight, and the Sanur dive centers also go there on day trips.

When is the best time to dive Bali?

The water holds at 27 to 29°C in Tulamben all year, with the best visibility, 15 to 20 meters, during the dry season from April to October. The rains from December to March reduce visibility near the coast. At Nusa Penida, mola season runs from July to October, with August and September the best months. The water then drops to 18 or 20°C at depth, and a 5 mm wetsuit is not too much. Crystal Bay requires Advanced below 15 meters, because of the down currents and the depth of the cleaning stations, between 18 and 30 meters.

How much does diving in Bali cost?

In Tulamben, Matahari Tulamben charges IDR 350,000 for a shore dive, IDR 500,000 for a night dive and IDR 225,000 for full gear rental. Dive Concepts offers three dives in a day for IDR 1,100,000 and five dives over two days for IDR 1,785,000, with gear and Nitrox included. At Nusa Penida, Two Fish Divers sells single dives for IDR 1,250,000 and the two morning dives for IDR 1,925,000 in high season, from July to November, and IDR 1,825,000 the rest of the year. On top come the Bali provincial tax, IDR 150,000 per visit, and, at Nusa Penida, IDR 25,000 to enter the island at the port and IDR 100,000 a day for the marine protected area.

Where to stay in Bali?

Hotels, apartments and rooms around Sanur, the starting point for dives at Crystal Bay, with current prices.