Bali, Indonesia

by Darren Dwyer

My wife and I recently returned from a trip to Bali – it was our honeymoon and she chose the destination. Given the circumstances I was happy to go with her choice although I wasn’t expecting much in the way of diving. Before we left I did a bit of research on the internet and found that Oceanic Sunfish or Mola Mola are often spotted around Bali in June. I believe they appear around May – September and are particularly likely to be seen around Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida which are about 45 minutes from Sanur by boat.

We were staying at the Hyatt Hotel in Sanur. Sanur is quieter than Kuta but still had lots of restaurants, bars and shops. After a few days relaxation we booked a day trip with Bali International Diving Professional (BIDP) to Nusa Penida. I had contacted several dive shops prior to our departure and had been very happy with the quality of response and information received from these guys.

BIDP had a purpose-built high speed dive boat and the staff were very knowledgeable and friendly. We had taken our own regs, bcds, mask and fins but the suits that they gave us were in good condition.

The first dive that we did was at Toyah Pakeh which was a great drift dive with lots of life and clear water. There was an area of the reef at around 10 metres that was pretty trashed from a tourist pontoon that used to be anchored there but other than that the reef was in good condition. We saw a beautiful Mantis shrimp during our safety stop but – alas – no sunfish. Our second dive was at Blue Corner – the water was cold – around 18°C – which apparently is a good sign and the current was running strong. The dive site is a fairly sheer cliff dropping off from a shallow bay. It must drop to below 50 metres. We had a fantastic dive – we had our own Divemaster which was good as it would have been hard to stay with a large group. We saw a group of bull rays, the biggest barracuda I have ever seen and 4 sunfish. One of the sunfish was relatively shallow and we held onto the rock face so as not to be swept past it. Sunfish are just the most bizarre looking fish and it was pretty cool to get such a good look at one. The sunfish all seemed to be hanging around being cleaned. At the end of the dive we hugged the cliff face pretty closely as there was a strong current coming over from the bay. I was also glad that the boat captain had been paying attention and the boat was close by when we surfaced.

My wife and I were both pretty sold on doing more diving and it didn’t take much to convince us to do a 5 day safari around the Island. We used BIDP again and devised our own itinerary, although they had standard ones available. Given the occasion we also chose resort style accommodation rather than standard or budget options.

Our dive safari began at Menjangan in the North East of Bali which had gentle currents, clear water, white sand bottoms and wall diving. The visibility must have been 40 metres and we saw heaps of life including several turtles. The DM told me that they had seen whalesharks twice in the last month but – sadly – we didn’t see any. Can't win them all, can you! The next day was initially a bit of a disappointment. We were diving at Secret Bay and it’s a pretty unappealing spot on the surface. The visibility wasn’t great when we got in and there was rubbish in the bay….however….it is probably a photographer's paradise. Our DM showed us all kinds of interesting stuff – highlights included frog fish, seahorse, pipe fish and a mimic octopus!!! I have to say that it was an amazing days diving. We stayed for two nights in Lovina at Puri Bagus which had (I am reliably informed by my wife) an excellent Spa, and which I would highly recommend. The next morning we moved on to Tulamben in the North West of the Island and we stayed at Mimpi which was right on the beach front and from where you could begin all your dives if you wanted – very convenient! We were due to do 2 dives that day but ended up doing 3 day and 1 night dive. There is a shipwreck there – the SS Liberty – which has to be the most accessible wreck I have seen and which has a lot of fish life on and around it. At the other side of the bay is a steep wall dive – again lots of life and big Gorgonia fan corals where, I am told, Pygmy Sea horses can be found – I looked but didn’t find! At the end of each dive you can blow off the rest of your air on the tiny house reef in front of the resort – its only a couple of meters deep so you can get your moneys worth. There were many blue ribbon eels, octopus, cuttlefish, loads of nudibranchs – luxurious diving in calm, warm water! Tulamben seems to be pretty dive orientated – not much else is going on there however its in a pretty spectacular place. Tulamben lies at the foot of Mount Agung which is the biggest volcano on Bali so when its clear you have stunning views.

The fourth day we dived at Gili Selang which I understand is a new dive area in Bali. It is on Bali's eastern point and has strong currents (not for the inexperienced or faint hearted). We saw dolphins both prior to and during our first dive, a couple of Moray eels and a Manta – although not close by. Very exhilarating diving.

Our final day was back at Nusa Penida. In the morning we dived at Manta Point. True to its name there were a group of 5 Mantas which we got a good look at. Apparently the group is there all the time. The dive itself wasn’t difficult – a fairly deep bay with not too much current, but we were told that accessing the site could be problematic due to sea conditions on occassions. Our second and final dive in Bali was at Crystal Bay also on Penida. It is a James Bond type Bay, a line of white sand fringed with palm trees and crystal clear water. The bay is filled with soft corals in beautiful colours. We began our dive at the mouth of the bay and entered a shallow fissure in the rock wall. This led into a cavern. The cavern was lit by a crack in the cliff face further up – a pretty cool place! We then did the main part of our dive along the channel wall between Penida and Lembongan and spotted another sunfish – although this one didn’t hang around!

Absolutely loved the diving, BIDP were excellent and the sunfish were incredible. The day trip cost us $90US each and the safari around $700 each. We chose more expensive destinations and upgraded accommodation on the safari – there were standard and budget accommodation options which would have reduced the cost. I'm pretty sure that other Companies could also do a cheaper product but I was happy with the service, standards and knowledge that BIDP provided.

General info on Bali – it was great weather – not as sticky as I would have expected. The main tourist resorts of Kuta and Sanur were pretty busy, but if you take the time to leave those places and head out then you can get an idea of what Bali was like before the tourist onslaught. The people were lovely, the culture fascinating and the scenery breathtaking. Food in Bali was good and there was something for all tastes in the tourist areas. Japanese was a popular choice with us – it was very cheap and good quality. Local food was good and ridiculously cheap. We did a sunset dinner at Jimbaran Bay where you pick your seafood and they cook it up for you while you watch the sun go down.

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