Top Snorkeling and Scuba Diving in Bali

The Liberty wreck is Bali’s most famous dive site. Built circa WWI this cargo ship was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine off Lombok. Despite attempts to tow the ship to north Bali it was taking on too much water and so was semi-beached at Tulamben. Over the years anything reusable was removed. In 1963, with the earth tremors from the last eruption of Mount Agung, the wreck slid further down the slope where it still lies (as close to the beach as it can be and still be underwater!). The Liberty lies approximately 30m offshore almost parallel to the beach on the sand slope, and is suitable for all levels of qualification and experience. The wreck lies in depths from 9-30m. The shallowest part of the wreck, where it touches the sand slope, is at 5-10m. Depth along the middle of the wreck averages 16-20m. The lower edge of the wreck is 20-28m (at high tide). The wreck is 120m long, it is quite broken up but you can still see the guns, toilets, boilers, anchor chain, etc. It is a lovely dive site, possibly the world’s easiest wreck dive. You can also snorkel on the wreck - the highest point of the stern is about 4m below the surface. Visibility is usually 18-25m, lower when it has been raining. There is rarely a current present, at most it will be mild. During the 3 days before the full moon, there are usually waves. The air temperature is 25-32 degrees, the water 26-28 degrees. The wreck is very popular with photographers as it is totally encrusted in anemone, gorgonians and corals. The black sand provides an excellent colour contrast for the incredible variety of marine life, which includes a huge school of big-eyed trevally and over 400 other species of fish. You will see just about everything in any Indo-Pacific Reef Guide book if you dive here. The variety is amazing. Night diving on the wreck is fantastic, especially during full moon. You may see Spanish dancers, flashlight fish, and phosphorescence.

This site is an old lava flow from Mount Agung, at the east side end of the Tulamben bay. The dive starts off on a steep sand slope with nudibranches, flounders, goby/shrimp sets. At 12m are sponges with many varieties of shrimp, leaf scorpion fish and crinoids, often with attendant ghost pipefish. Continuing round to the east, the slope develops into a reef with very impressive topography, becoming a vertical wall from 15m and descending to below 60m. Visibility is usually 15-20m (due to the amount of plankton in the water). The wall has profuse sponges, corals, black coral bushes, gorgonian fans - at 30m there is a sea fan that reaches 2m in width. You may see white tip and black tip reef sharks, napoleon wrasse, big bumphead parrotfish, some big filefish (including scrawled) and moray eel. Late afternoon is the time to see the wide variety of lionfish. From southern Bali (Kuta, Nusa Dua, Sanur, Denpasar) drive east via Gianyar town, Semarapura and Amlapura. From Amlapura head north to Culik. Tulamben is about 20 minutes from Culik. Resorts are situated on either side of the road in Tulamben. Those on the right run down to the beach. The drive takes about 3 hours.

You can do a slow drift dive along the western reef (starting from north and ending at eel garden). Western tip of the island reef.

Great place for night diving and photography. This is a crowded snorkelling site! Tanjung Sari cape, just south of the Turtle's neck (Tanjung Penyu).

Secret Bay is about 2km wide and very shallow (3-12m). It contains two small islands and has some areas of mangrove. Secret Bay is the only bay off the narrow Bali Strait, where currents can reach 7 knots. A reef lying just outside the mouth of the bay creates a channel through which these waters flow, and this is what makes Gilimanuk an extremely interesting dive site. Strong tidal currents mean that Secret Bay's fish and invertebrates are extremely healthy, colourful and well-fed (and that the water here is colder at Bali's other dive sites, about 25 degrees). Entering the bay from the channel the bottom is fine black volcanic sand. The channel contains no coral although the sides are scattered with bommies full of angel fish, butterfly fish, schools of razor fish and tiny reef fish, including cardinal fish and multitudes of damselfish. The best time to dive is on an incoming tide or around high tide, it doesn’t matter if it is early or late in the day, as the bay will have filled with clear water from the Bali Strait. Gilimanuk Bay contains many rare macro-photography subjects, including nudibranches, gobies, crustaceans, dragonets, abundant seahorses and pipefish, juvenile Batavia batfish, large areas of long-spined sea urchins with clingfish, and many other organisms. At other sites it is difficult to see juvenile marine life as they hide to avoid predators. However as the bay is shallow and there are very few large fish juveniles in Secret Bay have very little to hide from. Night diving at Secret Bay is a unique experience! You can see cephalopods of all shapes and sizes, crustaceans wandering in search of dinner and other weird and wonderful creatures. While Bali offers great diversity of dive sites Gilimanuk Bay is unique within Bali. It is the very definition of muck-diving. No rich coral reefs, no depth to speak of, it is a site for macro-photographers, and maybe for recreational divers looking for something different from the norm. From southern Bali (Kuta, Nusa Dua, Sanur, Denpasar) drive via Tabanan to Soka. Then follow the coast road via Medewi to Negara. From Negara head to Gilimanuk, from where you can shore dive at Secret Bay. The drive takes about 3-3.5 hours.

Eastern tip of the island.

Great wall with large gorgonians (the biggest of the area!). Southeast side of the island. Pos 2 is also known as Pos II.

Japanese Wreck is a 5.0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Indonesia, Bali, Amed which is accessible from shore based on 1 ratings.

Running along the middle section of Tulamben bay is a shallow reef of mainly table and fire corals interspersed with anemones and sponges. The fish life is very diverse. You can see a surprising number of blue ribbon eels, octopus, shrimps and anemone fish. Bigger fish seen here include bumphead parrotfish and black tip reef shark. The depth (averaging 8-12m) and location make the Tulamben house reef a very good and popular night dive. -- From southern Bali (Kuta, Nusa Dua, Sanur, Denpasar) drive east via Gianyar town, Semarapura and Amlapura. From Amlapura head north to Culik. Tulamben is about 20 minutes from Culik. Resorts are situated on either side of the road in Tulamben. Those on the right run down to the beach. The drive takes about 3 hours.

Jemeluk Bay is well known for its artificial reef: The "living sea sculptures". It includes a giant baby head, Hindu apsara water nymphs, mermaids, a Balinese barong, some treasure chests and many others sculptures. Jemeluk Bay, east of Amed. To dive the "living sea sculptures", look for a yellow dive buoy in the middle of the bay, dive down from the buoy then continue about 6 meters straight down from the buoy. Jemeluk is also known as Jemeluk Bay, Bay of Amed.

The USAT Liberty is one of Bali's most famous dive site. USAT Liberty Glo, a United States Army Transport, was built at the Hog Island emergency shipyard in Philadelphia during World War I, but was completed after the November 1918 armistice. Shortly after the U.S. entry into World War II, Liberty Glo was torpedoed and beached on the island of Bali and is now a popular dive site. Hog Island Hull No. 517 was laid down as SS Scooba on June 12, 1918 but by the time it was launched on June 14, 1919 it had been renamed SS Liberty Glo. Delivered to the U.S. Shipping Board on August 2, 1919, she was a cargo ship of 5,000 gross tons and 7,825 deadweight tons, 394 feet (120 m) long and 54 feet (16 m) beam. Liberty Glo was the 36th Hog Islander built and one of twelve built as "Type B" troop carriers. (Liberty Glo was not a Liberty Ship, which were a similar concept of vessel built during World War II.) The redesignated USAT Liberty Glo, remeasured at 6,211 tons, was bound from Australia to the Philippines on January 11, 1942 with a cargo of railway parts and rubber for the war effort when she was torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-166 about 10 mi (19 km) southwest of Lombok Strait. U.S. destroyer USS Paul Jones (DD-230) and Dutch destroyer HNLMS Van Ghent took the damaged ship in tow attempting to reach Singaraja, the Dutch port and administrative centre for the Lesser Sunda Islands, on the north coast of Bali. However she was taking too much water and so was beached on the eastern shore of Bali at Tulamben so that the cargo and fittings could be salvaged. Liberty Glo was one of 58 Hog Islanders that were casualties in World War II. In 1963 the tremors associated with the eruption of Mount Agung caused the vessel to slip off the beach, and she now lies on a sand slope in 30 to 100 feet (9 to 30 m) of water, providing one of the most popular dives off Bali. Dive operators commonly misname the wreck "USS Liberty", and it has also been incorrectly referred to as a Liberty Ship, which were a similar concept of vessel built during the Second World War. Source: Wikipedia.org Between 10:00 to 14:00 o`clock it`s very crowded there. Groups of japanese divers arrive at this time with busses. The dive-experience of these divers are very low or less. Early morning and late afternoon dives are very quiet, if you stay in Tulamben. Just SSE of the restaurant. USAT Liberty Wreck is also known as USAT Liberty Glo, Hog Island Hull No. 517, SS Scooba.

Manta Point is a diving site with gray reefs, reef white tips, silver-tips and numerous sharks. While Penida Bay is another anchorage, and the rocky islands have an interesting forms; something like an old resting elephant. The bay is vulnerable to swell, creating-up-and-down-currents. Then, Manta Point is a limestone rock off Pandan cafe. The swell is relatively strong. There are several cleaning station (4, 10 meters deep). No need to dive deeper :) Southwest side of the island, off Tanjung Pandan point. Manta Point is also known as Manta Point Lama, Batu Lumbung.

At Kubu Point there are two different reefs accessible from the shore. After a 20m swim from the shore the reefs run from a depth of 5-40m. The profile is a black sand slope where you can find many garden eels. There are both soft and hard corals in great diversity, including many sea fans. Fish life here includes barracuda, pygmy seahorses, sharks and some large octopus. Visibility at Kubu is normally excellent, even when it has been wavy with low visibility at Tulamben. From southern Bali (Kuta, Nusa Dua, Sanur, Denpasar) drive east via Gianyar town, Semarapura and Amlapura. From Amlapura head north to Culik. Tulamben is about 20 minutes from Culik. From Tulamben keep heading northwest. After approximately 10 minutes there is a junction, the road to the right will bring you to the beach after about 1km.

Sental is in the middle of the north reef. The deep slope is really great for underwater photographers. In front of Sental village.

Pelagics. Southern side of Nusa Penida

A very popular place and one of the nearest from the mainland. In front of the grade school and the small Prapat river. S.D. is also known as Grade School.

Pelagics Southern side of Nusa penida.

Moorings are available between Prapat and Ped villages.

The south of the island has a great black wall; but take care of the swell & current! The eastern side of the island is really nice. Just in front Tanjung Biasputih, east of Amuk Bay.

Boomies with acroporas. You are more protected from the current on this side. This is a good place for macro photography. Southern side of Gili Selang islat. Selang south is also known as Waterloo.

This is the best place to meet sharks on Nusa Penida. Eastern side of Nusa Penida, between Suana and Semaya.

You have a marvelous dive between 5 and 15 meters. Some day, you can have strong current on this reef. But if you want to find THE mola mola, you may have to go under 30meters deep. The water is warm on the top (over 25°C / 77°F) but comes to 17°C/62°F in the bottom. Western side of Nusa Penida, south of Gamat. Crystal Bay is also known as Penida Bay.

Northeast side of the island; just west of the jetty Coral Garden is also known as Temple wall, Temple point.

East of Padang Bai, in front of the Bugbug point. The canyon is on the SW side. Gili Tepekong - The Canyon is also known as Kambing.

A Toyota wreck and a lot of japaneese divers and snorklers. In front of the Emerald resort Emerald bay is also known as Teluk Muntik, Teluk Muntig.

Wooden cargo of 19th century. The anchor lies in 6-8 m (so it's name). WNW of Menjangan island. Kapal Budak is also known as Anker Wreck.

Northeast side of the island. Just in front of the temple.

A wreck between 6 and 10 m deep. The best area is after the wreck between 15 and 30 m deep: Soft corals, gorgonians, staghorn corals etc. Approx 3 km east of Amed

East of Padang Bai, in front of the Bugbug point. Toilet Bowl is on the western side of the island.

The best part is the southern tip of the reef. Molas and sharks are often seen in this area. Between Gili Tepekong island and Bugbug point, SE of Candidasa. Mimpang is also known as Batu Tiga, Three Rocks.

This is a muck dive. Crinoïds, Sea pens, mimic octopus, ghost pipefish, harlequin shrimp... A must for underwater photographers! In the bay near the temple (before the drop-off).

Overhang near 18m deep covered with soft corals and gorgonians. Southern side of the island. Cave Point is also known as Underwater Cave.

Western tip of the island; just near the Ranger Station. Pos 1 is also known as Pos I, Ranger Station.

In front of Pemuteran. East of Tanjung Sendan.

Steep drop-off with great marine life. Just east of the exit of Banyuwedang bay. Tanjung Gelap is also known as Banyuwedang Wall.

In front of Pemuteran. East of Tanjung Sendan.

North side of the channel between Lembongan and Ceningan islands.

Kubu is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Indonesia, Bali, Tulamben which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Alam Batu Housreef is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Indonesia, Bali, Tulamben which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Extremely difficult and seldom dived. Best when there's a relatively light current from the N. Use more weight than normal. Enter 300m to the N of dive site in blue water, descending rapidly. The current is always strong here and will actually try to push you up the reef into shallower water and often you will miss your approach, eventually being blasted off the point and down into deep water in the middle of the Ceningan channel. That's why you should use more weight than normal. Enter a trench 1.5m wide x 1m deep at 22m and follow it S. It steps down into a much larger trench/canyon, still heading S, and eventually steps down into an even bigger canyon. By this stage you are at 33m and the canyon you are in feels like the size of a stadium. Sheltering from the current at the bottom of the canyon and in the caves are a large variety of sharks and rays not seen at other sites in the area. Make your way over the ridge to the W and you will be blown away by another absolutely massive canyon. You will need to streamline and stay close to the reef as you swim cross-current because the strong S current is magnified as it sweeps over the ridge. These canyons lead down to a slope, the end of which is at the bottom of the Cenningan channel, 220m, so don't let the current push you down the canyons. Swim cross-current, close to the reef and facing into the current. Make your way up the reef to the shallow coral outcrops in the Ceningan inlet. DM's or extremely experienced divers only. J. 461611.

very good for night dives In front of the original resorts (Bali Coral, Porters). Coral Garden is also known as Paradise Reef, Patch Reef, Tulamben Coral Garden.

Muck Diving West of Seririt (close to Zen Resort) and Bali Nibbana Resort on the north side of Bali,

Blue lagoon Wall has many species of marine life and since it is not as famous as the wreck in Tumbilen on the northern part of the island there are not as many divers choosing this location, There are reef sharks to be seen and spotted rays, sea snakes lion fish and many types of soft and hard corals. Very good night dive as this is when many sharks can be seen at the edge of your flashlight. Current picks up with tide but not enough to cause even new divers trouble. shallow lagoon with also sandy bottom. many coral blocks , go outside you swim over the sand to de sandy drop off 45 meter.

synthetic reef of bottles, wheels, etc. many little things to see. Many Gostpipefish! Ghost Bay is also known as Gost Bay.

beautiful divesite with an artificial reef beginning to be covered by corals. a small wreck can also be found with two huge groupers inside. furthermore you will be able to find nice nudibranches, leaffish, cuttlefish, etc. Tanjung Jipun is also known as Jepun Point.

Bias Tugal is also known as Bias Tugel, White Sand Beach.

Geger Beach is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Indonesia, Bali, Bukit Peninsula which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

This site is a flat topped gently sloping reef, with a small wall towards the South side and a depth range the same as Close Encounters. The soft Coral garden towards the West is particularly pretty, offering a nice range of Gorgonians heading off into the blue. The deep end of this site offers the usual and unusual fish from Close Encounters and in addition Rays and Cuttlefish are a regular sighting. On the northeast end of the reef is the Ikan warung, or fish house, where you'll see schools of fish all over the place. Beyond the wreck lies another interesting little deeper reef, nicknamed 'Beyond' Napoleon, with an interesting field of short staghorn Corals and Sponges. (Source: Bottles-up-diving + Sea Rovers diving websites, Lonely planet Diving and snorkelling Bali & Lombok book). Access by boat from Pemuteran. Very short distance (ca. 5 min boat trip).

The site is located approximately in the middle of Menjangan north shore. It is named after metal boxes found on the beach. Peti is also known as The Box.

East of Sanur Channel Point is also known as Sanur channel, Sanur Bay.

Nusa Dua Beach is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Indonesia, Bali, Bukit Peninsula which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Slope of rocks and sand. Not very much corals. Lots of small critters (harlequin + other shrimps). Lionfishs, batfish and ribbon eels. Dome-shaped metal structures (Biorock?). By car from Tulamben main road to shore. Seraya is also known as Seraya Secrets.

Sandy slope from 5 metres with plenty of garden eels. Deeper some corals and big barrel sponges. 5-10 minutes with Jukung boat from Jemeluk bay.

Starts with a wall dive and along the reef you end in a lagoon where you find white tips resting. From boat or shore, long swim Padangbai Housereef is also known as Padang Bai House Reef.

Artificial reef made of a number of pyramid-shaped metal structures. Pyramids is also known as Bobo.

This site is unique. It is place with ball artificial reefs placed by a local NGO to rehabilitate coral reef and reef associated fauna. Biology rich of coral species such as Acropora, Porites, Pocilopora, etc. Reef fish dominated by butterfly fish, damselffish, and others. Other fauna can be found easily such as nudibranch, shells and octopus as well. Dive site is just seaward of Grand Melia Hotel. Submarine Reef is also known as Karang Bola.

Lenbongan bay is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Indonesia, Bali, Nusa Penida which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Magic Forest is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Indonesia, Bali, Pemuteran and Lovina which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Geisterschiff is also known as Ghost ship.

Gondolreef is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Indonesia, Bali, Pemuteran and Lovina which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Can be accessed by boat, for example from Padangbai, or from the shore.

Tanah Ampo Jetty is also known as Pandangbai Jetty.

We swam the same way along the wall downstream to the west, and we saw almost the same corals and fish. Clown-fishes were cute on anemones, the parrot-fish was catched by camera.. The sea is open there up to the Java island and quite perceptible currents bring a lot of plankton, water was blurred. It is again the North-West end of Menjangan, about 650 metres to east from previous dive-site Anchor Wreck. In fact, it is the same wall of coral reef which surrounding the island.

Sandy Slope is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Indonesia, Bali, Menjangan island which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Mangrove 2 is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Indonesia, Bali, Menjangan island which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Mangroves is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Indonesia, Bali, Menjangan island which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Middle Reef is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Indonesia, Bali, Pemuteran and Lovina which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

There are rare scorpionfish (Rhinopias aphanes), frog-fish and all sorts of other unusual sea creatures. We were unlucky about such scorpionfish, but we've seen someone. The first place, of course, was for scorpionfish – there is their Kingdom here.. The North coast of Bali, the place is near of Amed village, a small bay with a dive hotel on the beach. The bay is private property: if you come from the sea by diving boat, you will be given a ticket, which must be paid later, otherwise it will be a violation of the local laws. You have to pay because the place is popular

Northern side of Gili Selang islet. Selang north is also known as Three Fingers.

There is a sunken boat here at a depth of 30-40 metres. Its story is vague, no one really knows about it and there are only fragments at the bottom. One lonely whitetip shark lives here. It did not allow us to swim closer – its is shy, so we failed to make a portrait, but you can see it in the movie. We made some photos and movies at depth and moved slowly upward along the coral wall, moving by current to the west. The North-Western end of the island.

0,5 hour from Tulamben. 2,5 hour from Denpasar/Sanur... Angel Canyon is also known as Dive Canyon Penuktukan.

Close Encounters, a long three-sided reef, of which two sides are very good for diving, while the third side of a large sandy slope exists. Two kilometers from the beach, the reef has steep slopes, resulting in a flat up top, which at its deepest point is 12 m and rises up to 3 to 4 m. The slope himself ends in a sandy ground at 25 to 30 m depth. Currents on all house reefs are low to absent, unless we get the bigger tides with shorter intervals. The corals, which cover the entire slope is a good mix of hard and soft corals. Most interesting is probably the eastern side with a lot of angles, corners and crevices, healthy sponges that much protection for the underwater life. The dive offers typical reef and shoal fish, schools of snappers, large jacks, bat fish, sweet lips, emperor fish and lots of fusiliers, also with a little luck frog fish, crocodile fish, scraps of fish, many different kinds of nudibranchs, scorpion fish and octopus. Occasionally we also see sharks, buffalo head parrot fish and rays.

Fantastic coral, sponges and fans Tulamben bay, approx 500 meters southeast of the Liberty Wreck; close to the temple. Tulamben Drop-off is also known as Tulamben Wall.

Big pelagic dive site: Tunas, sharks, manta rays, barracudas, sunfishes (if lucky) Southern side of Tulamben. Only 15 min by boat (SE from the Drop Off). Batu Kelebit is also known as Kelebit Rocks.

Toyapakeh has a stretch of reefs, and in the southern part of the bay there is a similar area of rugged bommies, rich with color and fish. Big schools of fish, sea turtles, and occasionally Mola mola (sunfish) are highlight of Toyapakeh diving. Toyapakeh is special for its pillars of coral. Located at beginning of the Ceningan Channel in the northwest of Nusa Penida, close to the Quicksilver mooring.

This is a great dive site for underwater photographers that wish to shoot the colorful Mandarin dragonets. Best for this is just before sunset, in late afternoon. Pemuteran beach reefs

Quiet shallow bay with strange species. Sandy split north of Tanjung Rejasa.

In front of Pemuteran. North of Tanjung Sendan.

Pelagics. Eastern side of Nusa penida

Good place to meet pelagics, including Molas. Northwest tip of Lembongan island. Ental Point is also known as Blue Corner.

Gradual slope with good corals. Northeast corner of Lembongan island, in front of seaweed farms. Jangka Point is also known as Mangrove.

Toyapakeh strait current may be very strong sometimes; take care! Gamat Bay in on the western side of Nusa Penida

The best dive site of the North Nusa Penida dive sites. Great staghorn corals and pelagics. Just in front of Buyuk village, west side of the jetty.