Diving in Southeast Asia. David Espinosa
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Bay, also known as Cemeluk Bay, offers gentle and calm conditions for all levels of divers. There are operators based in Amed itself and the area is also visited by dive centers traveling from both up and down the east coast of Bali. The reef features a variety of sea fans, soft corals and sponges with scattered hard formations. Whilst most of the reef is relatively shallow, upwards of 20 meters, to the right of the bay there is a wall which drops to 50 meters.
The wall is characterized by small schools of fish which gather in the gentle current out in the blue. Most commonly seen are triggerfish, butterflyfish, fusiliers and occasionally larger fish such as snapper and blue fin trevally.
If the current does pick up steam, it carries divers to a reef flat around the point. If the current gets too strong, divers can take shelter behind the small patches of reef, large sea fans and big barrel sponges that are interspersed throughout this sandy slope.
The current typically dies out a little beyond the slope and drops divers on a second, shallower wall. The corals here have sustained some damage, but this is a popular spot for sighting parrotfish and occasionally squid.
Amed has spectacular scenery featuring incredible views of Mt Agung, Bali’s highest volcano.
Leaf scorpionfish are common at Bali’s east coast dive sites.
Whip corals are often home to whip coral shrimps but you have to look hard to spot them!
TO THE WEST
For those who are seeking something different to a wall or reef dive, further to the west there is a black sand slope, perfect for spotting muck critters and invertebrates. The gentle slope is littered with fish aggregation devices, typically wooden slats piled high or bundles of old tires, that attract white eyed moray eels, crabs, lobsters and all types of colorful shrimps. With keen eyes and patience, if you comb the shallows you might be able to find Ambon scorpionfish, bizarre octopus, blue spotted rays and other sand-dwelling critters, and on lucky days even bobtail squid in the tiny patches of grass.
—David Espinosa/David Pickell/Sarah Ann Wormald
Menjangan
Clear Water and Walls off Bali’s Northwestern Coast
Access 10 minutes from Pemuteran
Current Very good to superb, 25–50 meters
Reef type Very slight
Highlights Very good numbers and variety; abundant soft corals
Visibility Walls, particularly rugged; wreck
Coral Reasonable number, only average variety
Fish Fields of garden eels; steep walls
Menjangan Island lies just offshore from Bali’s mountainous northwest tip. Because the island is in a protected position, currents and wind-generated waves are rarely a bother and the reefs here offer fine, easy diving.
The reefs around Menjangan Island offer a mix of walls and slopes with some interesting caverns and formations. The reef wall is rich with life, particularly with soft corals and impressive gorgonians which play host to a range of critters. Seasonally sharks are seen here as are numerous turtles.
Diving in Pemuteran also offers some interesting sites, including some muck diving options and an interesting artificial reef (Bio-Rock) project, which is located just off the beach in front of the Werner Lau and Bali Diving Academy dive centers (also good for snorkeling).
The island is part of Bali Barat National Park, a protected reserve area that encompasses much of Bali’s sparsely populated western end. Check with your operator if they will also provide transport as part of their packages.
Menjangan has excellent wall dives and soft corals.
CRAGGY VERTICAL WALLS
The coral walls around Menjangan are vertical and drop 30–60 meters to a sandy slope. The reef surface is rugged, and walls are cut by caves, grottoes, crevices and funnel-like chimneys. Gorgonian fans reach large sizes here, and huge barrel sponges are very common.
The variety of fish here is somewhat inferior to Bali’s other dive sites, but small schools of fish can be seen out in the blue. Large batfish accompany divers, and barracuda, trevally and the occasional reef shark can be seen skimming the bottom of the wall.
Divers usually stay in Pemuteran where there is a range of accommodation, from backpacker homestays to upmarket hotels along the beach front. The boat rides from Pemuteran are short and dive sites are easy to access. The area around Pemuteran and Menjangan Island also offer good snorkeling opportunities for non-divers.
It is not possible to stay on Menjangan Island but it is only a 15 minute boat ride from Pemuteran village on the mainland, which is home to the majority of dive operators in the area.
THE NORTHWEST
Two of the most popular dives are on the island’s northwest tip. The Anchor Wreck lies just off the reef edge in 40–50 meters. The wreck is coated with hard corals and gorgonian fans and swarmed by snappers, sweetlips and wrasse. Because it lies on a deep sand slope, few guides would take recreational divers there. Instead, most stop at the beautifully encrusted anchor before heading off along the reef.
The point itself is a magnificent dive, popular with photographers for the vast fields of garden eels. Divers enter further eastward along the wall, gently finning because there is rarely a current stronger than mild towards the point. The reef is healthy here, with very little damage to the table corals and hard corals. Near the point, the wall becomes enveloped in large purple gorgonian fans. Most divers choose to stay in the shallows here, where deserts of sand and extraordinarily healthy patch reefs extend southward.
—Kal Muller/David Espinosa/Sarah Ann Wormald
Padang Bai and Candidasa
Spectacular Dives on East Bali’s Offshore Reefs
Access 20–30 minutes by small outboard
Current Variable; poor to very good; 6–22 meters
Reef type Can be extremely strong—more than 5 knots and very tricky. Cold water
Highlights Excellent coverage and variety
Visibility Steep coral walls; underwater canyon
Coral Abundant and varied
Fish Tepekong’s Canyon, good chance to see pelagics; Biaha’s complex wall
Amuk Bay is 6 km across and located south of Bali’s easternmost point. North of Padang Bai is the Blue Lagoon, a trove of marine life. Two sites—Mimpang and Tepekong—outside the bay, Biaha to the north and Gili Selang on Bali’s northeast tip also offer breathtaking diving.
The small islands of Mimpang, Tepekong and Biaha are surrounded by healthy low-lying reefs and are swept at times by torrential currents that bring in nutrients, accounting for the diversity. The upwelling of very cold water from the deep basin south of Bali brings with it some stunning marine life.
The currents from the Lombok Strait require care and respect as they create unpredictable water movements. But at these unprotected sites you’ll find a decent number and great diversity of fish, sharks and frequent