Diving Bali November 2014

[Luko]

however could you recommend a good hotel with a nice beach and pool so i can laze around the beach/pool while im not diving. hows the night life in sanur?

I would love to read an answer : anywhere 1km around Hardy's area would be completely disqualified to my eyes.
If you enjoy family tourists walking like zombies, or japanese groups, that's might be your place for nightlife, otherwise... hmmh... usually the expats like the place in the back of the beach because there are shops and it's not hectic.

Oh yeah forgot to say : any dive spot starting from Sanur would require at least one hour transportation and up to 2.5h/3h to Tulamben. Of course the Sanur based operations will find advantages, personally after 5 years going back every year to Bali as a dive tourist, I am still wondering which (further away, more time spent in minibus, more expensive)... but well, to everyone their holidays.

You want to do dive days in Padang Bai/Tulamben/Nusa Penida : stay where there is minimal transport ie. Padang Bai.
Puri Rai has a pool or two or even three, Gekodive is great.

Bali is not really for beaches, there are a few but not with hotels right on the beach. The closest you could get would be staying on Amed Jemeluk or Lipah area, though the beach is black sand, but the snorkeling is good on Jemeluk.

 

[lamarpaulski]

Ubud is great and you must go there but like the others say not a good dive base. I thought night / early AM diving on USS Liberty was great. The temples and lakes and villages up in volcanic mountains were pretty spectacular. We used Escapes Unlimited for transport and guide...very good. Driving yourself not a good idea. You will love it.

 

[matts1w]

Sanur is quiet, has some good places to eat, and the beach walk is nice . It is more popular with older retired people and couples with young kids. The waves are pretty much non-existent and the beach is safe for little ones to play in the water. Still, the kids at the high school where I teach in Jakarta have a nickname for Sanur: Snore. It is pretty boring at night. There is also a seedy side that is everything ugly about SE Asia. So often when you see single guys wondering round they have an agenda that is...you get the idea. If I am going to be in a quiet area, I would rather be close to the diving.

I am kind of the opposite of Luko- I think the Kuta, Legian, and even Seminyak side of Bali is pretty much the worst. It is overrun with the worst sort of Australian tourists, much like Cancun, Mexico is packed with ugly Americans. Factor in a violent surf culture and aggressive vendors and... it is no place I like to be. Seminyak is the best of the three as it is more upscale and the 20 year olds prefer Kuta.

All this being said, I do love Bali and Lembongan very much. For me, once I am about an hour way from the airport all is good.

 

[diver2005]

anyone has experience, +ve -ve reviews of Mercure Kuta Bali hotel? thinking of booking with them.

also staying one night in tulamben, so can do an early morning dive to the wreck. whats the best hotel closest to the wreck. so i can pretty much wake up, gear up, walk up to the beach and swim to the wreck

 

[rollintrollinsharkie]

anyone has experience, +ve -ve reviews of Mercure Kuta Bali hotel? thinking of booking with them.

also staying one night in tulamben, so can do an early morning dive to the wreck. whats the best hotel closest to the wreck. so i can pretty much wake up, gear up, walk up to the beach and swim to the wreck

I never stay in Mercure, but lots of people use Trip Advisor (and you can use TA for choosing hotel anywhere in Bali - Yelp doesn't work there).

If you're diving with a dive operator in Amed/Tulamben, they'll provide transportation - stay near the dive operator. However, of you'll dive without guide: most of hotel in Amed/Tulamben near beach aren't high class hotels.

Try Warung Enak. It's one of the best restaurant there & always full-packed on evenings.

 

[Luko]

anyone has experience, +ve -ve reviews of Mercure Kuta Bali hotel? thinking of booking with them.

also staying one night in tulamben, so can do an early morning dive to the wreck. whats the best hotel closest to the wreck. so i can pretty much wake up, gear up, walk up to the beach and swim to the wreck

Mercure is Accor chain, expensive if you don't benefit special prices like airline staff, popular with groups, the good thing is that Accor hotel offer scrumptious breakfasts.
Though I prefer staying in the smaller bungalow hotels in the Poppies gangs, which are cheaper and a bit away from Jalan Pantai Kuta.

Tulamben, no brainer, Liberty Dive Resort, 50m meters from the beach, free nitrox, free private guide you can schedule anytime you want. Otherwise Ocean view is a good choice, right on the beach, 30m west from the wreck.

I am kind of the opposite of Luko- I think the Kuta, Legian, and even Seminyak side of Bali is pretty much the worst.

Not saying I like Kuta, but to chose between, i'd rather stay one night in Kuta, go eat at Warung Made and buy me new surf shorts for my stay.

 

[dirtfarmer]

We're experienced divers that have never been to Bali. We're hoping to dive at least 3 times during our trip Nov 14 - Dec 1 2014.

Weather / Viz / Silt: We've read mixed info about the impact of rain and cool water temps mid-late November. (We're from Florida, USA so we're not worried about humidity.)

Does the rain cause much trouble with diving and other island activities that time of year?

In November, is getting to dive sites problematic and does the viz drops precipitously because of rain. Are there sites to avoid this time of year?

Transport to Dive Sites: We are also surfers and into temples, art and ceremonial Bali. Should we split our stay among a number of cites to accommodate diving? Or, day trip on dive days?

We read on scubaboard that many boats are based in Pandangbai, Candidasa and Amipura area. If we stay on that side, how long would it take to get to Tulamemben, Gillis and Nusa Pendida? How long does it take to get all the way to Pulau Menjangan?

If we stayed in a more central area (like Ubud, for example) how much additional time does that add to ground travel?

How much longer from the southern coast/peninsula?

Thank you, thank you!!

So in two weeks you can see a lot of Bali do some surfing and diving. You'll be able to fit in temples, art, and ceremonial Bali. You'll have plenty of time to do some surfing and diving. There most likely won't be more than a few downpours, and yes the vis is better in the dry season but it still is well worth the diving.
As your coming from florida a long way and most likely be tired from your travels, and most flights coming from the Pacific arrive in the early afternoon, I would stay at Kuta for 2 or 3 days and get some surfing in, and see Kuta in all it's glory. Then head to Ubud which is beautiful and remarkable. Stay there for or 3-4 days, doing temples, art, the beautiful country side. The hotels there can be really beautiful and I even enjoyed relaxing in bed looking out onto the rice paddies Then head to Tulamben for a some diving and relaxing. The Liberty wreck and the surrounding area is fantastic, and if your not a fan of muck diving there are nice reefs there to dive also. There is also nice temples in that area.

So far this sample itinerary is arrive DPS 14th
Staying- surfing Kuta or another surfing area 14th-17th- 2 full days of surfing.
Travel to Ubud on the 17th staying till 20th- 4 and 1/2 days of Ubud beauty and temples.
Travel to Tulamben the 20th and stay there diving for 3 days. Departing the morning of the 24th, gives you 7 more days!
Gillies or Lembongan 24th-29th to 30th- more diving and surfing
From Tulamben you can either travel to the Gillies for nice beaches, cute tropical islands, and some decent diving ( not the best diving of Bali) and surfing or travel to Nusa Lembongan for some drift diving along nice reefs, chances at seeing Mola Mola, and Mantas. You can even fit in more surfing on Lembongan. Then from Lembongan it's an easy trip back to DPS for your flights home.
With the sample itinerary you can see that you can easily add/subtract a day here or there, and still fit in Lembongan or the Gillies. ( I prefer Gilli Air for less partying backpackers and loud discos at night.)

The nice thing about Bali is pretty short travel times. You can leave in the morning after a nice relaxing breakfast and be at your next destination by lunch or early afternoon. You can even fit in a lot of countryside viewing/ temples while traveling from place to place, just arrange this with your driver. If you stay in one place you'll spend way more time traveling around to get here or there and see way to much of the roadside and not enjoy having a relaxing time.

 

[Wingy]

anyone has experience, +ve -ve reviews of Mercure Kuta Bali hotel? thinking of booking with them.

also staying one night in tulamben, so can do an early morning dive to the wreck. whats the best hotel closest to the wreck. so i can pretty much wake up, gear up, walk up to the beach and swim to the wreck

Mercure Kuta is where airlines billet their passengers and staff overnight when flights dont take off for ''operational reasons''. Its bland and pretty much like any Accor chain hotel. Overpriced and its position is convenient to the airport but not much else. Id look elsewhere - try agoda.com for Bali hotels.

Spent a few days in Ubud last week, the ugly aussie tourists are now outnumbered by the mask wearing slow walking selfie taking chinese tourists delivered en masse by the busload. Not to say there Aussies have left but they are now outnumbered. If you do go to Ubud and need some peace and quiet look at the Sankara Hotel just out of Ubud - not a single rooster crowing or motorbike buzzing around to disturb the peace. Free Shuttle runs the 15 minute trip to Ubud every few hours - nice place, id stay there again.

 

[charlier]

From my experience living in Singapore and working in Bali, do not underestimate travel times alone narrow roads and local festivals. Ubud is a tourist destination, with crowds, higher prices, and traffic. Liberty wreck and nearby sites are very nice, but try to take a day or so in the Padang Bai area. Many choices of dive sites. Commuting to Nusa Penida or N. Lembogan might take 45 min in a speed boat from Padang Bai. Conditions are depend on winds and swell direction, so you may not get to south side N. Penida dive sites. The northern side drift dives are wonderful. Here currents bring in larger fish. Gilli T. pphysics lots of night lift and ok diving. Warming events and people pressure have not been kind the the coral and the fish. Gilli Air is much more mellow with similar dive sites. Lastly, check the surf report for Kuta - this will help out for you planning. Have a great time!

 

[diver2005]

how are the dive sites condition during oct/nov...as in visibility? temperature?

what about the weather?

ive booked up dives in tulamben, padan bai, nusa penida and east coast islands...looking forward to it!!