Diving conditions in Bali in mid November

[hyc]

Hi, I'm planning a trip to Bali in mid November. I wonder what is the conditions like at that time of the year?
I had dove in Mabul in late november, it was pretty good. Wonder if I can count on the same luck in Bali?

Also, any recommendation on where to dive and stay?? I would love to dive at Nusa Penida for manta ray if the conditions is OK, not too interested in Macro or muck diving.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Bali-Freak]

If it hasn't started raining (and usually by November it hasn't) November is one of the best months to dive here. If it's already started raining .... well ... you know what you can expect. However Nusa Penida - because it's not a shore dive - isn't affected so much by the rain, and we can see Manta all year round.

Like you mentioned, whether it's for manta or the weather, you always need to be lucky, right? Maybe you can ask a Balinese friend to do some ceremony. I know they always do a "calling-the-wind" ceremony just before the kite festival, and that always seems to work ...

 

[DiveExploreIndonesia]

November is the beginning of the raining season and every year is different , can be already a lot of rain or it can be still very nice weather.
If you like to dive Nusa Penida why not staying at Lembongan ? there are several good dive centers ( including : world diving ) in the island itself and you will be closer to Manta point and more dive spots around the island.

 

[bongabonga]

Noob question : How does rain affect diving condition?
I'm planning to dive there in December, and the local dive center I contacted said that the month has little effect on dive condition... is it true?

 

[hyc]

Thanks for the responses.

Glad to hear that Manta is year round. I read that Manta Point is quite "advance", the strongest current I had experienced was at Barracuda point in Sipadan (malaysia) Any one can shade some lights regarding the difficulty level diving at Manta point, please?

Thanks!

 

[Hike]

Thanks for the responses.

Glad to hear that Manta is year round. I read that Manta Point is quite "advance", the strongest current I had experienced was at Barracuda point in Sipadan (malaysia) Any one can shade some lights regarding the difficulty level diving at Manta point, please?

Thanks!

Manta Point was a very easy dive. Almost no current. The seas were getting bigger by the time we got there, so the ride was a little intense, but the dive itself was easy, there was a strong surge so you were moved back and forth and the sandy bottom was turned up so there was very poor viz (its a shallow dive). Nothing like Barracuda point where the current can really move. Still saw a couple of Mantas.
I think you are referring to the Mola Mola dive sites, such as Crystal bay that are deeper and are known to have strong currents. There are always divers getting separated/lost from their group. I think the main difference from barracuda point and crystal bay, is that the current at Sipadan might be very strong, but is fairly predictable, while at Crystal bay the current is very unpredictable.

 

[hyc]

Wow, I just read this thread about divers missing off Nusa Lembongan last month. Will stay away from Dive Concepts

...

Wonder does anyone has reputable dive ops they can recommend that are based in Nusa Lembongan? I've found 3 so far, World Diving (thanks DiveExploreIndonesia), Lembongan DC, and Two Fish. Any input about these three shops, please? Or other shops to consider?

Also, I planned to spend 3 days in either Amed or Tulamben before heading to Nusa L. I've narrowed down to: Bali Reef Divers, Liberty Dive Resort, Tulamben Wreck Divers, and Matahari Tulamben Resort. Mostly because they have dive packages that suit us (or easy to browse website . Any input regarding these resorts or other shops I should look into?

Matahari has great reviews on their amazing staff and service, wonder how is their dive op?

Thanks!!

 

[instructorinasia]

Hello,

I have dived with World of Diving and so can highly recommend them.

I also used to work for Two Fish Divers (in North Sulawesi) and can confirm that they are a very good operator as well.

If you went with either of these two then you have chosen well.

Think about staying at Pondok Baruna -food was AWESOME when I was there (was 2009 but I still remember it fondly!)

 

[zivva]

Think about staying at Pondok Baruna -food was AWESOME when I was there (was 2009 but I still remember it fondly!)

Pondok Baruna Warung (the one on the road behind the beach) is still one of the best value for the money on the island indeed !

Pondok Baruna (the accomodation & restaurant close to the beach, next to World Diving) is a little bit more expensive for the same food and you can find much better value for accomodations on the island.

Regarding the Manta Rays dive sites, a lot of people (including the ones that just come back from the dive !) mix up the sites names :

- Manta Bay (also know as Secret Manta or Telaga Sakti) : it's not a proper dive site but all the "protected" bays on the west tip of Nusa Penida (south Crystal Bay, 10 ~ 20 minutes boat ride). Manta are feeding at the surface or cleaning in shallow areas : they can be spotted from the surface quite easily when they are here.
Mostly shallow bays (the 1st one being the shallowest : 5m deep, the last one the deepest : to 15m).
Absolutely no current, only surge. Surge being the main reason why Manta rays come here to feed from plancton pushed to the coast by the surge.
Bottom is mostly rock covered with patches of coral and a few areas of sand : surge does not impact visibility so much. Plancton density does. Expect 5 to 15m visibility.

- Manta Point : a less protected bay south Nusa Penida (30 ~ 45 minutes boat ride from Nusa Penida west tip depending of sea conditions & boat's speed).
Dive starts in the middle of the bay (12m deep) to get to its north end where the main cleaning station is located (a big rock, 3m deep).
When rays are not cleaning on this spot, they can be spotted most of the time on the western part on the bay where it goes deeper (to 20m). The more you go west, the less the bay is protected, the biggest the surge. If you pass a point you are not in the bay anymore and yes it can become a hardcore dive with very high surge pushing you more and more down. Follow your guide and you'll be safe.
Bottom is a mix of rock covered by coral and big sandy areas : the surge highly impacts visibility that can be quite poor (less than 5 meters). Still if manta rays are cleaning at the main cleaning station you are shallow and visibility does not really matter. If you are not lucky you may only spot shadows of rays flying a few meters from you ...

 

[Luko]

Currently in Lembongan since a week, I have dived with both World Diving and Two Fish, I can testify both are very good, very flexible in order to meet their diving guests wishes. Besides that they're located 50m from each other.

I have stayed in both Pondok Baruna (450k IDR/night B&B AC) and TwoFish bungalows (500k IDR/night B&B AC Wifi) both bungalows are quite comfortable with a pool, nice location in Jungut Batu, near plenty of warungs. There is a stretch of accoms right on northern JB beach which also look fine, all with pools : Mainski, Nusa Indah bungalows, Ketut Bungalows, I believe they're all in the same price range.
I think mid and north JB is the best location to get easy access to the dive centres.

Currently there are lots of mantas, been twice at manta bay with 4 and 5 mantas around for 50 minutes. I had the cahance to buddy with Helen from Aquatic alliance (www.aquaticalliance.org) specialized in manta ray conservation in Lembongan. I know now to differentiate a male from a female From what I understand they are not seasonal.
The site is very easy and even though there are lots of people (divers, snorkelers) the mantas are not scared at all which makes good opportunities for close photos.

I have to say I have been impressed with Lembongan dive sites, they deserve more than just the usual manta or mola mola hunt. The coral coverage in SD or ToyaPakeh is simply amazing and CRystal Bay is more than a big fish dive, the wall and the bommies are beautiful for wide angle photo.

Still unlucky with mola mola so far but we spotted a thresher shark this morning at crystal bay, coming quite close not more than 15m away... apparently it is a quite rare encounter.


Tulamben : I recommand with no hesitation Liberty Dive Centre. They give nitrox for free and I always ask for private guiding which I get everytime. Their guides know every fish around by their first name...