Bali diving and relaxing 1 week

[TXMama]

I am new to scuba diving, only 10 dives, and my partner is only a little bit more experienced. We are headed to Bali for 7days in Sept. and wanting to spend 4 diving and 3 in Ubud area. (Traveling from US, a once in a lifetime trip.) Wanting to stay in only two locations and wondering about diving at our level. Thinking of Amed or Tulumben for stay and diving spot but now wondering if Sanur would be better and also go to Manta point.
I was wondering if Manta point would be too difficult? I am finding mixed reviews.
Any recommendations for stay as we want relaxing, beachfront, affordable(is it possible?)
Thank you for your help and support I am so excited and overwhelmed by finding this amazing site!

 

[JohnN]

I am new to scuba diving, only 10 dives, and my partner is only a little bit more experienced. We are headed to Bali for 7days in Sept. and wanting to spend 4 diving and 3 in Ubud area. (Traveling from US, a once in a lifetime trip.) Wanting to stay in only two locations and wondering about diving at our level. Thinking of Amed or Tulumben for stay and diving spot but now wondering if Sanur would be better and also go to Manta point.
I was wondering if Manta point would be too difficult? I am finding mixed reviews.
Any recommendations for stay as we want relaxing, beachfront, affordable(is it possible?)
Thank you for your help and support I am so excited and overwhelmed by finding this amazing site!

Since you're relatively inexperienced, I'd suggest you say away from Sanur until you get more dive time.

You'll love Ubud, particularly if you arrive in mid-September. The worst of the tourist season crouds are over after the 1st week. I'd particularly recommend Ibu Oka and roast suckling pig (ask anyone, they'll point it out to you) and staying at Tegal Sari.

As for diving, Amed / Tulumben are the same area and most anywhere along that spot of the coast will be fine. I've always stayed in the Blue Moon. There are many good dive operators in that area and all will take you to whatever dive site in the area you're interested in. "Eco Dive" is one of the oldest and my personal favorite, but I'm certain you'll get many other suggestions. Eco Dive is on Jemeluk Beach which has some surprisingly good muck diving and is quite sheltered (particularly good if you're just starting out)


Have a wonderful trip. Bali is a very special place

 

[lamarpaulski]

I did something similar with my wife (inexperienced diver) last September. JohnN is correct. I would add that you ought to go for more than 1 week if at all possible as the trip there is a long and exhausting one and the expense is in getting there as costs are reasonable once on Bali. For a once in a lifetime beg borrow or steal more time there. I found the USS Liberty to be a great dive (early am) it was very easy, awesome and the Divemaster was very safety conscious. Ubud is very cool. I got great service with Escapes unlimited for tours and transport. See the temples and towns that are nearby Ubud and when going from Ubud to tulamben or vice versa see the volcanoes and lakes. Get in as much diving as possible before September. We went for 19 days and really loved Komodo (best diving I've had but more advanced too) and long layover in Singapore.

Bali is great and esp Ubud.

 

[Grocio]

Bali is a unique place. Being a once-in-a-lifetime trip, you should spend more days there if possible, particularly if you wish to dive.

Diving in Bali is a wonderful experience, and if you have only a few days for diving I'd advice you to dive in Tulamben Bay and 'Outside Tulamben'. You can dive wrecks and walls, perhaps some dive night... One affordable accommodation in Tulamben, which has a dive centre, is the Matahari resort. You can check it out in Trip Advisor. There are alternatives, as you can find in Trip Advisor too.

You should also investigate whether it'd be risky to travel to Ubud within the 24 hours after diving, because of the altitude (Ubud is located above the sea level). And it'd be wise not to dive during the 24 hours preceding your flight back home. So, if you plan to stay only seven days in Bali, it might be wise to spend a few days in Ubud first and then to spend a few days diving before leaving, respecting the 24-hour surface interval before taking the plane.

 

[zivva]

Your trip being quite short, I would suggest you focus on the Amed / Tulamben area (Personally I much more prefer Amed than Tulamben to stay, and staying in the Amed area you would be 20 ~ 30 minutes from Tulamben) rather than moving from the north to the south of Bali.

Keep Manta Point, Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Penida for your next trip

Manta Point is not more difficult than any other dive site around Bali (no current there, just a little bit of swell ...) but 7 days to enjoy Bali & dive several areas is just quite short + the Amed / Tulamben area is much nicer to stay than the Sanur area

Agree with JohnN : highly recommend Eco Dive in Amed.

 

[scorpiofish]

I would say just stay in Tulamben. Keep it simple. Scuba Seraya or TWD.

Plenty to do in an around Ubud. If you need a guide I have a trusted friend who will take good care of you.

 

[jim_gate]

Best spot for dive in Bali is Lembongen island. From Sanur it is 45 minute boat ride. The Manta Point dive is the most popular and comes recommended.

 

[joebran]

Eco Dive or Eurodivers in Amed. You can still be in Tulamben way earlier than "bus people" crowds from Denpasar. Amed is better for "chillin" IMHO and there's tons of rental villas or small hotels with good prices. Did a week in Amed last year and we're headed back again for a week (out of a month in Bali) in about 3 weeks.

 

[Tippytoes12]

We stayed in Scuba Seraya and Tauch Tulamben . TT is just off the Liberty Wreck and being so near it is fantastic , it is really easy to dive is stunningly beautiful and has thousands and thousands of fish. Definitely stay away from Sanur , you will spend many hours of your precious trip stuck in traffic jams.

As the other posters have said going to Bali just for a week is not something I would recommend. Being relatively new divers I cannot imagine how you will feel with jet lag , adjusting to the time zone , diving again and then facing another international flight to go Back to work a week later !!!

Could you take unpaid leave , or even leave it till next year and take two years leave back to back ?

 

[gekodivebali]

You could also stay in a place that allows you to dive the sites around Tulamben/Amed, Manta Point and more, all within less than 80 minutes travel time. Also less than one hour from Ubud.
You're welcomed to PM if you want to find out more...