Manta's around Tulamben

[Ardy]

Hi guys - I am off to Bali this Sunday 25th Sept and as I only have 3 days diving + 1 extra day from UBUD I was wondering if there was a good chance of seeing manta's at a dive site near Tulamben or a day trip from Ubud?

Seen them many times buy always in dirty water would love to get a photo op in clear water!

 

[vladimir]

I think your best bet for mantas is off Nusa Penida or Lembongan. I have seen a sailfish off Tulamben recently, and have heard of mola-mola sightings at the Liberty wreck, but I think pelagics are the exception up there, and certainly have been for me.

 

[Ardy]

I think your best bet for mantas is off Nusa Penida or Lembongan. I have seen a sailfish off Tulamben recently, and have heard of mola-mola sightings at the Liberty wreck, but I think pelagics are the exception up there, and certainly have been for me.

thanks Vlad - Maybe a day trip from Ubud????????

 

[vladimir]

The logistics of day-tripping from Ubud to Lembongan/Penida are not insurmountable, but a bit of a chore. Really, the traffic between Ubud and Sanur is the only obstacle. From Sanur you catch a ferry to Lembongan (45 minutes) where you can find a dive operator within a 50 meter walk. I can recommend Bali Diving Academy. Do your first dive off an outrigger canoe at about noon, your second at two o'clock, and catch a four o'clock ferry back to Sanur. Again, the traffic between Sanur and Ubud is the only real hassle, the rest will go smoothly.

 

[ocdiver1]

Manta Point at Nusa Penida should be guaranteed mantas

 

[highdesert]

Manta Point at Nusa Penida should be guaranteed mantas

Not so ... we were there at the end of October last year and got skunked. Same with every boat out there that day. It's "almost" a guarantee, but not quite.

 

[Ardy]

Anybody got an idea of time to get from Ubud to Sanur. Keen to see them but don't want to sit in a taxi for hours.

thanks all

 

[highdesert]

Anybody got an idea of time to get from Ubud to Sanur. Keen to see them but don't want to sit in a taxi for hours.

thanks all

Depends on the time of day ... At 1:00 AM, 35 minutes with an insane taxi driver . Early morning when traffic is starting to move, maybe an hour. Rush hour, could be 1-1/2 hours.

 

[vladimir]

That sounds about right. It's only about 25 km, but the rush hour traffic around Denpasar is worse than New York's or Hong Kong's, I think. For the purposes of this trip, you'll be traveling during rush hours, so I'd allow an hour. Ferries leave pretty regularly, I think, so if you miss one, you catch the next one. I stayed at the Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay the last time I dived Penida, so I had a similar commute. The Bali Diving Academy (as well as other operators, I'm sure) can take care of the logistics for you, including a pick-up at your hotel, I think. I also think it's worth the trouble, though ideally you would just stay on Lembongan.

Really, it serves you (us) right, for allowing your wife pick the hotel.

 

[ocdiver1]

Not so ... we were there at the end of October last year and got skunked. Same with every boat out there that day. It's "almost" a guarantee, but not quite.

wow, i was 7 for 7 there on many different trips. ok, "nearly guaranteed" then

Also, no need to go out to Lembongan to dive Manta Point, can just be done from DPS. I usually dive with Blue Season Bali