Seeking advise: BALI - Nusa Dua more specifically

[joesgonediving]

Hi there,

Yes there are quite a few sites accessible from Sanur:

Nusa Penida is about 45 minutes by boat. It is probably not the best place to start for your wife if she is just new to diving, but it is famous for its Manta Point with a high chance of spotting mantas.

Padang Bay is about 1 hour from Sanur and has some great diving for both novice divers and experienced divers.

Candidasa is about 1 hour and 15 minutes and is great for experienced divers.

Tulamben is also often done as a day trip but is a bit further out, 2-2.5 hours from Sanur. There are some great dive spots there though as mentioned by others and they are very good for novice divers. The same can be said for Amed.

Then finally Sanur which is of course very close by ;-), is often used for training purposes. The sites are quite shallow and visibility is not always great, but you can actually spot quite a lot of nice marine life there: lion fish, porcupine fish, bat fish, sea snakes and occasionally crocodile fish and scorpio fish.

Depending where you will be based in Nusa Dua it will take around 40-50 minutes to get to Sanur unless you get stuck in heavy traffic. Most dive centers in Sanur pick you up early in the morning though to avoid the heavy traffic.

More information about the Bali dive sites and the distance from Sanur can also be found on our website.

Anyway have fun planning your holiday and if you need anymore info, just let me know.

 

[vladimir]

Hi All, and thank you for the great advise!

I think what I'll / we'll do is to split the time between Nusa Dua and "somewhere else" having listened to you all. The trick is that I have quite a few dives, whereas she's onto her first dives after the course. And, also, she has never been to Indonesia so the idea is to combine relaxation... and sight seeing... and trotting around the markets... AND diving.

Sounds like a good plan. Of all the dive destinations I have been to, Bali, more than any other, demands some time out of the water. No matter what appeals to you--surfing, suntanning, culture, art, or natural beauty--Bali has some to offer, and it is easily accessible. The advice you get here is pretty scuba-centric, so it's up to you to put it into perspective. With that in mind, along with your girlfriend's relative inexperience, the trip up to the easy diving and more relaxed vibe of Tulamben or Menjangan can be quite appealing in and of itself. You will drive past beautiful terraced rice fields, charming little towns with traditional architecture and religious observances apparent, livestock grazing on the roadside, packs of monkeys, smoking volcanoes, etc. So the journey can be part of the fun, once you get past the heavy traffic. If I have time I like to rent an open jeep and drive myself. Get an international driver's license before your trip.