We are great fans of Indonesia and have covered some of the best diving spots in the archipelago over the last few years including north and south Sulawesi, Raja Ampat, Banda Sea, Kalimantan, Komodo and more. However, we had not experienced much of scuba diving in Bali and Lombok first-hand which is why I went out there in July to find out what it is all about. The dive sites in Bali are hugely varied and this is what I loved most about diving around this island.
East Bali diving
Next was a visit to some of the east Bali dive resorts: Alam Anda in Amed, Siddhartha dive resort and Scuba Seraya. My favourite of the three was Scuba Seraya, not because it was the most luxurious but because the local dive guides were so knowledgeable and just in front of the resort is the dive site Secret Seraya which is up there with some of the best muck diving I have done. The east Bali diving sites are completely different from those in the west and I was extremely excited by the quality of the sites, most of which are accessed by shore entry. From the Liberty wreck in Tulamben which was every bit as good as I expected it to be to wall dives to the incredible muck diving there is so much on offer in this part of Bali.
Strong currents at southern Bali dive sites
Next on the list was diving around the islands of Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembogan. Straight off the back of diving in north east Bali, there could not be more of a contrast. Extremely strong currents around these islands make it very advanced and exhilarating diving, not to mention at the right time of year almost guaranteed manta rays at Manta Point or the famous mola mola (sunfish) at Crystal Bay. One thing to note is that this dive site has very dangerous downward currents so this is only applicable for very experienced divers. Unfortunately I was a little too early in the season to see the big stuff - looks like I will have to go back again!
Diving Lombok was the best
My final stop was southern Lombok to explore the diving around the Secret Gilis and Belongas Bay. Again such varied diving which made the last stop of my trip so exciting! I was staying in the Secret Gilis at a resort called Pearl Beach Resort - it does not get much more beautiful or remote than this. The resort is partnered with DiveZone Lombok who are the only guys to dive with in this region and they dive from the resort around the region of Sekotong and also from Belongas where all the action takes place. The Lombok diving season around Belongas kicks-off around August and if the conditions are right you could find yourself amidst schooling hammerheads, barracuda, mobula and eagle rays, tuna and other pelagics. Not to mention absolutely incredible soft coral. Diving in Lombok was some of the most exciting I have ever done.
If you would like any more information on scuba diving in Bali and Lombok, or on our tailor-made dive holidays, please contact Original Diving.
