Muck Diving in Bali

Bali has been a firm favourite among divers of all levels for many a year. Underwater photographers flock to Bali’s diverse dive sites, armed with an array of lenses and lights, to capture the weird and wonderful marine life that has made Bali’s coastal waters their home. While the big stuff — the mantas and mola molas — grab all the headlines, the muck diving in Bali will leave you bewildered and bemused by the oftentimes bizarre critters found hiding among the colourful corals.

Dive sites such as Secret Bay, the USAT Liberty wreck at Tulamben and Seraya Secrets have enthralled macro enthusiasts (including our own dive travel specialists) with the sheer variety of critters on show. Fanciful frogfish, permanently-pouting pygmy seahorses and resplendent rhinopias are all waiting to drain your camera battery on the myriad muck diving sites of Bali.

The black, volcanic sand in the shadows of Mount Agung provides perfect contrast to the vivid colours of the nudibranchs and soft corals below the water. The cooler, nutrient-rich currents in the south nourish the filter-feeding mantas as orangutan crabs, cockatoo waspfish and leaf scorpionfish inhabit the corals below. The mixture of shore and boat diving and the topographical diversity of dive sites add to the adventure. With surface intervals spent poring over fish identification books, the muck diving in Bali will leave you begging for more and itching to get back to this island paradise.