This year we decided to take a month-long tour of various Southeast Asian countries. After passing through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, we finally arrived at the island of Bali to do some beach and, in my case, dive!

Where to stay in Bali

As we do not like crowding, we stayed in Sanur, and from there we moved to the different places we wanted to know. Although the beaches did not seem very striking to us (our expectations were very high), it must be recognized that Bali has a unique personality that is reflected in millions of details that one sees on a daily basis. From the offerings that are made everywhere, the buildings and temples with their typical ornamentation, the music in the atmosphere with subtle chimes that lower the revolutions, the friendliness of the people and, in great detail, the food!

Scuba diving in Bali

Anna´s Magnificent Slug, Padang Bai, Bali

Moving on to diving, I contracted a three-day package with Joe’s Gone Diving, with whom I was very satisfied, always leaving from Sanur. All the diving days were full day, since the transfers to and from Sanur took quite a long time.

Padang Bay

The first day we went to Padang Bay where we dived at Blue Lagoon and Tamjung Sari. The visibility of water was not the best, possibly due to the time of the year (in March the rainy season ends and we went in mid-April) but I still found a lot of coral in good condition and abundant macro life, especially nudibranchs. .

Risbecia Tryoni Nudibranch, USAT Liberty wreck, Tulamben, Bali

Tulamben – USAT Liberty Wreck

Tulamben Beach. There is just the USAT Liberty

The second day we went to the northeast coast of Bali, to Tulamben where the famous USAT Liberty wreck is located. This American cargo ship of about 120 meters in length was torpedoed in 1941 during the Second War and immediately towed to Tulamben for repair. There it remained for more than two decades until in 1963, when it was on the beach, the tremors caused by the eruption of a volcano caused the ship to slide back to the sea and remain submerged a few meters from the coast at a depth of 6 to 30 meters. This makes it a very accessible shipwreck, even for snorkeling. I thought diving was a luxury, to the point that I asked the divemaster to repeat it on the second dive of the day. There is a lot of life throughout the shipwreck and we came across several turtles on both dives. The cargo bays are very open and can be easily penetrated. A 100% recommended dive! Something to mention is that the beach is made of volcanic stone so, forget to lie down to sunbathe there, unless you want to exfoliate your back …

Cargo Bay at the USAT Liberty Shipwreck, Tulamben, Bali

Green Turtle on the USAT Liberty Shipwreck, Tulamben, Bali

Candidasa

On the third day we went to Candidasa, also leaving from Padang Bay. The idea was to be able to see the famous Mola mola (sunfish) but we were not lucky. We first went to Gili Mimpang and then to Gili Tepekong. In both places there is usually current so they are recommended for advanced divers. In the second dive we entered a tunnel that starts at 15 meters and ends at 25 meters. On the way up we come across a Napoleon fish.

It was a good experience, although it was not the most appropriate time of year to go diving. I still had to go to Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan where it is usual to find blankets.

Some extra information:

Best time to go diving: September to December (it is high season, prices are higher)

Water temperature in April = 28ºC

What to eat when diving: the Nasi Campur (pronounced Nasi Champur) is the best!!