Bali
June 2016: We did a "diving safari" . We were in Bali for 3 weeks, and dove the southern part of the island, eastern Bali and the Menjangan area. We stayed at the Watergarden in Candidasa (southwestern Bali), the Ocean View Tulamben in Tulamben, and the Mimpi in Menjangan. The food and service at the Watergarden were exceptional. We ate all our meals at the restaurant it was so good. The restaurant at the Ocean View needs improvement. Fortunately, the Safety Stop--a local hangout--is a 15 minute walk, and the food was awesome. At the Mimpi, there is only their restaurant. There is nothing to do at night at the Mimpi Menjangan. My wife did a monkey/temple tour, but otherwise, we were there to dive. However, there is topside sightseeing available.
Bali is very inexpensive. We ate huge meals, and the cost was about $25 U.S.
We did 2-3 dives/day. I hired a private spotter (u/w photography), and one accompanied my wife and 10 yr old son who just completed his Open Water diving.
There is both macro and wide angle opportunities. The most prolific macro dive was the Jetty. On a single dive, I saw 7 frogfish including a very large one freely swimming, two enormous stonefish, schooling catfish, octopus, cuttlefish, scorpionfish, demon stinger, etc. The fish are incredibly tame, likely due to the free food off the Jetty (it's a pier) plus the divers who visit.
The wide angle at Nusa Pineda and Menjangan was impressive. The Liberty wreck, especially in the mornings with the schooling Bumphead Parrotfish is not to be missed. Did one night dive on the wreck; it was ok. Did another night dive on the Biorock artificial reef in Menjangan--completely worthless. Puri Jata was a great muck dive, but we were an hour by van away from the dive spot. It would probably be a nice night dive. Secret Bay was just ok. Cold water. Touted as the "ultimate" muck dive, but I thought Puri Jata was much better. We did shore dives, jukung (the canoe type boats with outriggers), "wooden boats" (larger covered boats), and the larger fiberglass/fast boats. Great variety.
I would definitely do a repeat trip to scuba dive in Bali again. We flew Korean Air from Dallas-Fort Worth non-stop, 14+ hours, brief layover in Seoul, then 8 hours to Dempasar, Bali. We had a VIP airport transfer process upon arrival that was well worth the $35 U.S. to expedite us through customs. Bring crisp $100 U.S. bills--best exchange rate, the guides gladly took these as tips.
June is the dry season. Not busy. Business picks up July 1, and continues to be busy until Christmas.
I wore a 5mm wetsuit and was comfortable. Some of the water temps were 77 degrees F, so a 5mm suit was nice.
