Explore Bali

Bali, often referred to as the Island of the Gods, is a diver's paradise nestled in the Indonesian archipelago. With its prime location at the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, Bali offers an unparalleled underwater experience. Divers can explore vibrant coral reefs teeming with life, dramatic drop-offs, and even a few fascinating wreck dives such as the famous Liberty Wreck in Tulamben. Whether you're a novice or an experienced diver, the island caters to all with its diverse range of dive sites, from the calm waters of Sanur for beginners to the exhilarating drift dives around Nusa Penida.
Marine life in Bali is both abundant and diverse, making it a hotspot for underwater enthusiasts. The region is renowned for encounters with majestic manta rays, elusive mola mola (oceanic sunfish), and even the occasional whale shark. The waters around Bali are home to a plethora of macro critters, perfect for underwater photographers eager to capture the unique beauty of pygmy seahorses and ghost pipefish. The island's location near the equator ensures warm tropical waters year-round, while the dry season from May to September offers optimal diving conditions with excellent visibility ranging from 30 to 40 meters/98 to 131 feet.Bali is not only a place of natural beauty above water with its lush paddy fields and towering volcanoes but also a sanctuary beneath the waves. Whether opting for shore dives or embarking on liveaboards departing from Bali, divers are treated to a world of wonder and excitement. With so much to explore, Bali remains a top destination for divers seeking adventure and the thrill of discovering one of the most biodiverse marine environments on the planet.

Places to explore

Courses and Events

Dive Activity

Diving in Bali

With so many dive locations on the mainland and surrounding archilpelagos, while scuba diving in Bali you are spoilt for choice. Nusa Dua, Padang Bai and Pemuteran offer beginner divers the chance to enrol in dive courses while there are a number of locations for more adventurous divers.

At the four rocky islands of Gili Tepekong, Gili Biaha, Gili Mimpang and Gili Selang, reached from Candi Dasa, fierce currents will test your buoyancy as you dirft around unusual rock formations. For those who love to drift dive, you will find yourself pushed by the force of the ocean at almost every dive site in Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida. Dive dramatic deep walls at The Drop Off in Tulamben after diving the famous USAT Liberty Wreck or head to Menjangan Island to investigate the long-lost cargo of the Anker Wreck.

Excellent macro sites can be found at Blue Lagoon in Padang Bai, Seraya Secrets at Tulamben or the Secret Bay at Menjangan Island while thriving corals can be found everywhere while scuba diving in Bali. To showcase Bali diving at its best, liveaboards stop at the fantastic dive sites in every region of the Island of the Gods.

Top Wildlife Sightings in Bali

Take a traditional ‘jukung’ boat out into the depths at Tulamben or the tricky dive sites at Candi Dasa to be confronted with hammerhead sharks and oceanic sunfish watching you from the blue. At locations with strong currents, find yourself immersed in the world of schooling dogtooth tuna, giant trevally and barracuda as a myriad of small reef fish flit around. To witness two incredible underwater giants, head to the Nusa Islands where you can find manta ray in numbers and mola mola bathing in the cool water. Reef sharks frequent most of Bali’s dive locations and the rare cat and wobbegong sharks have been spotted at Candi Dasa and Padang Bai.

The keen-eyed divers among us definitely won’t be disappointed. At muck dive sites frogfish, dragonets, juvenile cuttlefish, scorpionfish, stonefish and a myriad of nudibranch all lurk in the sandy depths. In Tulamben watch the squat anemone shrimp doing his signature dance while mimic octopus fool even the most knowledgable of macro divers who pass by without noticing the stealthy presence.

Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content

Hawksbill Turtle

27k Sightings
J
1.5k
F
1.5k
M
1.9k
A
1.7k
M
2k
J
2.4k
J
3.4k
A
3.5k
S
3k
O
2.5k
N
1.6k
D
1.5k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 200

Moray Eel

25k Sightings
J
1.4k
F
1.4k
M
1.7k
A
1.7k
M
1.9k
J
2.3k
J
2.9k
A
2.9k
S
2.8k
O
2.3k
N
1.9k
D
1.6k

Reef Manta Ray

21k Sightings
J
929
F
1k
M
1.3k
A
1.6k
M
1.9k
J
1.9k
J
2.2k
A
2.7k
S
2.6k
O
2.2k
N
1.5k
D
815

Green Turtle

20k Sightings
J
1.2k
F
1.1k
M
1.3k
A
1.5k
M
1.5k
J
1.8k
J
2.5k
A
2.5k
S
2.3k
O
2k
N
1.4k
D
1.2k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 27

Barracuda

14k Sightings
J
701
F
647
M
805
A
865
M
1.1k
J
1.2k
J
1.8k
A
1.9k
S
1.9k
O
1.5k
N
914
D
774

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 300

Octopus

8.3k Sightings
J
502
F
576
M
680
A
832
M
691
J
549
J
711
A
686
S
861
O
971
N
799
D
464

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 600

Wrasse

7.9k Sightings
J
346
F
419
M
528
A
574
M
642
J
749
J
982
A
1k
S
979
O
706
N
482
D
455

Ocean Sunfish

3.2k Sightings
J
13
F
45
M
48
A
75
M
118
J
101
J
413
A
733
S
965
O
578
N
73
D
47

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 28

Clownfish

45k Sightings
J
2.5k
F
2.4k
M
2.9k
A
3.1k
M
3.6k
J
4.1k
J
5.3k
A
5.5k
S
5.1k
O
4.5k
N
3.4k
D
2.9k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 90

Angelfish

37k Sightings
J
2.2k
F
2k
M
2.4k
A
2.4k
M
2.8k
J
3.3k
J
4.5k
A
4.6k
S
4.2k
O
3.7k
N
2.7k
D
2.4k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 130

Butterfly Fish

33k Sightings
J
1.8k
F
1.8k
M
2k
A
2.1k
M
2.5k
J
3k
J
3.9k
A
4.2k
S
3.8k
O
3.4k
N
2.5k
D
2k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 130

Pufferfish

32k Sightings
J
1.8k
F
1.6k
M
2k
A
2.2k
M
2.4k
J
3.1k
J
3.8k
A
3.9k
S
3.4k
O
3k
N
2.3k
D
2.1k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 100

Parrotfish

29k Sightings
J
1.5k
F
1.6k
M
1.9k
A
1.9k
M
2.2k
J
2.7k
J
3.6k
A
3.6k
S
3.3k
O
2.9k
N
2.1k
D
1.9k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 40

Triggerfish

28k Sightings
J
1.6k
F
1.5k
M
1.9k
A
2k
M
2.3k
J
2.7k
J
3.4k
A
3.4k
S
3.2k
O
2.7k
N
2.1k
D
1.8k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 8

Bannerfish

28k Sightings
J
1.4k
F
1.4k
M
1.7k
A
1.9k
M
2.2k
J
2.7k
J
3.3k
A
3.6k
S
3.4k
O
2.9k
N
2.1k
D
1.7k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 3

Trumpetfish

27k Sightings
J
1.5k
F
1.4k
M
1.7k
A
1.9k
M
2.1k
J
2.6k
J
3.2k
A
3.4k
S
3.1k
O
2.5k
N
1.8k
D
1.7k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 12

Lionfish

25k Sightings
J
1.5k
F
1.3k
M
1.6k
A
1.7k
M
2k
J
2.4k
J
3k
A
3k
S
2.7k
O
2.2k
N
1.9k
D
1.5k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 80

Stingrays

24k Sightings
J
1.2k
F
1.2k
M
1.5k
A
1.8k
M
2.1k
J
2.3k
J
2.9k
A
2.9k
S
2.6k
O
2.2k
N
1.6k
D
1.3k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 150

Sweetlips and Grunts

22k Sightings
J
1.2k
F
1.1k
M
1.4k
A
1.5k
M
1.8k
J
2.2k
J
2.7k
A
2.7k
S
2.5k
O
2.3k
N
1.5k
D
1.4k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 85

Surgeonfish

22k Sightings
J
1.3k
F
1.1k
M
1.3k
A
1.4k
M
1.7k
J
2k
J
2.6k
A
2.8k
S
2.5k
O
2.3k
N
1.6k
D
1.5k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 25

Boxfish

19k Sightings
J
1.2k
F
968
M
1.2k
A
1.4k
M
1.5k
J
1.8k
J
2.3k
A
2.4k
S
2k
O
1.7k
N
1.3k
D
1.1k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 250

Scorpionfish

16k Sightings
J
983
F
897
M
1k
A
1.1k
M
1.2k
J
1.7k
J
1.9k
A
2k
S
1.8k
O
1.4k
N
1.1k
D
984

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 3000

Nudibranch

15k Sightings
J
886
F
783
M
1k
A
1.1k
M
1.1k
J
1.3k
J
1.4k
A
1.5k
S
1.7k
O
1.3k
N
1.4k
D
1k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 350

Damselfish

15k Sightings
J
819
F
692
M
895
A
960
M
1.2k
J
1.5k
J
1.7k
A
1.8k
S
1.5k
O
1.6k
N
949
D
936

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 110

Snapper

12k Sightings
J
741
F
636
M
765
A
873
M
984
J
1.2k
J
1.4k
A
1.4k
S
1.2k
O
1.1k
N
743
D
786

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 90

Goatfish

11k Sightings
J
557
F
548
M
622
A
793
M
917
J
1.1k
J
1.3k
A
1.4k
S
1.2k
O
1k
N
685
D
670

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 250

Grouper/Basslets

8.9k Sightings
J
508
F
536
M
587
A
551
M
751
J
822
J
1.1k
A
969
S
868
O
894
N
679
D
658

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 60

Soldierfish

8.2k Sightings
J
503
F
388
M
493
A
552
M
637
J
783
J
1.1k
A
972
S
879
O
758
N
592
D
526

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 3400

Shrimp

8k Sightings
J
458
F
446
M
497
A
570
M
585
J
709
J
837
A
912
S
968
O
890
N
683
D
463

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 15

Garfish

7.5k Sightings
J
358
F
326
M
351
A
459
M
721
J
816
J
937
A
1.1k
S
962
O
773
N
439
D
347

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 30

Sand Eel

7.4k Sightings
J
373
F
304
M
398
A
468
M
519
J
692
J
982
A
1k
S
907
O
756
N
558
D
424

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 40

Jackfish

6.1k Sightings
J
308
F
271
M
397
A
337
M
559
J
619
J
772
A
758
S
757
O
593
N
363
D
409

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 120

Flounder

6k Sightings
J
336
F
265
M
392
A
381
M
599
J
688
J
647
A
752
S
618
O
526
N
431
D
376

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 3

Cornetfish

5.6k Sightings
J
262
F
274
M
336
A
376
M
432
J
555
J
676
A
833
S
666
O
505
N
387
D
339

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 20

Porcupinefish

4.9k Sightings
J
278
F
270
M
311
A
415
M
348
J
452
J
581
A
584
S
525
O
454
N
309
D
327

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 30

Stonefish

4.5k Sightings
J
265
F
188
M
261
A
300
M
294
J
412
J
535
A
626
S
523
O
501
N
364
D
219

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 7000

Crab

4k Sightings
J
301
F
205
M
200
A
299
M
196
J
344
J
492
A
404
S
473
O
464
N
352
D
276

Whitetip Reef Shark

3.9k Sightings
J
149
F
176
M
238
A
166
M
246
J
340
J
443
A
537
S
595
O
496
N
301
D
211

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 60

Squirrelfish

3.4k Sightings
J
127
F
145
M
232
A
230
M
231
J
323
J
460
A
481
S
440
O
357
N
224
D
156

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 120

Cuttlefish

3.2k Sightings
J
130
F
171
M
178
A
268
M
340
J
430
J
430
A
455
S
248
O
281
N
137
D
139

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 15

Tuna

3.1k Sightings
J
117
F
117
M
142
A
112
M
224
J
243
J
385
A
568
S
541
O
361
N
136
D
134

Ribbon Moray Eel (Ghost Eel)

3k Sightings
J
157
F
93
M
146
A
136
M
223
J
319
J
391
A
409
S
334
O
348
N
248
D
211

Common Seahorse

3k Sightings
J
239
F
164
M
278
A
366
M
373
J
333
J
439
A
195
S
172
O
139
N
154
D
138

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 80

Emperor

2.9k Sightings
J
107
F
94
M
129
A
198
M
310
J
364
J
455
A
421
S
360
O
248
N
120
D
139

Leaf Scorpionfish

2.6k Sightings
J
77
F
98
M
136
A
177
M
212
J
273
J
343
A
279
S
354
O
271
N
226
D
160

The best Months to dive in Bali

Scuba diving in Bali is best during the transition period between the wet and dry seasons. Through April to July and October through to November, the winds are generally weaker, seas calmer and visibility at its peak. At most diving locations diving is possible all year-round but for sites like Candi Dasa, where currents are strong and conditions already rough, it’s best to head out when the sea is calm.

When the water is cooler, from July through to October, there is the peak number of mola mola, hammerhead sharks, manta ray and whale shark. With the wet season from October to April, you can miss the rain while seeing your favourite megafauna.

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