We at Samuh Hill Residence love diving. The ocean is a wonderful place, especially if you can experience it for yourself. Submerged life looks refreshing and beautiful. It gives you a sense of wonder. Not to mention we just love to swim.
Bali has some of the best dive sites in the world, because it is situated at the connection between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, in the middle of the worlds richest marine bio-geographical area.
If you’re just as enthusiastic about diving as we are, or you want to go on an underwater adventure, there’s a lot of sweet diving spots close to the villa. We have compiled a list of places to go and diving schools to rent equipment and hire instructors. As always, you can ask the property manager to do the booking for you.
Best Diving Spots
1. Padang Bai
Approximately 25 minutes by car from the villa, you can explore the beauty of Bali’s underwater paradise through this diving spot. It is a perfect place for an easy fun dive, dive course or a night dive. The best conditions are in the morning when there’s better visibility.
| Visibility | 15 – 30 m | |
| Depths | 10 – 40 m | |
| Current | Zero to mild currents | |
| Diver Level | Beginner |
2. Tulamben
Acknowledged as one of the best diving site in Indonesia and considered as one of the top 15 dive sites in the world, Tulamben is the place where you can experience an underwater paradise in the world’s richest marine biogeographic zone with more than 2500 different species of fish and 700 corals.
| Visibility | 15 – 25 m | |
| Depths | 5 – 40 m | |
| Current | Zero to mild currents | |
| Diver Level | Beginner |
3. Amed
Amed is a wonderful place for underwater macro photography and muck diving with a very good chance to see the rare mimic octopus and the ghost pipefish. Most of the dive sites are accessible from the shore or by a very short juking trip, which is a typical Balinese boat.
| Visibility | 10 – 20 m | |
| Depths | 10 – 25 m | |
| Current | Zero to mild currents | |
| Diver Level | Beginner |
4. Candidasa
The best dive sites are around the four small rocky islands of Gili Tepekong, Gili Biaha, Gili Mimpang and Gili Selang. These islands are famous for the Sharks and there are also regular encounters with the giant Mola Mola (also called Oceanic Sunfish) especially during August to October.
| Visibility | 15 – 25 m | |
| Depths | 6 – 40 m | |
| Current | Mild to strong currents | |
| Diver Level | Experienced |
5. Manta Point
This excellent dive site situated South of Gili Trawangan is great for marine life. It consists of a slope with nice coral and no current which makes it an easy dive site. The highlight of this dive site are the manta rays and the best chances to spot them are from March to June.
| Visibility | 20 – 40 m | |
| Depths | 10 – 25 m | |
| Current | Zero to mild currents | |
| Diver Level | Experienced |
6. Crystal Bay
Located in Nusa Penida, it is the best place to see Mola Mola or Oceanic Sunfish. However the current can be strong and tricky and it is not always possible to dive there. The coral is also very beautiful, around 15 to 20 m with a clear visibility almost 30 m away.
| Visibility | > 30 m |
| Depths | 15 – 40 m |
| Current | Strong & unpredictable currents |
| Diver Level | Experienced |
Diving Schools
1. Bali Bubbles
Bali Bubbles Dive Center was opened in 2008 by Jos Ghijsen and Indhira Kusumastuti in Candidasa, East Bali, in the center of all the famous dive sites of Bali. It’s just a five minute drive from the villa.
The founders had previously been working for dive shops in Europe and at international well know companies, and were passionate about creating a dive center that was not only unique, but focused on our divers having the best possible experience.
The offered courses rank from beginner to advanced, and they are highly recommended by SSI and PADI. They are friendly, not too expensive and always on time. They have professional equipment from MARES and a certified team. Their boats hold up to eight people and two groups.
For more information, see their website
2. Bambu Divers
Also a five minute drive from the villa, Bambu Divers is the extension of Pondok Bambu Seaside Bungalows. It’s founded by Dutch people with years of experience in scuba diving and Bali’s tourism. The employees are very friendly and it’s no surprise they score a five star rating on Tripadvisor.
They offer a wide range of courses, ranging from beginner to expert. Next to that, they also have a lot of special courses, like Rescue Diver and Emergency First Response. All trainers are certified and expierenced.
See their website for more information.