Padang Bai
The Dive Sites of Padang Bai
Padang Bai is a small town in eastern Bali, near of Candidasa. It is located in Karangasem regency. It serves as a ferry port for travel to Lombok, the Gilis, and other of the Lesser Sunda Island.
Scuba Diving in Padang Bai means diving for all levels. There are several very good diving sites just a few minutes away from the main beach. Most of them are perfect for beginners or for diving courses. But there are also more challenging diving sites with current and great chances to spot Reef Sharks, various Rays, Pelagic fishes and large schools of fishes!
It is a really sought after destination for macro lovers and underwater photographers! They will be delighted by wonderful night diving in the Blue Lagoon and at Jepun. They can find there leaf scorpion fish, ghost pipefish, pygmy sea horses, many rare nudibranchs, frogfish, the famous Spanish dancer and sometimes the very rare Cat Shark and Wobbegong sharks! And all that in shallow and calm water!
Try to dive The Ferry Channel just 200 meters from the main beach and you will be amazed by the rich marine life! If you are lucky enough, you also can meet the world famous Mola Mola, the oceanic sunfish, at the dive sites Bias Tugal and Channel!
Blue Lagoon Reef is relatively easy diving with the white sandy bottom sloping gradually to 22m before a short section of wall. However the fish life is amazing. When diving to the east there is a chance to see the white tip reef shark and sometimes the unusual cat shark and wobbegong shark. Also you will see interesting smaller animals such as nudibranches, shrimps, crabs, squid and octopus. Water conditions at Blue Lagoon are generally good with only minor surge or mild current as the bay is fairly protected, which makes the diving so easy and relaxing. This is a very popular site for snorkelers, experienced divers and photographers and it’s a great location for night dives.
Bias Tugal is situated at the right side of the harbor of Padang Bai. The diving here can be sometimes challenging due to (down) currents. Here you find leather corals and the slope is covered with big rock formations that makes it to a dive spot with a beautiful underwater landscape. We find Pygmy seahorse in a gorgonian corals, turtles, sharks and even, in the season from August until October, Mola Mola (Sunfish). It is a place for enjoyable viewing surprises.
Tanjung Jepun, only 50 meters from shore, is a mixed reef with a flat, sandy bottom and a visibility of 10-20 meters, teeming with a great variety of fish, including blue spotted rays. Tanjung Jepun dive site is THE place in Bali to see blue spotted stingrays! It is also a great place for underwater macro photography (frogfish) with many strange and rare animals and is a very good night dive. There is an artificial reef and a small wreck at about 17 m deep. If you are lucky enough, during night diving in Padang Bai you can spot the rare coral cat shark and Spanish Dancer
The site starts just outside the green beacon which marks the east side of the narrow channel.
A steep slope to about 15 metres deep where there are horizontal crevices which provide shelter for Lobster and sometimes sleeping White-tip reef sharks.
A few meters deeper are some bommies with a cleaning station frequently visited by giant Moray eels.
A great site for Nudibranches, and encounters with Turtles might happen in the shallower parts at the end of the dive
The Jetty (dive site) was originally build as a Jetty for Cruise Ships. Unfortunately for the cruise-ships, but lucky for us was the Jetty not long enough to receive the modern cruise ships. In time Jetty has been devolved as the place to be for macro. You will find a for example frogfish, scorpion fish, leaf scorpion fish, wasp fish, rhinopias, mantis shrimps, cuttle fish, sepias and octopus. Jetty is one of the few places in Padang Bai where we also have seen a hairy and shaggy frog fish, blue ring octopus, mimic octopus, lacey rhinopia, solar nudibranch and many more.
Padang Bai diving:
- Diver experience level: All levels
- Start time: 8.30 am to 14.00
- Dive site access: jukung (traditional boat)
- Marine conditions: reef, photography, muck diving
- Current: none to moderate
- Depth: 10-40 m
- Temperature: 19-28 degrees
About the day:
- Pick-up from your hotel around 8.00 am
- Depart from Dive Center around 8:30 am
- Arrive in Padang Bai around 9:00am
- 1st dive
- Surface interval on boat
- 2nd dive
- Delicious lunch at beachfront restaurant
(With shower facilities) - Return to Dive Center / Hotel around 14.00
Price & Inclusions
Price for 2 Dives – US$ 90
Inclusions:
Hotel transfers (Candidasa Area), lunch, water & snack, use of towel, tanks, weights & guide.
(Outside Candidasa area pickup / drop available for surcharge)
Equipment rental:
US$ 20 / person for a full set: BCD, regulator, wetsuit, fins/boots, mask/snorkel
Additional Dive Computer / Torch US$ 7.50 per day