Indonesia

Scuba Diver Senior Travel Editor Don Silcock presents an overview of the diving opportunities around the ‘Island of the Gods’

PHOTOGRAPHS BY DON SILCOCK

The late Indian statesman Jawaharlal Nehru once famously described it as the ‘morning of the world’, but more often it is referred to simply as the ‘island of the gods’… However you describe it, one thing is very clear – the Indonesian island of Bali is many things to many people!

To the Balinese, their home is blessed with rich soil, abundant water, beautiful scenery and a rich culture that supports, sustains and nourishes them, while, for the average tourist, it is a friendly and interesting place, overlaid with a teeming and rather chaotic flow of humanity that is hard to even take in at first, never mind to understand…

For the travelling diver though, particularly for Australians who are so near, it offers a wonderful and exotic location to experience the incredible diving that the rich waters of the Indo-Pacific have to offer. With one of the best-known wrecks in the world, excellent critter sites, some beautiful reefs and big animals like the oceanic sunfish, Bali truly has something for everybody! But why is this island, which is just one of the thousands that form the nation of Indonesia, so special? The answer to that question is in the waters that touch certain parts of Bali… IT IS ALL ABOUT THE WATER… It is said that if the nearly 18,000 islands of the huge Indonesian archipelago did not exist, there would only be 23 hours in each day. How so, you may ask… well, take a look at Indonesia on Google Earth and you can see those islands are spread out along the Equator over a total distance that takes some seven hours to fly over - Indonesia is a really big country!

To the north-east of the archipelago is the Pacific Ocean, while to the south-west is the Indian Ocean, and as the Earth rotates, an incredibly complex mix of oceanic currents, underwater topography, weather and physical geography combine to create a unique phenomenon called the Indonesian Throughflow.

It really is extremely complicated, but the Readers Digest explanation of it all is that those complex factors result in an average sea-water level in the north-east that is some 1.5 inches higher than the average in the south-west. That difference creates the largest volume of moving water in the world, which surges down through the Indonesian archipelago, bringing with it rich nutrients from the deep basins in the north-east while distributing the eggs and larvae of the region. In the process those 18,000 islands act as a huge hydraulic brake that slows down the Earth’s rotation and means we have 24 hours in each day.

No doubt you will have heard of the Coral Triangle – the richest known area of marine biodiversity in the world. Well, the Indonesian Throughflow is the life-source of the Coral Triangle and the main exit point for those waters to leave the archipelago is the Lombok Strait between Bali and its eastern neighbour Lombok! That’s why Bali is special…

NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY! To understand the diving in Bali it is easiest to think of the dive sites in two distinct ways – the sheltered sites and the unsheltered ones. By sheltered I mean the bays and locations where the full impact of the Indonesian Throughflow is not too much of a challenge and can be dived safely. Then, there are the unsheltered sites, where you will come up against the Throughflow… The sheltered sites are typically rich in the exotic critters of the Indo-Pacific and can be an absolute delight to dive. But if you look at a map of Bali, there are lots of bays and you might be tempted to think that they all would offer great critter diving. Unfortunately, that is not the case, and the southern half of the island is rarely dived as the rich waters of the Indonesian Throughflow have not touched them.

The north coast, the east coast, and the north-western tip of the island are where the Throughflow has worked its magic – but only in certain key locations, where the underwater topography delivers the right mix of nutrient flow and shelter those critters need to thrive.

The really unsheltered sites are the ones that sit on the edge of the Lombok Strait, can only be dived under certain conditions and are truly only for experienced divers led by a seasoned local guide who knows the site.

THE NORTH COAST The north coast of Bali is home to several well-established dive locations, the most well-known of which is Tulamben and its famous Liberty wreck. Most divers visiting Bali for the first time will typically head there and it does indeed offer some nice diving and great underwater photo-opportunities. But the Liberty wreck is unfortunately not what it was just five to seven years ago,

Bali, in my opinion, has a lot to offer both above and below the water – in fact, I like it so much that eight years ago my wife and I built a house there…

The Liberty shipwreck

To understand the diving in Bali it is easiest to think of the dive sites in two distinct ways – the sheltered sites and the unsheltered ones

Bali’s fringing reefs are stunning

as the number of dive resorts at Tulamben has grown dramatically, and diver traffic has taken its toll. That said, it is still a fantastic dive well worth experiencing. There is more to Tulamben than the Liberty though, with the Coral Gardens and Drop-Off a relatively short walk down the beach. The next article in this series on diving Bali will be an in-depth look at the Liberty, how and when to dive it, plus what you can expect to see at the other sites in and near Tulamben, such as Seraya Secrets.

Just to the east of Tulamben is the part of Bali called Amed, which is a series of seven small villages sandwiched between the beach and the largely dormant volcanoes that are the dominant feature of the area. While Tulamben simply is diving… Amed has managed to create a ‘new-age’ kind of a vibe with an eclectic mix of diving, freediving, yoga studios and wellness… It is quite different to Tulamben and, if you are travelling with family or a non-diving partner, is the place to head for.

There are numerous critter sites in Amed, plus the ‘other’ shipwreck in Bali – the Japanese wreck… together with some excellent coral gardens. Plus, it’s a pretty quick drive round to either Tulamben or Seraya if you want to dive those areas.

Heading west along the north coast are a number of black sand critter sites, with the most well known being Puri Jati, or PJ as everybody calls it. While even further west still is Pemuteran and its artificial reefs and regular sightings of dolphins.

THE EAST COAST Diving on the east coast of Bali is centred around the town of Candi Dasa and Amuk Bay and, while there are a few sheltered locations, most of the sites verge on the unsheltered.

Amuk Bay is roughly 8km wide, with Candi Dasa at the northern end and the small, picturesque fishing village of Padangbai just round the southern tip of the bay.

Padangbai is best known as the place to catch the ferry to Lombok and where most of the dive operators working the east coast depart from.

The English word ‘amok’ (as in ‘to run amok’…) is derived from the Indonesian word ‘amuk’ and roughly translates to going somewhat crazy. So, you can probably get the drift of why the bay is so named and the craziness is the impact the waters of the Indonesian Throughflow have as they surge down through the nearby Lombok Strait. And, the further out from Amuk Bay you go, the more you will encounter that impact!

The most well-known sheltered site is the Blue Lagoon at Padangbai, which offers some very pleasant critter hunting. Plus, there is the Pertamina jetty in Candi Dasa which has a great combination of wide-angle photo-opportunities in and around its many pylons, together with some tremendous critter diving along the bottom. The jetty can get a bit challenging as the tides peak, but overall, it is a safe and very rewarding dive.

Located on the outer edge of Amuk Bay, as the seafloor starts to drop down into the depths of the Lombok Strait, are some small islands - Gili Mimpang, also known as Batu Tiga (three rocks) together with Gili Tepekong and Gili Biaha. All the islands offer some exceptional, but potentially challenging diving and are very much in the unsheltered category. They are also where mola mola, or oceanic sunfish, are often sighted!

Gili Tepekong is also the location of the renowned site known as the Canyon, where fallen rocks from the island have created an area reminiscent of Roman ruins that is now populated by large schools of sweetlips, jacks, grouper and whitetip reef sharks. The Canyon is often considered a

DON SILCOCK

In more normal times, Don is based on Bali in Indonesia, but is currently hunkered down in Sydney… His website: www.indopacificimages.com has extensive location guides, articles and images on some of the best diving locations in the Indo-Pacific region and ‘big animal’ experiences globally.

‘must dive’ location, but many operators are very reluctant to take divers there because of the dangers of downdrafts into the Lombok Strait. So much so that on the sheltered northern tip of Tepekong there is a site known as the Faux Canyon, where operators have been known to take divers and tell them it is the real Canyon!

NORTH-WEST BALI There are two really interesting areas to dive around the north-west tip of Bali – the fairly large island of Menjangan and the rather mysteriously named Secret Bay.

Menjangan means ‘deer’ in Bahasa Indonesia and is a reference to their presence in nearby the West Bali national park… There are several dive sites on the island which offer some excellent and very colourful walls, a small shipwreck, eel gardens and some reasonable critter hunting.

While Secret Bay is renowned for its critters only, there is not much else to see except various patches of rubbish! But, if critters are your thing, Secret Bay on a good day is quite hard to beat and it is also one of the best places in Bali to see the very strange bobbit worm!

White-tip reef shark

Bali is home to many smaller fish and critters Barrel sponge on a vibrant reef

HOW TO DIVE BALI A quick search on Google will see you inundated with options on how to dive Bali – tourism is the main industry on the island and dive tourism is an important segment of that industry. That said, there are two main ways to plan a trip starting with selecting one main diving location on the island and planning to stay there for five to seven days, which will enable you to settle in properly and make the most of the place.

Do your homework around the dive operator you choose as there is a lot of variation around the quality of what they do… All the operators will be able to arrange transport from the airport and accommodation but, be aware that it can easily be a three to four hour trip to get up to the north coast, which can make for a long day.

The alternative is a ‘dive safari’ where you spend a few days at each main location. This is a well-established option, and it has a lot of advantages in allowing you to see a lot more of the island and the dive locations, but packing up your gear every couple of days can soon become a chore!

IN SUMMARY… Bali, in my opinion, has a lot to offer both above and below the water – in fact, I like it so much that eight years ago my wife and I built a house there… Don’t judge the island or its people on what you may have seen or heard about Kuta, as it is simply not representative of the reality, and it does suck there! Get away from Kuta and its rampant over-development and you will start to cultivate an appreciation of the Island of the Gods… Underwater, Bali really has a lot to offer, and all the main diving locations are a long way from Kuta – so you can experience the rich waters of the Indo-Pacific and get some insight into the ‘real Bali’. n

The Liberty shipwreck

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