What to Expect on a PADI ‘Discover Scuba Diving’ Day Trip with AMD-B

Posted on August 18, 2023September 18, 2023 by Annabel Thomas

PADI ‘Discover Scuba Diving’ Day Trip

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to breathe underwater? To feel weightless, surrounded by beautiful corals and marinelife?

The PADI ‘Discover Scuba Diving’ (DSD) programme with AquaMarine is perfect for people who want to try diving but are not sure they want to get certified (yet!) – or don’t have time. Taking the DSD is a safe and enjoyable introduction to scuba diving – and Bali’s amazing underwater world.

AquaMarine conducts the DSD in Tulamben Bay on Bali’s northeast coast. Yes, incredibly, you will actually dive on the world-famous 120 metres USAT Liberty Shipwreck! Divers come from around the planet to dive here! This is the perfect one day experience; what a way to remember your time in Bali!

Trip Arrangement

We’ll pick you up from your south Bali accommodation at around 07:00, bringing the necessary dive gear with us (no need to stop off at our office!).

The journey to Tulamben takes you through beautiful Balinese countryside, past rice terraces, along the coast, via rural villages, with great views of Mount Agung: Bali’s most revered volcano. This journey can be a whole Land Tour with other companies.

Upon arrival in Tulamben, as you settle into our base for the day, the Tulamben porters will unload the dive gear, tanks, etc. You will then review basic dive theory with your AquaMarine PADI Instructor before familiarising yourself with the dive equipment.

Then it’s time to get in the pool to learn some basic scuba diving skills and practise hand signals to use underwater (sssh, no talking!).

AquaMarine has a maximum ratio of 2 DSD participants to one PADI Instructor however it’s usually 1-to-1 so everyone can go at their own speed. There is no pressure to learn anything within a given amount of time.
Our motto is ‘Safety and Enjoyment’ 🙂

Then it’ll probably be time for lunch!

Afterwards you can walk straight off the beach and into the water. Because Tulamben Bay is ‘shore diving’, you can go as slowly or as quickly as you want; and dive for as short, or as long a time, as you want.

The maximum allowance depth for PADI DSD is 12 metres however you can stay shallower if you prefer 🙂

PADI Discover Scuba Diving in Tulamben Bay

So, you’re wondering “What will I see?” – well, the first thing you need to know is the sand in Tulamben Bay is not the ‘white tropical sand’ you might expect, it’s actually black as it’s volcanic sand 🙂

Yes, you will really be diving on Bali’s infamous USAT Liberty Shipwreck – it’s only 30 metres from the shore, lies parallel with the beach and starts at only 5 metres (yes, people snorkel here too). However it’s a lot more than just a boat lying on the sand: It’s actually pretty broken up (but still identifiable as a boat) and covered in both soft and hard corals, anemones, sea fans, and similar. The wreck is home to many different kinds of marinelife including over 400 species of fish.

There’s no better place to fall in love with diving than Bali, and no better company to do it with that AquaMarine Diving – Bali!

‘Discover Scuba Diving’ is the perfect first step if you just want a taste of scuba diving. However maybe, after reading this, you feel you’d like to book your PADI Scuba Diver or PADI Open Water Diver course with us?

Summary:
Full Day Trip
1 Pool Dive
1 Ocean Dive
All gear and lunch included
Everything at your own speed 🙂

Introduction to Bali’s Scuba Diving

Posted on May 14, 2023September 6, 2023 by Annabel Thomas

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Introduction to Bali’s Scuba Diving

Bali is famous for its complex Hindu culture, colourful ceremonies, magnificent volcanic and coastal scenery as well as the artistic and welcoming nature of the Balinese people. With so much to do topside, surely there cannot be a more fascinating island on the planet!

Repeatedly drawing internationally-recognised underwater photographers and journalists from around the globe, Bali is the ideal destination for divers and non-divers, families, groups and individuals.

Bali is situated at the heart of the Indo-Pacific, the world’s richest marine biogeographic zone. The island therefore receives very plankton-rich waters and so contains a stunningly diverse underwater ecosystem as well as many totally different physical environments.

Bali’s dive sites offer great diversity: vertical walls and sand slopes; steel and wooden shipwrecks; limestone shorelines and black, volcanic outcrops; peaceful bays and ripping currents; deep, coral-covered ridges, shallow seagrass beds and big bommies, as well as both shore- and boat-diving.

Pelagics include year-round Manta rays, occasional Whalesharks and, from July to mid-November, Mola-Molas (the weird-but-wonderful Ocean sunfish).

There are over 2,000 species of reef fish in Bali’s waters, and then there are the eels, crabs, lobsters, turtles, starfish, shrimp, and nudibranchs … Mimic octopus and Wonderpus, Ambon scorpionfish, Rhinopias, Mandarinfish, Pyjama and Banggai cardinalfish, ghostpipefish, Pegasus seamoths and Flamboyant cuttlefish, and more.

The reefs contain profuse hard and soft corals, Gorgonian and other seafans, coral bushes, and sponges including some massive barrel sponges…

…. so why not come and discover the secret FOR YOURSELF!

‘Best of Bali’ Dive Safari Package

Posted on April 12, 2023April 17, 2023 by Annabel Thomas

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‘Best of Bali’ Dive Safari Package

2023 'Best of Bali' (aka BoB) Dive Safari Package

To meet a growing demand by travelling divers, AquaMarine Diving – Bali offers three fixed-date Dive Safaris that take in Bali’s best dive sites.

AquaMarine’s 2023 Best of Bali Dive Safaris comprise three itineraries of seven, eight, and 12 nights duration. The Safaris include accommodation, diving, all land and boat transport, airport transfers, breakfast every day, lunch on diving days, plus some land tours to experience Bali’s enchanting culture and breathtaking scenery.

The first Safari departs on 07 January 2023 with the final trip being scheduled to leave on 09 December. The Safaris are guaranteed with just two divers booked, and we take no more than 12 divers. However, if you have a larger group, let us know because that’s what we do best – custom-make dive packages to fit our guests wishes.

‘Best of Bali’ Dive Safari Package Detail

On AMD-B’s BoB Dive Safaris, divers will be taken to the USAT Liberty Shipwreck, a 120 metre American cargo ship torpedoed by the Japanese in World War Two, and probably the world’s most accessible wreck dive – as well as encounter some exhilarating drift diving at Nusa Penida, beautiful reef and wall diving around the islands outside Padangbai on the east coast of Bali, the warm and clear waters of Menjangan Island, and phenomenal muck diving in the area surrounding Tulamben Bay.

The waters of the Indo-Pacific are the richest and most diverse on the planet. Divers can find rare critters such as ghost pipefishes, pygmy seahorses, thousands of different species of nudibranchs, and Tiger and Harlequin shrimps, as well as many species of sharks and rays, including Mantas, and the weird and wonderful Mola-Mola (Ocean sunfish), which come up to recreational diving depths between the months of July and November.

Annabel Thomas, founder and owner-operator of AquaMarine Diving – Bali, said:
“There is no wonder our Best of Bali Dive Safaris are extremely popular. We know so many divers enjoy not just the diving around Bali, but also like to spend time taking in some of the other attractions Bali offers. Our Safaris offer a balanced blend of the two, which we hope will encourage even more visitors to come to Bali. Indonesian visa regulations allow tourists to extend their 30 days Visa on Arrival by another month, giving them the opportunity to also explore some other, more off the beaten track parts of Indonesia.”