Bali’s Muck and Macro Dive Site

Posted on June 21, 2024June 21, 2024 by Annabel Thomas

Muck and Macro Dive Site

North west Bali

Secret Bay/Gilimanuk
This was Bali’s first and so best-known muck location. 2km wide, 3-12m deep; the only bay off the narrow Bali Strait (where currents can reach 7 knots), it acts as a large catch-tank for many larval and juvenile fish, and rare marine species. The water is cold; the fish fat and healthy! Unusual nudibranchs, Banggai cardinalfish, gobies, Ambon scorpionfish, filefish, puffers, dragonets, pipefish, juvenile Batavia batfish, Mimic octopus, Hippocampus kuda and many other organisms. Elsewhere juveniles hide to avoid predators, but here there are very few large fish, so juveniles have no need to hide. The bottom is fine sand with patches of algae and seagrass, some branches, coconuts (housing for octopodes!), cans, etc. Night-diving yields Bobbit worms, cephalopods, crustaceans, and frequent surprises!

Bayu’s Place
Visibility varies (can be as low as 10m), and the water is warm. Much of the area is rubble and coral, with white sand, although there are some pinnacles. It is usually very easy to see Mandarinfish, along with Pyjama cardinalfish, ghostpipefish, batfish, Demonstinger, many kinds of gobies (inc Signal goby), nudis, Pygmy seahorses, Blue-ring octopus, and many species of shrimp (inc Whip coral shrimp).

Pemuteran Biorock
This site lies right off the beach and is made from individually-shaped metal structures through which low level electricity is run to increase the speed of coral growth. The artificial reefs sit on white sand and provide homes for Signal gobies, eels, small rays, lionfish, frogfish and scorpionfish including Leaf scorpionfish and (occasional) Pegasus seamoths and Finger dragonets. Interesting night diving.

North Bali

The Puri Jati area
Bali’s current hotspot for muck-diving, PJ itself is a wide, gentle, brown sand slope with patchy seagrass, seapens and 20cm tufts of lavender soft coral. Vis is 5-25m, and the water warm. Frequent sightings of Common and Mimic octopus, pairs of Ambon scorpionfish, Flying gurnards, Emperor shrimp, Blue-ringed octopus, frogfishes, unusual Mantis shrimps, Fingered dragonets, wide variety of ghostpipefish, seahorses, seamoths, Demon stingers, Cockatoo flounders, Veiled melibe nudibranchs, juvenile batfish and lionfish, crustaceans, cephalopods and sand dwellers, soft coral cowries, various large shells, pelagic tunicates, the list goes on!

Nearby Kalang Anyar is a gentle, dark sand slope with a variety of seapens and seagrasses. Sightings include Painted frogfish, Mimic octopus and other sought#after cephalopods, Pegasus seamoths, eels. There are noticeable differences in some of the species, quite often the nudis here are totally different from those seen on the same day at PJ.

North east Bali

Tianyar
Located a little north of Tulamben Bay; the undulating black sand topography changes due to the currents and waves that can affect the site. The marinelife can be very interesting: Ghostpipefish, seahorses, Mimic octopus and Wonderpus, eels, frogfish, gobies and many nudis.

Tulamben River Bed
Depending on the season, sightings here may include Ornate and Robust ghostpipefish, Harlequin and Skeleton shrimp (both also found in the Coral Garden), nudis, juvenile frogfish, lionfish, Mimic octopus, Halimeda ghostpipefish, and a multitude of other tiny critters.

Seraya Slope
About 5 minutes south of Tulamben Bay, this black sand slope offers Rhinopias, Harlequin / Coleman / Tiger shrimps, many nudibranchs, Yellow#spotted frogfish, Boxer crabs (although very difficult to find them out in the open with the goatfish around!), ghostpipefish, stonefish, anglerfish, seahorses, and a school of barracudas.

Amed Ghost Bay
The artificial reef and sand slopes can yield Ambon scorpionfish, Ornate and Robust ghostpipefish, Mimic octopus, Wonderpus, frogfish, stonefish – we’re never quite sure what we’ll find here!

East Bali

Jepun
An extension of Blue Lagoon, Jepun yields Leaf scorpionfish, Solar-powered nudibranchs, many varieties of ghostpipefish and frogfish, Pegasus seamoth, Flamboyant cuttlefish, Rhinopias (eschmeyeri and frondosa), shrimps, crabs, Thorny seahorse, shrimpfish and Cockatoo waspfish.

Dive Sites: Padangbai & Candidasa

Posted on June 7, 2024June 7, 2024 by Annabel Thomas

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Padangbai and Candidasa Dive Sites: Reef & Muck Diving and Unique Marinelife

Amuk Bay – with Padangbai to the south and Candidasa at the north – has some of Bali’s best dive sites and may be Bali’s premier location for sharks.

The Blue Lagoon area, just outside Padangbai, is a treasure-trove of marinelife that includes reef sharks, rhinopias, cuttlefish, Leaf scorpionfish, frogfish, lionfish, nudibranchs and a huge area of Staghorn coral. The area also offers excellent night-diving with Cat sharks, Spanishdancers, crustaceans, basketstars and hunting cephalopods to be found.

Mimpang is the name given to three rock pinnacles that break the surface. The southern, deeper end offers a spectacular wall with profuse corals, many fish and the opportunity to see pelagics. There are often thermoclines around 20m.

The breath-taking diving at Tepekong, a 300m long rock, is for experienced divers only due to the steep walls, cold water and (often strong) currents. In Tepekong’s famous ‘Canyon’, with its swirling waters and dramatic, craggy walls, we see schooling fish such as sweetlips, possibly Mola-Mola (Ocean sunfish) in season, White-tip reef sharks and turtles.

Biaha, a little to the north, offers some of Bali’s most stunning diving (it’s my favourite site). Here you can see a wonderful mixture of fish, sharks and frequent pelagic visitors set against a backdrop of chiselled black walls with beautiful, healthy corals and often superb visibility. Inside Biaha’s cave you can find anything from Nembrotha nudibranchs to sleeping White-tip reef sharks. Biaha is best dived at slack high tide and can be quite surgy.

It is essential your Dive Guide has extensive experience at Mimpang, Tepekong and Biaha because not only can conditions change without warning – both up and down currents are quite common.

Lady Porter of Tulamben

Posted on May 10, 2024May 10, 2024 by Annabel Thomas

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The Lady Porter of Tulamben

by Mardia, AMD-B’s 2023 Divemaster Internship

In the 1980s, Tulamben beach was a tranquil haven that had yet to be discovered by tourists. At the time, hotels, restaurants, dive shops, and other facilities were scarce. However, the calm atmosphere changed when a vehicle carrying divers showed up. Several locals ran to meet the parked car, resulting in a commotion between the helpers, who were aiding in moving the diving equipment to the dive site.

Around 1983, a group of female helpers decided to organise themselves to prevent any more commotion. This group became known as the Lady Porters of Tulamben. These lady porters offer a unique service that makes it easier for divers to transport their scuba tanks and other diving equipment weighing up to 15 kg to the dive site. Since Tulamben’s beach is rocky, having this service available is incredibly convenient.

Lady Porter Organization

The lady porters of Tulamben became the unsung heroes of diving in Bali, and the diving community appreciated their service very much. They established a very successful system that included cooperative cash management in their community. For instance, the coop provided money during holidays to assist in paying for religious ceremony supplies, and they also succeeded in providing jobs for the villagers. Many female porters were able to provide their families with a better life by allowing their kids to attend school. In the 1990s, the women porters were officially organised as the Sekar Baruna Cooperative. The word ‘Sekar Baruna’ means either flowers from the sea or fortune from the sea.

Tulamben’s lady porters are renowned for their incredible strength and endurance. They are hard working, enthusiastic about their jobs, and always smiling. They take pride in their work and are always willing to go above and beyond to ensure divers have an enjoyable diving experience. One thing that distinguishes the lady porters is their sense of community. They work as a team, and this makes the lady porters a vital part of the Tulamben diving community.