WHERE TO DIVE Diving is excellent everywhere and visibility is between 90 and 120 feet depending on the location and time of year. You'll want to wear a wetsuit most of the time, depending on the season you might want a 3-5mm suit. This is one of the few places you can see the fascinating mola mola.

There are quite a few dive operators on Bali, and many are associated with resorts. Most offer boat dives, rentals, training and individual attention if desired. To find a complete list of PADI dive shops in Bali, go to padi.com.

Short List of Dive Operators in Bali:

• Peter Hughes - Komodo Dancer [email protected]
• Bali Dive Acedemy Dive Center
• Absolute Scuba Indonesia Karangsem
• Abyss Adventures Sanur
• AquaMarine Diving-Bali Seminyak
• A-Scuba Duba Doo Kuta
• Bali Crystal Divers Sanur
• Bali Hai Diving Adventures Denpasar [email protected]
• Malibu Lovina Dive Center Singaraja [email protected]
• Nusa Dua Dive Center Nusa Dua
• Pro Dive Bali Depensar Silatan
• Wakatobi Dive Resorts Simpang Siur

MUST DIVES IN BALI

Liberty, Tulamben At 395 feet long, and at 10 to 90 feet deep, the Liberty offers a great dive for divers of all levels. The wreck is encrusted with corals, and reef fish are plentiful. Watch out for barracuda, grouper, angelfish and eels.

Secret Bay, Northwest Bali At a mere 16-40 feet this is a great dive for all levels and offers plenty of opportunity for macro photographers to shoot their masterpiece. Sea cucumbers, seahorses, frogfish, eels and more reside in the calm waters.

Crystal Bay, Lembongen Known for its crystal-clear waters, diving off Lembongen also offers something other dive sites don't…a chance to see the elusive mola mola—or oceanic sunfish. The best time is between July to September.

Blue Corner, Lembongen This dive is one of the most exciting in Bali due to the swift current that speeds you along after descending to about 60 feet. These same currents bring in the larger pelagics, so keep your eyes open for large animals during your adventure.

Eel Garden Menjangen Island Due to its protected location, Menjangen dive sites generally offer outstanding visibility. Here you'll see walls with many hiding spots for the moray and ribbon eels. Look for seahorses, triggerfish and enormous gorgonians.

Anker, Menjangen Island This little-visited wreck is an 82-foot wooden wreck that contained copper and ceramics. There is a large coral-encrusted anchor at 16 feet that marks the location at the wall. If you follow the wall down about 89 feet you'll find the bow covered with corals. Further down, by the stern you might see white-tip sharks.

Napolean Reef, Pemeturan This reef starts at about 16 feet and continues to about 100 feet. The gentle slope is filled with corals, sea fans and table corals. You might spot the shy porcupine fish hiding in the ledges.

House Reef, Pemeturan This reef was destroyed in 1988, and is one of the first artificial reef regeneration projects sponsored by Global Coral Reef Alliance. Grid-like structures were sunk and live coral was attached, and so far the project is showing great signs of success. Although the area is off limits to fishing, divers can see the projects progress for themselves.

Puri Jati, PemeturanAt this muck diving hotspot, look for coconut octopuses, seahorses, eels and stargazers.

Emerald Point, Tulamben Between the cabbage corals and pale-white sand, look for cuttlefish and exotic nudibranchs.