Bali Divesites

Padang Bay

Nusa Tenggara: Bali Amed (Cemeluk) Candidasa/Amuk Bay Padang Bay Tulamben Liberty Wreck Nusa Lembongan Nusa Penida Menjangan Island Permuteran Gili Selang Secret Bay Nusa Dua Gilis Lombok Sumbawa Komodo & Rinca Flores Alor Timor Sulawesi: Bunaken Lembeh Strait Bangka Sangihe Gorontalo Togians Wakatobi Irian Jaya: Raja Ampat Halmahera Banda Sea, Ambon Kalimantan (Borneo): Sangalaki Kakaban (Jellyfish Lake) Java Sumatra

Padang Bay, or Padangbai as it is often spelt, has several excellent dive sites nearby. It offers easy diving with mild currents so is suitable for all levels of diver.

The fringing reef in the bay starts at 10m and slopes down to the sand at 40m. The reef is carpeted with anemones full of anemone fish as well as seafans, featherstars and sponges.

Schools of sweetlips, bannerfish and snapper are common. Moray eels and pufferfish can also be seen. Stingrays can be found in the sand.

The Padang bay jetty is a great shore dive for spotting macro critters and makes an interesting night dive. Look for stonefish, scorpionfish, lionfish and octopus.

In the neighbouring bay, strangely called the Blue Lagoon, a patch reef of predominately staghorn corals is home to good numbers of reef fish. Clown triggerfish can be seen here.

Around the headland at Tanjung Sari, it's possible to see Napoleon wrasse as well as reef sharks and nurse sharks. In August and September wobbegong sharks, more common in Australian waters, are found here. It is also possible to spot oceanic sunfish (mola mola) at certain times of the year.

To the south of Padang Bay, Tanjung Bungsil is a shallow dive site where blue faced angel fish and many other smaller reef fish species can be seen.