Underwater, Bali is every bit as beautiful: colourful reefs, a famous shipwreck and encounters with manta rays. These are the best places to dive and snorkel in Bali.
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Add it in the trip planner →You can earn your PADI certification (Open Water) in Bali or, if already certified, do fun dives. There are good, safe dive schools in Amed, Sanur and Nusa Lembongan. Even without certification you can snorkel at most spots.
You can dive year-round; the dry season often gives the best visibility. Manta rays are seen year-round at Nusa Penida; the mola mola mainly around July–October. The water at Nusa Penida can be cold and current-heavy — choose a dive school that matches your level.
You don't need a licence to enjoy Bali's underwater world. Snorkellers can float straight over the USAT Liberty wreck at Tulamben, drift the coral gardens of Amed and Menjangan, and — on a boat tour from Nusa Penida or Lembongan — swim above manta rays at Manta Point. Visibility and calm seas are best in the dry season (roughly May to October), and the rare mola mola (oceanic sunfish) appears around Penida from about July to October. The water is warm, but a thin wetsuit adds comfort on repeat dives.
Bali is a superb — and affordable — place to learn to dive: reputable PADI schools in Amed, Tulamben, Sanur and Nusa Lembongan run everything from a first Discover Scuba session to Open Water and beyond. Choose a school with good reviews and well-kept gear, don't dive within 18–24 hours of a flight, and make sure your insurance covers diving. Expect turtles, reef sharks, bumphead parrotfish and clouds of tropical fish — and please don't touch the coral or chase the mantas.
Match your base to the diving you want. Amed and Tulamben in the east are unbeatable for easy shore dives and the USAT Liberty wreck, and double as calm snorkelling. Sanur, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida are the launch pads for manta and mola-mola dives around Penida. In the north-west, Pemuteran gives access to the pristine walls of Menjangan island inside West Bali National Park. You can dive several of these in one trip — many people combine an east-coast wreck stay with a Penida manta day — and the whole island is a good-value place to log dives or take a course.