Bali Underwater Adventures

While I enjoyed exploring the rice paddies and other sites of Bali, that wasn't the main place I wanted to explore. What I was really looking forward to was getting underwater for some snorkeling and scuba. After arriving, we spent two torturous days in Kuta, a super-touristy surf/beach hot-spot near the airport. (Ok, I actually enjoyed myself there - the tourist shops,and bajillion restaurants were nice for a bit, but I was itching to get to the diving). Then we went to the East of Bali, to Amed, an area famed for its snorkeling/diving. (fun fact: Amed is actually a 5-10km stretch of coast, composed of several small towns - we stayed in Jemelak which is especially well known for its snorkeling.

As soon as we were settled in our hotel, I rented snorkeling gear and headed for the water. Within 2 minutes of stepping into the ocean I'd already seen a pufferfish! Definitely a good time. I spent the next hour swimming around, marveling at all the sea life at depths of 1-3 meters. I saw pufferfish, needlefish, parrotfish, trumpetfish, triggerfish, butterflyfish, and many more! These are all fish I'm accustomed to seeing while scuba diving, but not just while snorkeling. Amazing!

The next day I went to nearby Tulamben and dove the USAT Liberty, a WWII-era shipwreck, Bali's most famous dive site. And the day after that I explored a smaller shipwreck (the site is called "Japanese Wreck") which had the most incredible collection of coral and sea life I have seen in any of my dives ever. Even superior to the Great Barrier Reef! I had no idea Bali's diving was going to be so good, so this was a very pleasant surprise.

Oh, and again, you don't need to take my word for it. I rented a camera, so check it out for yourself! And yes, I know that I've included a ton of pics, but I got so many great photos, I couldn't cull down further than this!!

nice view of the USAT Liberty wreck

cool soft coral

orangelined triggerfish. There were a bunch of different triggerfish in Bali, and I decided that they are one of my favorite fish - very pretty! Oh, and here they aren't frighteningly territorial like they are in Koh Tao (we had to change our itinerary mid-dive in Koh Tao to avoid a pair of triggerfish that were charging at us). They're much nicer when not trying to bite us.

Nemo hanging out in his anemone

I'm sure you're wondering why this crappy photo made the cut. Well, because it's the best photo I have of an Octopus. Well, at least I'm pretty sure it's of an Octopus - that's the sign my guide made, and I think I kind of saw it through the silt that had been kicked up by the previous divers. It's hard to tell 'cause, well, it was hiding from me, and they hide in dark areas. . .

me with the wreck

cool starfish

gorgeous sea fan at the Japanese Wreck dive site

clown triggerfish! These guys are quite colorful, and pretty rare (first one I've seen), so that was cool.

school of batfish hanging out near a sea fan

hey look over there! I think I see a fish! Or maybe a thousand. . .

Nemo family portrait

I really liked this anemone. Or coral. Not sure which. Either way, it's pretty.

ok, in case I haven't emphasized this enough, there were a TON of fish in the Bali dive sites. Absolutely incredible!

look, a scorpionfish! This guy actually charged me after I got too close for a photo. Whoops!

pufferfish hanging out in a pretty sweet seascape

another pic of me with the wreck

these two tobies were either fighting or courting. Either way, it was quite rare/cool.