Pemuteran Diving
Move away from Bali’s more visited dive sites to the calm and intimate dive experience found at Pemuteran. Novice divers can enter by shore onto multi-coloured reefs, while others will find themselves at incredible muck dives in the tranquil waters of Pemuteran Bay.
Diving in Pemuteran
Pemuteran, a laid back non-touristic village is located on Bali’s north coast. As the gateway to Menjangan Island in West Bali National Park, Pemuteran’s awe-inspiring coral reefs and muck dives are often overlooked. Yet, while scuba diving in Pemuteran you can find yourself in stunning dive sites without any crowds and the chance to see eagle rays, reef sharks and whale sharks patrolling the water. Underwater photographers will find themselves in complete admiration at the array of macro critters they can find, from frogfish to the elusive blue-ringed octopus.
On Pemuteran beach, there’s a small collection of dive resorts where you have easy access to the shore while it’s also possible to book a daily trip from one of the locations dive centres. Many dive centres will arrange day trips to Menjangan Island, famous for fantastic wall diving.
Best time to dive
It is possible to dive in Pemuteran all year round, however, Pemuteran diving is best during the transition between the rainy season and dry season. The winds are weaker during this time so surface conditions and visibility are at their peak. Dive in October and April for the greatest visibility while to see a baby whale shark, the best time to visit is the rainy season, from April through to October - you’ll often see them passing on your surface interval enjoying the cooler water temperatures.
Types of diving
The gentle diving conditions in Pemuteran Bay are perfect for introductory dives and dive courses. Novice divers will often find themselves entering by shore into shallow reefs with sandy patches ideal for practising underwater skills. For divers with a little more experience under their weight belts, you can descend down onto a pristine reef up to 40-metres deep or try out some of the fantastic night diving on offer. There are plenty of night dives in Pemuteran Bay or if the conditions are right, head further offshore to Napoleon Reef where you can search the sloping reef for a wide variety of night dwelling creatures.
What to see
While scuba diving in Pemuteran, you can observe both the big and the small. Divers may watch as sea turtles graze on seagrass or leaf scorpionfish disguise themselves cleverly against coral bommies. Napoleon wrasse patrol wall dive sites while frogfish and blue-ringed octopus lie in wait for their next moment of fame underneath the camera.
As you glance out into the blue after tearing your eyes away from Pemuteran’s stunning coral growth, you may be gifted with the chance to spot an eagle ray or reef shark gliding past. Very lucky divers may even see a whale shark, which they’ll be very happy to tick off their bucket list. Ghost pipefish can be found in the area, enticing hopeful divers into the water with the potential of their presence.
Best places to dive
Macro lovers should head to Putri Jati where they can muck dive against dark volcanic rocks and sand. From a plateau between 5 and 7-metres deep, divers can descend down a slope in search of the mimic octopus, frogfish and ambon scorpionfish who all lurk in the silty depths. Fill your vision with pure colour by visiting Mandarin Point where you can observe as dozens of mandarin fish reflect the last rays of the sun in the evening.
By boat, take a 15-minute ride to Close Encounter dive site. Here, you’ll spot schools of snappers and large jacks while a turn of the head may find you face to face with a whale shark admiring the magnificent reef. At Napoleon Reef as well as the opportunity to discover strange macro critters at night, in the day, rays are a regular sighting. If you want to dive deeper, Pura Tembok also known as Temple Wall drops to 35-metres and is decorated with an array of large fans, crustaceans, and sponges to marvel at.
