Where to freedive in Bali
Five areas where most freediving happens on and around Bali, and the specific rules that apply at each. Depths and conditions vary with season and tide. Take this as orientation, not a dive plan.
Amed
- Where
- East Bali, Karangasem
- Access
- From the shore and by jukung boat
- Rules
- Village rules apply. A marine levy is planned.
Amed is a string of small fishing villages along Bali’s east coast and the island’s best-known freediving base. Several schools here run courses and line training from shore and from traditional jukung boats.
The bays are usually sheltered, so it suits beginners and training sessions. Conditions still change with the season and the swell. Train with a buddy and a buoy, and keep clear of boat lanes.
Tulamben
- Where
- East Bali, Karangasem
- Access
- From the shore, about 25 m out
- Depth
- Wreck lies at roughly 5–30 m
- Rules
- Hands off the wreck and coral. Guiding needs a work permit.
The USAT Liberty, a US Army cargo ship sunk in the Second World War, lies only about 25 metres off a pebble beach. Its shallowest parts are within reach of beginners. The current is usually mild, and the nearby Coral Garden is about 3 to 15 metres deep.
In 2024 a foreign national on a visa on arrival was deported for guiding divers here, a reminder that the work-permit rules apply even at a beach dive site.
Nusa Penida
- Where
- Off the south-east coast, in the marine protected area
- Access
- By boat only
- Depth
- Manta Point cleaning station at around 10–12 m
- Rules
- Park fee of IDR 100,000. Stay 3 m from mantas and mola mola.
Nusa Penida sits inside a 20,000-hectare marine protected area. Reef mantas visit the cleaning stations at Manta Point year-round. Mola mola rise from deeper water, usually 25 to 40 metres, from roughly July to October.
Currents here are strong and change fast, especially in the channel between Nusa Penida and Nusa Ceningan. This is no place for unsupervised freediving. Go with an experienced boat crew and stay with the group.
Menjangan
- Where
- North-west Bali, West Bali National Park
- Access
- By boat, usually from Labuhan Lalang
- Rules
- National park entrance fee plus boat and guide charges.
Menjangan is a small island inside West Bali National Park, known for coral walls that drop away close to the surface. Water clarity is often excellent, which makes it a favourite for relaxed wall freediving.
Because it lies inside a national park, you pay a park entrance fee and visit with a registered boat and guide.
Padang Bai
- Where
- East Bali, Karangasem
- Access
- From small beaches and by boat
- Rules
- Busy ferry harbour. Use a surface buoy.
Padang Bai is the ferry port for Lombok and Nusa Penida, with small bays and reefs on either side of the harbour. It is a convenient stop between south Bali and Amed.
Boat traffic is heavy around the harbour. Always dive with a clearly visible surface buoy and flag, stay out of ferry lanes, and check conditions with a local operator first.
Sources: PADI on Tulamben; Tulamben (Wikipedia); Nusa Penida diving guide (2026); Love Bali on Menjangan. Fees and rules: see the legal guide.