Diving & Snorkeling at The Seed

Roughly 45 minutes to an hour north of Candidasa, Amed strings together a run of distinct dive sites along its coastline, from easy shore diving to dedicated muck diving grounds. Jemeluk Bay offers an easy, current-free sandy slope well suited to first dives and night diving. The Japanese Wreck, a WWII-era patrol boat resting in just 2 to 10 meters of water a short swim from shore, has been swallowed by soft coral and is shallow enough for confident snorkelers to explore its upper structure directly, with shore entry straight off the beach. Nearby, the Pyramids, an artificial reef built from dozens of concrete structures at around 20 meters, has matured into a habitat for garden eels, blue-spotted stingrays, and turtles. Amed's muck diving sites are a favorite among macro lovers and underwater photographers, with sightings of ghost pipefish, frogfish, and the occasional peacock mantis shrimp buried in the sand rewarding a slow, patient dive.

Bali's signature dive, and one of the most accessible wreck dives anywhere. The 120-meter cargo ship, known simply as the Liberty wreck or the Liberty shipwreck, was torpedoed in 1942, beached for repair, and finally slid into the sea when Mount Agung erupted in 1963. It now rests on its side roughly 30 meters offshore, spanning depths from 5 meters at the stern to 30 meters at the bow, meaning every certification level, from beginner diver to advanced, can dive some part of the wreck via a straightforward shore entry. Six decades of coral growth have turned the steel hull into a living reef, home to an estimated 400-plus species: schooling trevally, hawksbill turtles, giant barracuda, pygmy seahorses tucked into sea fans, and, for early risers, a resident school of bumphead parrotfish that gathers at dawn. Divers looking for a change of pace can follow the adjacent Drop Off, a wall dive running from the shallows to well past recreational limits, right next to the wreck.

East Bali's benchmark beginner site with a sheltered, horseshoe-shaped bay with two entry points, a shallow buoy at around 5 meters and a deeper one closer to 18, opening onto beautiful coral reefs that top out near 15 to 16 meters. Sweetlips hang over the hard coral, stonefish and moray eels hide beneath a prominent stand of staghorn coral, and the calm, clear water makes it equally workable for a novice diver's first PADI Open Water Diver dive or a relaxed snorkel from the beach. It is one of the more approachable bali dive sites for a beginner diver still building confidence underwater.

Gili Tepekong rises sharply from the seabed and drops just as fast, earning its nickname "the toilet" for the swirling, unpredictable downdraft currents that form around it. The east wall runs from around 14 meters to 40 meters, offering some of the most stunning coral walls in the area, and the site's signature feature, Tepekong Canyon, opens near 25 meters, lined with black basalt boulders carpeted in soft and hard coral. A tunnel near the southern slope, known locally as the Blue Hole, threads through the rock at roughly 18 to 21 meters and emerges onto a sheer wall dropping well beyond 28 meters. Divers here regularly encounter white tip reef sharks, eagle rays, barracuda, Napoleon wrasse, and, during the cooler-water dry season months of July through October, the oceanic sunfish, or mola mola, drawn to cleaning stations on the reef.

Gili Mimpang, also known as Batu Tiga for its three surfacing rock outcrops, offers more varied terrain with a sandy bottom around 5 meters between the rocks, a sloping coral reef, and a drop-off running from 30 meters into open water. White tip reef sharks rest in the current on the sandy flats, and the site holds a cleaning station where mola mola gather in season alongside big schools of fusiliers, trevally, and the occasional wobbegong or coral catshark. Amazing visibility is one of the site's calling cards, regularly reaching 25 to 30 meters, a byproduct of the same currents that make the drift diving here demanding.

Gili Biaha, the most remote of the three, is built around its shark cave, a wide opening in the reef wall at roughly 10 to 12 meters where white tip reef sharks rest by day. Swell pushes a distinct pressure surge into the cave, a sensation divers feel as a brief pulse in the chest with each wave. Outside the cave, a rugged, terraced wall rings the island, dropping toward depths beyond 40 meters, with lobsters, gorgonians, and black coral populating the cracks and overhangs. Mola mola visit here too, during the same dry-season window as the other two sites, and the site is a natural habitat for a wide range of schooling fish and reef life.

Built around two signature draws, including Manta Point and the neighboring Manta Bay, where manta rays gather at cleaning stations and glide within arm's reach, and Crystal Bay, known for cooler-water mola mola sightings during the dry season, roughly July through October. Currents run stronger here than at the more sheltered sites closer to Candidasa, and visibility frequently exceeds 20 meters in season, placing it among the best diving Bali has to offer for manta ray encounters. Manta ray season and mola mola season overlap loosely with the region's dry season, while the rainy season tends to bring softer, less predictable visibility.

For guests planning a longer excursion or a multi-day dive trip, Menjangan Island inside West Bali National Park sits on the opposite corner of the island from Candidasa, a multi-hour drive across Bali followed by a short boat crossing. The island is known for gentle currents, exceptional wall diving, and some of Bali's healthiest, most undisturbed coral reefs, along with the muck diving grounds at nearby Secret Bay, prized by macro photographers for rare critters found nowhere else on the island. Given the distance from Candidasa, this excursion suits guests building it into a longer stay or a dedicated diving itinerary rather than a single-day add-on. The concierge team can outline logistics and timing on request.