Menjangan
The reefs around Menjangan Island, off the northwestern tip of Bali, were once among the best dive sites around Bali, if not Indonesia. But in the late 1990s the reefs were beset by catastrophe. First, in 1997, there was a population explosion of coral eating Crown-of-Thorns sea stars. A year later what coral remained was bleached by abnormally warm waters bought on by El Niño. However, the damage was mostly limited to the shallow reefs, and the deeper walls still remain healthy.
The northwest of Bali is the least populated area of the island, and a large portion of it is reserved as a national park. Most of the dive sites are along the northern coast, from Menjangan Island eastward, but there are some dive sites around Gilimanuk, the city that is the 'gateway' between Bali and Java.
There are only a couple of resorts close to the center of the area, and there are, apparently, no dive operators here either. More accommodation options and several dive operators can be found in nearby Pemuteran.
Menjangan Dive Resorts
There are only a few resorts in the Menjangan area.
Pemuteran
Pemuteran seems to be becoming the prefered base for diving around northwest Bali. The village lies near the eastern end of the dive area. Pemuteran is getting popular with many people, not just divers, due to the wealth of other opportunities for 'adventure' in the region, as well as it's less developed nature that is far different from highly developed south. There are a number of hotels and resorts to choose from in the area, in all price ranges.
Pemuteran Resorts
Pemuteran is turning into the main area for development around northwest Bali. There are now several hotels and resorts in the village. Not all of them cater to divers, since the area also attracts an increasing number of people who want to escape the crowds in the south.
Pemuteran Dive Shops
There seem to be a handful of dive shops in Pemuteran, but some don't appear to have any on-line presence. The ones listed below seemed to be the 'reputable' operators. The 'sunken temple' featured on Sea Rovers web site seems particularly interesting.
- Easy Divers
- European owned by a pair of highly qualified divers.
- Sea Rovers
- Appears to be a 'fun' dive shop, yet with an appropriate seriousness about diving. Offers both PADI and SDI courses. Based in the Adi Assri resort.