Bali

Crystal Bay off the northeast tip of Nusa Penida is the best place on Earth to encounter the rare mola mola (ocean sunfish) between July and October, when these bizarre disc-shaped giants rise from the depths to be cleaned. The site descends sharply past 40 m and cold upwellings that attract the sunfish can drop visibility and temperature rapidly, demanding careful dive planning. The upper reef at 10–18 m is an outstanding coral garden in its own right.

Located on the southwest coast of Nusa Penida, Manta Point is a shallow cleaning station and feeding area where reef mantas congregate, sometimes in groups of 20 or more. The site is relatively exposed to south-swell and moderate currents so it needs to be dived on the right conditions, but when it is calm the manta encounters at 5–16 m are supremely close-up and extended. Snorkellers and divers share the water here, so awareness is important.

The USS Liberty is a US Army cargo ship torpedoed in 1942 and now resting just metres off Tulamben village beach on Bali's northeast coast. Its accessibility — the bow sits at just 5 m and the stern at 30 m — combined with extraordinary marine life including bumphead parrotfish schools at dawn, make it one of the world's most dived wrecks. Night dives reveal sleeping turtles and hunting cuttlefish.

Amed Drift Dive Centre is a laid-back local operator on Bali's northeast coast, a short walk from the black-sand shores of Jemeluk Bay and its intact house reef. The centre focuses on the impressive USAT Liberty wreck at Tulamben, an American cargo ship that lies in shallow water and hosts thousands of species from soft corals to bumphead parrotfish in enormous dawn schools. Technical diving courses including cave and wreck penetration specialties are offered through TDI affiliation, catering to Bali's growing tech community.

Bali Reef Seekers is based in Sanur and organises day trips across Bali's three main dive zones: the Liberty wreck at Tulamben, the mola mola cleaning stations of Nusa Penida, and the muck diving paradise of Amed. Bali's unique position between the Indian and Pacific Oceans produces extraordinary marine biodiversity, and the team's naturalist guides are experts in finding elusive species like the Mimic octopus and ribbon eel. PADI courses from Discover Scuba to Divemaster are available, with a dedicated kids' pool for junior training.