Bali is one of the most visited Indonesia islands and for good reason. The entire island is full of adventure and fun activities. Since Bali is an island the best activities obviously include the water. There are so many water sports in Bali that you cannot get bored. Tulamben and Nusa Penida have some of the best dives and snorkeling spots while Uluwatu has great surfing beaches suitable for both beginners and advanced surfers.
If you venture to the inside of the island you will find adrenaline junkies rafting at the white waters in Ayung and Telaga Waja rivers while more peaceful waterfalls exist near Ubud and to the north of the island. This guide has all the information you need about all the water sports in Bali you wish to try during your time here. From diving, snorkeling, surfing to waterfalls and river rafting this guide has all the best spots and best times to visit noted down.
How to get around Bali
Scooter
If you’re comfortable riding a scooter, this can be a fun and affordable way to get around Bali. You can rent a scooter from various rental shops in Bali for around IDR 60,000 – IDR 80,000 per day (approximately USD 4 – USD 6). Be sure to wear a helmet, and make sure your scooter is in good condition before you hit the road.
Local taxi
Taxis are widely available in Bali, and you can easily hire one to take you around Bali. Gojek and Grab are two apps that are like Ubers for Bali.
Rent a car
Renting a car can be a comfortable and convenient option, especially if you’re traveling with a group. You can rent a car for around IDR 800,000 – IDR 1,200,000 (approximately USD 55 – USD 85) for a full day. This will include pick up and drop off at your accommodation.
Top Water Sports in Bali
- Diving
- Tulamben
- Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Penida
- Surfing
- Beginners
- Advanced
- Snorkeling
- Tulamben
- Nusa Penida
- White Water Rafting
- Ayung River
- Telaga Waja River
- Waterfalls
Diving in Tulamben, East Bali
I went to Tulamben specifically because I had heard so much about how good the diving was there. Diving is one of the most popular water sports in Bali. Tulamben was the best diving I have ever done in my entire life. The village of Tulamben is a small local village on the east coast of Bali. It only has a few houses and some dive resorts next to the ocean. What makes this the best spot for diving in Bali is because there are no waves here. The ocean faces to the inside of the Indonesian archipelago and the ocean is completely calm here.
The Tulamben side is very famous because there is a sunken world war two shipwreck here which is home to huge pools of fish now. The shallow side of the shipwreck is just 5m deep and the deepest side is 30m. I saw more than 50 varieties of fish on the 2 dives I did here. I saw corals, nudibranchs, sea fans and sponges which were swarmed with bumphead parrotfish, stonefish, triggerfish, trumpetfish, long tipped bannerfish and giant barracudas. The east coast of Bali is also known for sightings of giant Mola Molas and whale sharks in the right season. If you go night diving you might even see reef sharks.
Other than the shipwreck diving site, Tulamben has 7 other diving sites which are equally interesting and beautiful. You can spend a few days here just exploring the dive sites. I visited an anemone forest and a drop off which were home to numerous beautiful species. The town has cheap dive resorts to stay at which are clean and have good food.
Dive Sites in Tulamben
- USAT Liberty
- Drop Off
- Coral Garden
- Alamanda
Checkout the complete guide to diving in Tulamben with the best dive companies and complete list of dive spots.
Diving in Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Penida
There are 3 islands to the south east of Bali where a lot of tourists go every day to experience snorkeling and diving with manta rays. The dive schools do day excursions where you get picked up from the hotel in Bali (Canggu/Kuta/Uluwatu) and are then driven to the port. From there you take a fast boat which takes 30 minutes to get to the dive site.
The dive sites at Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida are known for having manta rays year round. It is one of the top spots for water sports in Bali. If swimming and diving with manta rays has been a dream of yours then rest assured there is a 90% chance you will see them on your trip here. The manta rays stay in these waters all year because they are dense in nutrients.
There are two dive points known as Crystal Bay and Manta Point where divers are taken to dive with manta rays. Crystal Bay is a protected cove but Manta Point is a deeper dive which gives you the chance to see Mola Molas too. The Mola Mola hangs out in deeper cooler waters near this point. This is one of the few places on the planet where there is a good chance of seeing these huge sunfish.
Book a Dive Tour for Manta Point
For more experienced swimmers and divers, booking a diving tour to Manta Point offers an unforgettable underwater experience. While diving you can see some sea life that you wouldn’t see on a snorkeling tour. Some of my favorite ones are the Mola Mola, Blue Spotted Rays, Blue Triggerfish, Barracudas and reef sharks.
There are 8 dive sites on Nusa Penida on the west side of the island near Manta Point.
- Toyapakeh
- Ceningan Wall
- Gamat Bay
- Crystal Bay
- Manta Bay
- Labyrinth
- Manta Point
- East Manta Point
Most dive companies are happy to take you on 3 dives per day to whichever dive sites you want. There are a lot of reputable companies on Nusa Penida. Some of the ones with good reviews I recommend are the ones below. Please don’t go diving with any cheap companies because diving is a dangerous sport and you do not want faulty equipment failing at 20 meters below the surface.
Snorkeling
This is one of the best water sports in Bali loved by families and people of all age groups. Bali is one of the best snorkeling destinations in the world because of it. There are a lot of shallow reefs around the island where you can enjoy snorkeling.
Tulamben, East Bali
Tulamben in east Bali is a great spot for snorkeling because of how many shallow reefs it has. The USAT Liberty Shipwreck at the shallow end is just 5m which is the perfect depth for snorkeling. You can see a lot of fish near the surface here such as bumphead parrotfish, stonefish and triggerfish. There is also an eel garden near the surface where you can see eels poking out of the grounds in huge numbers.
There is another site called Coral Garden which is near the surface at Tulamben. It is full of anemones and you can see lots of Nemo fish here. I saw a cute couple with a lot of eggs on one of the anemones here. Even if diving is not something you are interested in, this is a great place to explore the marine life in Bali.
Nusa Penida
Nusa Penida’s Crystal Bay and Manta Bay are two other snorkeling places visited by tourists every day. This is because the manta rays swim very close to the surface here and you are guaranteed to see them while snorkeling as well as diving. You can do a day trip from Bali to Nusa Penida and come back the same day. Lots of tour companies offer snorkeling day trips from Bali with pickup and drop off at your hotel.
Book a Snorkel Tour for Nusa Penida
If you are not a great swimmer or prefer to stay near the surface of the water, you can book a snorkel tour to Manta Bay to get a glimpse of the incredible marine life.
Book Tour From Bali
If you are staying on Bali and want a day trip to swim with the Manta then this Manta Ray Snorkeling Tour is great for a full day trip. The tour picks you up from your hotel in Bali and then you take a fast boat to Nusa Penida. At Nusa Penida you board the boat that will take you to the Manta Bay, Crystal Bay and Mangrove Point. You will get to snorkel and 3 different spots, have lunch and do a kayak tour of Mangrove Point.
- Book Now: Manta Ray Snorkeling Tour from Bali
Book Tour From Nusa Penida or Nusa Lembongan
If you are staying on either of the islands then the tour companies will be able to pick you up from your hotel for the tour. On Nusa Penida the tours start from Crystal Bay and you can find vendors in the bay to take you out for the day. I would not recommend this though because most of the time there is no availability. You can use the Snorkeling Day Trip from Nusa Lembongan or 3 Spot Snorkeling Tour from Nusa Penida to book the tours in advance.
- Book Now: Snorkeling Day Trip from Nusa Lembongan
- Book Now: 3 Spot Snorkeling Tour from Nusa Penida
Surfing
One of the reasons Bali became so popular is because the surfers from Australia discovered that it was a surf paradise. There are spots all along the coast for beginners and advanced surfers. Surfing is one of the top water sports in Bali and sought out by surfers all around the world.
Beginner Surfer’s Guide
Bali is the best place for beginners to learn surfing because there are so many surf breaks which are gentle.
For beginners there are lots of gentle surf breaks near the beaches next to Kuta and Canggu. You will see a lot of surf schools with students out in the water all year round.
Uluwatu to the south of the island also has a lot of surf breaks that are categorized as advanced or beginner based on the season and weather conditions.
Kuta Beach
The surf break in front of Kuta Beach is equally popular with new surfers and tourists. But this beach is very dirty and crowded and best avoided.
If you go up north to the town of Canggu you will find several more surf breaks all through the drive and even beyond Canggu.
Batu Bolong
Since the town of Canggu is so popular with tourists, a lot of tourists are out in the water at the Batu Bolong surf break. This is a really popular surf break since the waves are gentle and you can learn and practice how to surf here.
Balangan Beach
Balangan is a stunning surf break with small waves that are suitable for beginners during smaller swells. When the swell gets larger it turns into a fast and steep wave for advanced surfers.
Baby Padang Padang
Baby Padang Padang is another gentle wave protected by a part of the cliff sticking out. It is a beautiful cove to learn surfing in Bali away from the crowds.
Dreamland Beach
Dreamland Beach in Uluwatu is one of the only beginner surf breaks that breaks over sand here. This is great for beginner’s since they can safely learn to bail.
Advanced Surfer’s Guide
For advanced surfers there are some great surf breaks near Uluwatu. Advanced surfers can of course surf the beach breaks at Canggu but they might be wanting more.
Uluwatu Beach/Suluban Beach
One of the best surf breaks for advanced surfers is at Uluwatu beach. The surf break is at the bottom of the cliffs and you have to walk all the way down and then swim out to the break. The waves here are unbeatable and you get a really long left hander if you catch a wave.
Padang Padang
This is the surf break where the famous Rip Curl Cup takes place in Bali. It has a long shallow wave that breaks over reef. During bigger swells the waves reach up to 12 feet.
Green Bowl
This is one of the most secluded surf spots in Bali. It’s at the very end of a cliff in the south of Uluwatu and most people don’t venture out here. It has some great waves during bigger swells.
White Water Rafting
There are three beautiful rivers in Bali where you can go white water rafting. They have amazing rapids and lots of great scenery along the ride. There are many companies that do tours to these three rivers.
Ayung River
The Ayung River is near Ubud and its great for a day trip to do some white water rafting. The rapids are pretty chill and the rafting takes about 2 hours to go don 10 kilometers of the river.
Telaga Waja River
Telaga Waja River has a longer rafting route of about 17km. This takes 2.5 to 3 hours to complete. The rafting points are 1 hour to the east of Ubud.
Melangit River
This is short ride of 2 hours but it has the most challenge level 3 and level 5 rapids in Bali. Most people prefer the above two rivers so this route tends to be more empty than the other routes.
Waterfalls in Bali
There are so many waterfalls in Bali it would be impossible to give a summary of all of them today. You can do a day trip or even a half day trip from any town in Bali to the waterfalls nearby. My guide to the waterfalls in Bali has all the details you need to know about visiting the waterfalls and having a great trip.
Conclusion
There are so many water sports in Bali that it becomes a great adventure to try and do them all. The diving and snorkeling allow you to see some incredible species like the Mola Mola and Manta rays. Surfing is another wonderful water sport in Bali you could try as a beginner. If you are interested in venturing further into the island then you will find gorgeous waterfalls and rivers where you can dive, relax and do some rafting!
