We know holidays are a great time to relax & explore, but they can also be a great time to learn a new skill and find a new hobby too! Learning how to scuba dive and getting your PADI open water certification is a great achievement that can take you on underwater adventures all over the world, and the gorgeous water of Bali and surrounds is the perfect location to combine a holiday with getting your certification!
Who to dive with in Bali?
There are lots of choices for dive schools in Bali and you will find them mostly in the East Coast, North Coast and on Nusa Penida & Nusa Lembongan Islands (as these are the locations to dive in Bali).
We are huge Lembongan Island lovers and wanted to combine getting our PADI course completed with an Island getaway, so we chose to dive with Bali Hai Diving Adventures. The beauty of diving with Bali Hai Divers is if you want, they can arrange everything for you right from your land & boat transfers from Bali to Lembongan, to a stunning stay at their resort Hai Tide Beach Resort (our favourite place to stay on Lembongan whether we are diving or not!).
They also have everything right at the resort, the dive shop, dive pool, instructors & equipment. When you’re ready to dive it’s a simple walk pit to the beach out the front to step onto the dive boat. No wasting time travelling before getting on the boat! It’s the ultimate place to stay when combining a holiday with your dive course.
Bali Hai Diving Adventures is part of Bali Hai Cruises (a company that has been entertaining tourists on the waters of Bali for more than 30 years!) . They have served more than 300 000 divers on Lembongan Bay and surrounding destinations during this time…so you know you are in good hands! For the past 5 years, in collaboration with Mars, they have developed an underwater reef restoration project as part of their continued drive for eco–sustainability.
Where to start?
There are two ways to get started in your diving journey. First you jump right into doing your PADI open water dive course without any previous experience. If however, you are interested in trying scuba diving but not sure you are going to like it or not, the best way to start is with a Discovery Dive. This is a guided dive where you will learn basic skills in a dive pool before heading to the ocean. You will have a guide by your side for the whole dive and will go no deeper than 12 metres. If you love your discovery dive, then you might be ready to complete your PADI course to become an open water diver.
What is involved in the course?
The course is made up of some theory, learning skills in a dive pool and four ocean dives. The theory involves either watching some videos or reading the text and answering questions about what you’ve learned from it. We found it easier to complete our theory before heading over to Lembongan Island. This meant that once we were on the Island when we weren’t in the water learning to dive, we could be taking full advantage of the amazing facilities and food at Hai Tide Beach Resort and Hai Bar and Grill restaurant. You could even complete your theory before you arrive in Bali!
You need three days at the resort to complete the pool skills and oceans dives. On the first day you will be in the dive pool learning about your equipment and trying different skills in the safety of the 3m deep pool. On your second day you’ll get your first chance to experience heading underwater out in the ocean. Bali Hai Divers has a pontoon out in the ocean, which you will dive from for your first two ocean dives. There is lots to see around the pontoon, and during those first two dives you will practice different skills you’ve learned in the pool out in the ocean. From our very first moment submerging down underwater and seeing life under the sea, we knew diving was going to be something we loved! It felt like being part of entirely different reality, so much beauty and so much to take in.
On your last day you will do two ocean dives at spots around Nusa Lembongan& Nusa Penida (depending on the weather). You can expect to see lots of corals and sea creatures. If you’re lucky you might see some turtles or maybe even a manta ray too! By the end of your dives, you will be a fully certified open water diver and you’ll be able to dive down as deep as 18 metres.
Who can dive?
The open water PADI course is not just for adults, children as young as 10 years old can get their certification too. Be warned though, diving can become addictive, you’ll soon be planning your holidays around where you can dive next!
Luckily for us, Indonesia is home to some of the best diving spots in the world. We are now busy planning and ticking off our bucket list dives.
Hai Tide Beach Resort
Mushroom Bay, Jungutbatu, Nusa Lembongan, Kabupaten Klungkung, Bali 80771
