Bali Diving - Tepekong Bali

The Canyon, Tepekong - is a 300 m long rock which offers some of the most spectacular diving in Bali. However, steep walls, the canyon, cold water and strong currents make this a site for experienced divers only. Drifting with the current you can see sharks, moray eel, rays and big pelagics. Visibility is usually very good. If conditions are not suitable, there are other good sites in the vicinity. The Canyon is located off the very south-western tip of Tepekong, max depth 40 m. Entering on the steep slope just slightly north of the Canyon itself, you head straight down to 25 m and enter The Canyon. If there is no current (a very rare occurrence), you will be able to clearly see the dramatic beauty of these stunning, craggy black stone walls. If there is the usual swirling current, you can still see and feel the drama of the site, but your view will be somewhat obstructed by the huge schools of sweetlips, snapper and big-eyed trevally, bumphead parrotfish, unicorn fish, batfish, groupers, sharks (usually white tip reef sharks) and other pelagics - which may include tuna and mola-mola (oceanic sunfish) in season (September to October). These waters are rich with nutrients that attract smaller fish - damsels, basslets and anthias - and therefore larger fish too! The Canyon has some soft corals and small gorgonians.

Reef characteristics: drop-off
Visibility: 15-30 metres
Current: moderate
Coral growth: stone and soft coral
Marine life: many species of reef fish, chance of shark encounters
Highlights: large staghorn coral, large gorgonie fans

East Tepekong - A wall dive. Entering from the boat you drop down to 14 m along a small coral reef on the slope. To the right runs a wall (depth over 40 m), to the left the small coral reef continues, with hard, soft and table corals, (maximum depth 24 m). The marine life is excellent with the occasional turtle, tuna, parrotfish, barracuda, angelfish, scorpion fish, butterfly fish, sweetlips and many kinds of triggerfish. Conditions are generally easier here than at The Canyon but you can still expect to encounter surge and sometimes strong down currents. On the gentle slope at northeast Tepekong is a small, shallow (10 m), semi-protected, rocky reef with bommies. Biaha - This rock is shaped like a banana and is about 4 km from Mimpang and Tepekong. The current here can be very strong, not only horizontally but also upwards and downwards. Most of the awkward currents are on the northern slope. The surge also can be very strong. There is a beautiful and healthy reef around the island, a rocky slope in the north and a wall around the southern part. This rugged black wall, with the breaking waves above, is absolutely beautiful in places and at times it is almost as if the fish are superfluous - but not quite! There are various entry points around the island, and your dive can cover almost the entire circumference of the island or just a small part, it depends on your interests and also, of course, the currents and conditions!

Characteristics: rocky steep slope in the open sea
Visibility: 20-40 m
Current: medium to strong
Coral growth: beautifully grown with stone coral
Fish life: all varieties of reef fish
Highlights: shark cave, fair chance of big fish

Gili Selang - A small island lying off Bali’s eastern point which, like all exposed sites, at times has ripping currents. The interesting and rich sand slope to the north of the island has some stands of hard branching corals and occasional bommies, the deeper areas of the slope are more protected and therefore home to sea fans, soft corals, barrel sponges and coral bushes. Along this sand slope you may well see white tip reef shark and bumphead parrotfish. Swimming at about 18 m, moving southwards with the current around the east side of Gili Selang, can provide you with great visibility. Here however, the slope becomes rockier, much steeper and loses any significant coral cover. Tucking into the south side of the island and coming in towards Bali, you will get out of the current, and encounter another area of low but healthy reef with many moray eels and schooling fish including trevally. Dotted around are bommies and leather corals.

Mimpang - is an island outside Amuk Bay. At 12 m you see a small coral reef, white sand and a small wall, maximum depth 30 m. Look out for trumpet fish and during the season (August-September) mola-mola (oceanic sunfish). The current can be up and down and sometimes a strong surge as you enter. Also known as Batu Tiga ("Three Rocks") Mimpang is exactly that: three large rocks that break the surface and several others below, which run in a ridge: to the north towards Bali and to the south (the richer end) dropping into deeper water. Although Mimpang is only 1 km from Tepekong the conditions at the two sites are regularly different. Therefore if you cannot dive at Mimpang and go to Tepekong instead, you may well be able to do your second dive at Mimpang. Mimpang’s Shark Point offers a better chance to see white tip reef shark than Tepekong does, and often in great numbers. This is where you have the best chance of seeing sharks in Bali. The current here can be strong, but is fairly predictable.

Dive Sites

TEPEKONG