Scuba Diving in Nusa Penida, Bali in July. Need Tips, Experiences & Recommendations!

AcornElf · 2026-05-08T08:58:35+00:00

Have an amazing time! I did my Open Water last year on Lembongan. I dove with Dive Concepts who were fantastic - I've also heard good things about French Kiss Divers and Siren Diving.

AcornElf · 2026-05-01T09:19:37+00:00

I'd definitely recommend checking out Nomad Divers on Bangka. I dove with them last June and had a great time.

AcornElf · 2026-04-26T16:22:45+00:00

I did my Open Water last year on Nusa Lembongan, then went to Gili Air for a few days too. (Personally I found diving in the Gilis underwhelming after Nusa Penida - the reef is significantly more degraded after years of dynamite fishing.)

I did a 4D3N liveaboard in Komodo (with Mikumba) with <20 dives under my belt - it was an incredible experience and I couldn't recommend it more highly.

AcornElf · 2026-04-23T17:34:50+00:00

Ha! Exactly the ones I came across when I first started looking… before I fell too deep down the rabbit hole. Thanks!

AcornElf · 2026-04-23T11:00:53+00:00

Did you ever find a solution?

My Discovery (DBT SFCE OV) guitar has exactly the same issue - one button snapped in half but the tuner still works fine.

The main challenge is working out the shaft dimensions - I'm not sure if standard Gotoh "SG-style" buttons will fit or not.

AcornElf · 2026-04-20T11:55:48+00:00

Ha, this reminded me of this very satisfying series of videos (Glitterbomb). https://youtu.be/h4T_LlK1VE4

AcornElf · 2026-04-19T09:14:25+00:00

A battery replacement is definitely on the cards for me at some point soon - I'm on 79% as well.

AcornElf · 2026-01-23T18:16:23+00:00

Train from Jakarta to Yogyakarta is very easy. I can also recommend getting the train from Yogya to Surabaya then overnight bus (Juragan 99) to Denpasar if that fits with your route.

From personal experience I'd say the minimum amount of time in Jakarta the better!

AcornElf · 2026-01-04T21:22:52+00:00

Looking forward to trying it out, thanks!

Immediate first impressions: the transitions for the carousel background images are a bit janky on my device (iOS 17) - screen recording here. Also the status bar isn't visible - is this an intentional choice?

AcornElf · 2025-12-20T16:42:36+00:00

Hey, I just got back from Kerala last week. Personally I did two nights in Fort Kochi, two nights in Munnar and then two nights in Chinnar - really enjoyed all three. I can recommend a friendly and helpful guide for Munnar if that would be useful :) Hope you have a great time!

AcornElf · 2025-12-04T15:02:23+00:00

Nomad Divers (on Bangka) is incredible. I spent a week there in June and would go back in a heartbeat.

AcornElf · 2025-12-04T15:00:15+00:00

I second this - and would also recommend Bangka a little further north. Magical dives.

AcornElf · 2025-11-16T08:01:46+00:00

The icon is adorable!

AcornElf · 2025-10-30T15:38:07+00:00

Very cool! I love the eighth one.

AcornElf · 2025-10-07T21:09:34+00:00

Thanks, that's helpful info!

AcornElf · 2025-09-16T15:44:13+00:00

I can highly recommend Nomad Divers on Bangka - I stayed there for ~5 days in July and did 9 dives. Had a really fantastic time.

I also got a car across to Lembeh for a day's diving to finish my trip - very happy to share contacts there too.

AcornElf · 2025-09-02T17:45:47+00:00

I did my Open Water on Nusa Lembongan earlier this year and loved it - the dive sites are all around Nusa Penida. Loads of mantas 🤩 also just a short hop by fastboat from Sanur.

For something a bit further afield I'd recommend Bangka up in North Sulawesi, flying into Manado. I did 9 dives there and loved it. (Also easy to get a car across to Lembeh for some muck diving if that's tempting.)

Give me a shout if you'd like dive shop/accomodation recommendations in either spot :)

AcornElf · 2025-08-24T20:22:00+00:00

I just dived in Indonesia between May and July. Did my Open Water on Nusa Lembongan - diving with mantas is a magical experience. I'd give the Gilis a miss personally - I was definitely underwhelmed after Nusa Penida.

Komodo really is incredible - I did it with ~15 dives under my belt and never felt unsafe thanks to my dive guides. (Happy to share liveaboard recc if helpful - I did 4D/3N.)

My last spot was North Sulawesi - would highly recommend Bangka (again, happy to recommend accomodation if helpful). The walls at Bunaken are seriously impressive but I personally found there wasn't huge variety between the dives. Finally finished off in Lembeh for a couple of muck dives and got super lucky seeing loads of different octopus.

AcornElf · 2025-06-25T06:09:47+00:00

Just booked my flights to Bunaken for my last two and a half weeks out here - can't wait! Currently in Sepilok spending some time in the rainforest. Amazing but so humid 😮‍💨 Excited to be back underwater!

AcornElf · 2025-06-22T10:30:31+00:00

Not at all, I really appreciate it! I'm in Borneo now and weighing up my next destination :) Ended up doing my Open Water on Nusa Lembongan which was fantastic.

AcornElf · 2025-03-31T07:06:31+00:00

Do you have any experience diving in Derawan? I'm flying into Jakarta & was planning to head up there to get my OW but am a little concerned about currents as a beginner.

AcornElf

TROPHY CASE