Drop Off (Padang Bai) · Padang Bai

The story

A wall and the occasional shark.

Ten minutes north of Padang Bai harbour the reef edge falls away into a vertical face that drops past 40 metres. Soft corals carpet the upper wall, sponges and barrel sponges proliferate at depth, and gorgonians fan out at 25–30 m.

It's a quieter wall than Menjangan's Drop-Off — fewer divers, less spectacular gorgonians, but more pelagic potential due to the channel current passing through. Whitetip reef sharks patrol the deeper edge. Schooling jacks circle. Sea turtles drift past on the wall.

"Padang Bai's vertical dive."

AOWD recommended (depth). Pair it with Ferry Channel for a half-day of bigger-fish action, or with Blue Lagoon for a wall-then-macro morning.

Topography

How the dive unfolds.

Padang Bai's deep wall. Boat entry, descend on a shallow plateau at 8 m, then over the edge of a wall that drops past 38 m to a sandy bottom. Gorgonian forests on the wall face, big schools of fusiliers above, occasional reef sharks and pelagics. Recreational divers hold at 28–30 m.

Plan a 40-min wall dive: boat drop on the plateau, descend along the wall to your training limit (28 m for AOWD, 18 m for OW), drift along the wall scanning gorgonians, return along the wall top. Nitrox 32% recommended. Watch your gauges — the wall pulls you deeper than you realise.

Marine life · what you might see

The ocean's not a zoo.

Sightings are pure chance — current, season, time of day, and luck. Below is what divers spot at this site, but no operator can guarantee any specific encounter on any specific dive.

Visitor Whitetip reef sharks 35%

Visitor Schooling jacks 60%

Visitor Napoleon wrasse 30%

Visitor Sea turtles 55%

Visitor Tuna 25%

Resident Anthias clouds 90%

Resident Pyramid butterflyfish 90%

Resident Bannerfish 85%

Resident Moray eels 75%

Resident Scorpionfish 70%

Resident Nudibranchs 75%

Resident Lionfish 75%

Resident Soft corals 100%

Resident Gorgonian fans (deep) 90%

Resident Barrel sponges 90%

Resident Hard coral edge 100%

Always-presentThe wall, soft corals, gorgonians at depth, anthias clouds, butterflyfish.

Sometimes-presentWhitetip reef sharks (about 1 in 3 dives), Napoleon wrasse, sea turtles, jacks.

Practical

What you need.

01 · Cert

Certification

AOWD recommended.

02 · Entry

Entry · Distance

Boat dive. ~10 min from Padang Bai harbour by traditional jukung. Negative entry.

03 · Flow

Currents

Moderate to strong — drift dives are the norm. Always carry SMB and stay close to your guide.

04 · When

Best time of day

Morning slack tide window. Currents pick up after midday — plan accordingly.

05 · Fees

Site fee

Padang Bai harbour fee ~30,000 IDR (€2) per diver per day — included in your PMD safari price.

06 · Schedule

Surface intervals

Back to harbour between dives. Two-tank trip standard.

Ready?

Dive Drop Off (Padang Bai)
on a Padang Bai safari.

All-inclusive: flights, transfers, villa, dives, food, marine fees. Two-tank Padang Bai day with this site as part of the rotation.

Plan Your Trip ← All Padang Bai sites