Spotfin lionfish at Close Encounters, Pemuteran

Photo: portioid, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Close Encounters

Pemuteran, Bali, Indonesia

  • Beginner
  • Mild current
  • Best Apr to Oct

Close Encounters is a beginner dive site in Pemuteran, Bali, Indonesia. Dives run from 5 to 28 m, with mild current. The best months are April to October. Marine life here includes eagle ray, tuna and snapper. 4 dive shops on Scubalo run trips here.

Updated

Conditions at Close Encounters

Max depth
28 m
Depth range
5–28 m
Current
Mild
Level
Beginner
Depth profile: dives from 5 m to 28 m.

Safety

Boat traffic
Dive boats and snorkellers share the shallows; surface close to your boat.

About Close Encounters

Close Encounters is a reef off Pemuteran in northwest Bali, named because something always turns up: eagle rays, reef sharks, tuna or jacks. Coral gardens at 3 to 5 metres give way to a slope and drop-off to about 28 metres.

Close Encounters is a reef 5 to 10 minutes by boat from the beach at Pemuteran, on Bali's northwest coast. Reef Seen, the area's first dive operator, named it for the visitors that always turn up.

On the top, coral gardens at 3 to 5 metres suit snorkellers too. The eastern side becomes a steep slope and drop-off to about 28 metres, with coral bommies along the way, and visibility ranges from 10 to 40 metres.

Eagle rays, reef sharks, schools of tuna, jacks, fusiliers and snappers pass the reef, and on rare days a whale shark. The current is usually gentle, so it suits every level and both macro and wide-angle photography.

When to dive Close Encounters

Best months: April, May, June, July, August, September, October.

Season

Right now
Year round
Dived all year.
Best visibility
April to October, Bali's dry season, with the calmest seas.

Marine life at Close Encounters

What divers report seeing here. Tap one to see where else it turns up.

Type of diving

Questions about Close Encounters

Where is Close Encounters?

Off Pemuteran in northwest Bali, 5 to 10 minutes by boat from the beach.

Why is it called Close Encounters?

Because something always turns up, from eagle rays and reef sharks to tuna, jacks and, rarely, a whale shark.

How deep is Close Encounters?

Coral gardens at 3 to 5 metres slope to about 28 metres.

Is Close Encounters good for beginners?

Yes. The current is usually gentle, and the shallow coral gardens suit snorkellers too.

When is the best time to dive Close Encounters?

Pemuteran is dived all year, and April to October, Bali's dry season, usually brings the best visibility.

Reviews

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Dived here? Tell other divers what it was like: the visibility, the current and what you saw.

Dive shops that go to Close Encounters

4 shops in the directory run trips here.

See all 4 shops