Noodles - Bali
Noodles. What a name. We love this site for its sheer simplicity and the often-overlooked magic of a good drift. It’s not about finding that one big pelagic here; it’s about going with the flow and letting the reef come to you. You drop in, usually with a gentle westward push, and just glide along a sloping coral garden. The reef here is wonderfully rich, a proper tapestry of hard corals, especially those big, knobbly common mushroom corals that give the bottom so much texture. Keep an eye out for the smaller stuff darting between the polyps – we’ve seen striped catfish hoovering the sand and more blennies than you can count, like the banded and variable blennies, popping their heads out of tiny holes. The channels carved into the reef add a nice topographical touch, creating little hidey-holes for juvenile scribbled angelfish or even a shy Poss’ scorpionfish. Sometimes, you’ll see the odd jellyfish pulsating by, adding to the gentle rhythm of the drift. Visibility can be a bit variable depending on recent rain, but generally, it’s a pleasant, easy dive, perfect for photographers who want to focus on macro life without fighting a current.
- Location
- Bali, Indonesia, Southeast Asia
- Coordinates
- -5.758522, 106.596110
- Type
- reef
Marine Protected Area: KK DKI Jakarta
Best Time to Dive in Bali
The warmest water temperatures in Bali occur in December, averaging 30.9°C. The coolest conditions are in August at 29.1°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 30.1°C
- February: 29.7°C
- March: 30.1°C
- April: 30.7°C
- May: 30.6°C
- June: 30.2°C
- July: 29.4°C
- August: 29.1°C
- September: 29.3°C
- October: 30.1°C
- November: 30.9°C
- December: 30.9°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Bali
- Air Kecil Island (reef)
- AKISHIO - 40m (wreck)
- ALKEN PENDA - 2m (wreck)
- All 4 Diving Indonesia
- ALPHINE - 19m (wreck)
- Amed wall (wall)
- Amed Zen Divers - 5-15m (reef)
- AMUKTI - 20m (wreck)
- Anchor Wreck (wreck)
- Anchor Wreck (cenote)
- Anchor Wreck (wreck)
- Ayer Sedang (reef)
- Bali Aqua Diving
- Bali Dive Trek
- Bali International Diving Professionals (BIDP)
Nearest Dive Centres to Noodles
Marine Life in Bali
Home to 528 recorded species including 359 reef fish, 73 hard corals, 42 sharks & rays, 12 other, 12 sea snails & nudibranchs, 11 seagrass & algae.
Notable Species
- Small giant clam (Tridacna maxima) - Clams & Mussels
- Boring Clam (Tridacna crocea) - Clams & Mussels
- Fluted clam (Tridacna squamosa) - Clams & Mussels
- cymodocea (Cymodocea rotundata) - Seagrass & Algae
- Species code: Ea (Enhalus acoroides) - Seagrass & Algae
- Black sea cucumber (Holothuria atra) - Sea Cucumbers
- thalassia (Thalassia hemprichii) - Seagrass & Algae
- chocolate chip sea star (Protoreaster nodosus) - Starfish
- Staghorn coral (Acropora hyacinthus) - Hard Corals
- Rock Cod (Cephalopholis boenak) - Reef Fish
- Pinkfish (Holothuria edulis) - Sea Cucumbers
- Philippine Spurdog (Squalus montalbani) - Sharks & Rays
- Gendarme Fish (Acanthurus olivaceus) - Reef Fish
- seagrass (Halophila ovalis) - Seagrass & Algae
- Staghorn coral (Acropora cerealis) - Hard Corals
- Staghorn coral (Acropora solitaryensis) - Hard Corals
- Hoeven's wrasse (Halichoeres melanurus) - Reef Fish
- Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Staghorn coral (Acropora nasuta) - Hard Corals
- Argus Grouper (Cephalopholis argus) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Noodles
Based on average water temperature of 30.1°C, currents 3 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 30°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories