Secret Bay Bali

The position of the reef in Secret Bay dive site which is lying just outside the mouth of the bay creates a channel through which waters are largely swept. This is mainly the reason why Secret Bay basically acts as a massive underwater nursery for many larval fish and other critters. Because of strong tidal currents fish and invertebrates here are extremely healthy, colourful and well-fed but also that the water can be quite cold and sometimes the temperature is only around 20-25°C. All these characteristic make Secret Bay diving in Bali an extremely appealing dive site for macro photographers even it is more than 3 hours drive from Padangbai.

The bay is only about two kilometres wide and very shallow 3-12m. It contains two small islands, and has even some areas of mangrove. Secret Bay Bali is of shore diving. The bottom is mostly black and grey volcanic sand with almost no coral, although there is some sea grass and often a great deal of debris to provide shelter and hiding places for the multitude of macro critters found here. Due to its shallowness too much fin movement or less than perfect buoyancy control will stir up the bottom, leaving you with low visibility.

Eat Sleep Dive Repeat

Eat Sleep Dive Repeat

Learn more about diving in Secret Bay

  • Intense currents of the Bali Strait that create the conditions for great marine life.
  • Beloved macro Bali dive site so don’t forget your macro lenses!
  • Rare and weird critters.
  • At other sites it’s difficult to see juveniles as they hide to avoid predators, however because Secret Bay is so shallow, there are very few large fish meaning the juveniles don’t need to hide.
  • It is about 3 to 5m deep, so the bottom time can be two hours.
  • Think about the right moment in which you would like to catch your subject. Is there any behavior, such as feeding, that you want to take pictures of?
  • The base for underwater photography it to keep in mind 6 major things – composition, lighting, background, focus, exposure, and depth of field.
  • Try to shoot from different angles.
  • Play around with light and strobe position based on the texture of the subject, and the water visibility – front lighting, side lighting, backlighting.
  • Think about background and what color will compliment your subject. Is there any colorful object nearby that will create a good background?
  • Do not risk injuring a marine animal or causing it to escape just because of your picture.
  • It usually looks good if you focus on the eyes or rhinophores.
  • Ensure that you have a proper exposure.
  • Think about the depth of field – do you want the background to be blurry or still in focus?

Muck Diving in Bali

For more information about prices check our

Muck Diving in Bali

For more information about prices check our

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