Well, I think I broke a new record on not updating this website. I keep it on my list to redesign it etc but I have not gotten around to it. It’s proven to be pretty difficult to sell spearfishing charters. They are pretty few and far between. They also tend to be bargain shoppers who email everyone on the first page of google to see who will give them the best deal. Multiple times now I have contacted Chad Palan to refer him a trip, only to have the people already be in contact with him.
Kind of Slow
I would say spearfishing in Bali is mostly slow compared to Key West but you do get shots at dogtooth tuna and GTs, which is pretty awesome. You do see fish but that doesn’t mean you are going to get them. There were days where I didn’t shoot a single thing. This changed later in the trip once I learned which little fish were good to eat. You can grab a bunch of fish to eat in a pretty short amount of time if you focus on it.
Yeah, those rocks are pretty sick
To be clear, I was staying in Denpasar so it’s not like I was out at any secret islands or anything. I am sure there are areas teeming with dumb fish somewhere in Indo. I was diving at the famous (beat up) areas close to the city.
It is extremely inconsistent diving. The conditions are highly variable. You would think you are in the middle of the ocean at the equator so the water would be warm and clear. This would be wrong at least in my limited experience. We had some days with pretty warm clear water but then we also had days with 60-degree water with 20 feet of vis.
Fruit break
I dove 7 days, sometimes only for a half day. I shot and landed a medium sized GT and an African Pompano. I also shot a dogtooth tuna, not a huge one maybe 40# but it cut me off on the reef and took my shaft and slip tip. I also shot a bunch of little weird fish for the grill along with a Pacific barracuda and some type of triggerfish.
Weird surgeon fish = Delicious
I dove on four different boats with four different captains. Prices ranging from like $50 to $150. The one boat I went on had 3 meals a day and 3 mates dedicated to getting you and your gear in out of the water. In addition to the meals, there was unlimited water and beer. Like literally every time you get back in the boat they hand you another water. That trip was with Mario leaving from Sanur beach area. You can look him up on Instagram.
There are dogtooth
Out of the 7 days on the water, I saw dogtooth two of the days. I had other people on the boat shoot them and successfully land them. There was a couple big dogtooth shot in the same areas I was diving while I was there. It could happen.
Little boat
I saw large Maori Seaperch a lot, which look like a giant cross between a dog snapper and grunt but I was unable to land one. They seem to be one of the smartest fish ever. I think I could have done better with them with a reel since they tended to be deep. Rather than dragging a cannon and float line down there. Many of the places I dove literally have no bottom you just follow the rock almost straight down forever. The fish hang out and just go deeper as you go deeper.
Living Coral
There are coral reefs there that are amazing, make everything we have in Keys look like dead skeletons.
Huge piles of this everywhere
Although the fishing was slow it was still an awesome trip and I will definitely go back. It’s cheap to go diving and the ability to go and try to shoot tunas while my girlfriend can spend the day at the spa is pretty great really.
Paradise of Cheapness
First off, everything in Bali is super cheap and also much if it is really good. If you have so much money you don’t care about what anything costs this might not matter to you but it’s important to me. The cheaper it is the longer I can stay.
You can eat out for $1.50 – $5 and although some places aren’t that great there are ones that are. Giant spicy tuna rolls for $3, I must have eaten a dozen of them. There is something called Babi Guling which is suckling pig, a little more $ but worth it.
Private pool. really kind of could have stayed there longer
Visually and culturally the city is amazing. Temples, cliffs, beaches, monkeys and surfing. Tons of dumb vacation stuff to do. Tons of places to stay. We stayed at places ranging from $15 a night homestays to $130 a night two bedroom suites with private pools and free room service and onsite masseuse.
I also went to a cockfight which was something you can’t see everywhere.
Definitely, Recommend
I would say definitely go here and bring a girl with you. Don’t expect to get a dogtooth.
