Returning to Amed, Bali (by Michelle)

Amed, Bali, has got to be one of our favourite places for a freediving trip. This was our 3rd Zenners trip there, and here’s why:

Being just a half a day of travel away, it's easy enough to get to - perfect for a long weekend. We left Singapore on Saturday 26 October morning and arrived there in the afternoon for the afternoon dive, with time to spare for a nap before it. It felt really good to be diving in crystal clear waters again!The training sites are accessible too - just a short swim from the shore of Jemeluk bay to the 25m spot, and another 100m+ out for the 45m spot. No need to bother with boats here! Over the 5 days that we were there, we had many enjoyable dives and personal bests set.

Amed also has many areas for recreational freediving and snorkelling. Beautiful reefs line most of the bay, abundant with fish. Below the cliff at the end of the bay, there are massive heads of coral with magnificent giant sea fans. And of course, we had to make a trip to the USAT Liberty wreck located in Tulamben. Everyone had a great time exploring the wreck and we saw so much marine life! A turtle, maori wrasse, garden eels, flounder, trumpet fish, trigger fish... However, we also saw a lot of plastic drifting around which spoiled the dive a little.

And the last reason why we love coming back to Amed is the amazing food! There are many options for both local, fusion and Western cuisine here with vegetarian and vegan options. Blue Earth, Warung Pantai and Galanga are among some of our favourites, and we had no issues eating at the same place more than once!

We are planning many more trips next year! On the agenda are Cebu, Philippines, over the Easter long weekend, Lady Elliot Island, Australia in June (to see manta rays!), Nusa Penida, Indonesia over National Day long weekend, and Komodo Island, Indonesia, towards the end of the year. We would love for you to join us, so stay tuned if you are keen!