Amed · Indonesia · Drift · Reef
Bunutan
Barracuda, reef sharks and giant trevally on the promontory
Area photo: Bernard DUPONT · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bunutan is a drift dive along a promontory, usually done by boat, where a sandy start with garden eels gives way to a steepening slope and a current that carries divers east. Barracuda, reef sharks and giant trevally live midway along the route, on a gentler slope with fewer corals.
Where it is and how deep
8.3442° S, 115.6757° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive begins on a sandy bottom with a large colony of garden eels. As the slope steepens, a current takes hold and pushes divers eastward, gentle on some days and strong on others. Down to 30 m the reef is in perfect health, with gigantic barrel sponges, and the promontory itself lies at 20 to 40 m among swirling masses of fish. Midway through, a slight ascent leads to a less steep slope with fewer corals, where barracuda, reef sharks and giant trevally live.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Reef sharks
- Trevally & jacks
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Amed: June to September is Bali's dry season, with hardly any rain on the coast; December to March brings west-monsoon showers.
Know before you go
- The current varies from gentle to strong and sets divers eastward along the slope.
Photos from Bunutan
Schweigeblick · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dive videos
Best Drift Dive in Amed. Scuba Dive Bunutan Reef · Reef Nomad on YouTube
Bunutan Reef Drift Dive - White Tip Reef Shark - Amed - Bali - Bali Reef Divers · balireefdivers on YouTube
Sources
- Bunutan (ScubaGo) — ScubaGo
- Amed dive sites — Ecodive Bali
- Bunutan — Bali Fab Dive
- Dive sites — Diving With Jim
Photo credits
- View down a green hillside to a curving bay with a dark beach and a village on the shore. by Schweigeblick, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Amed
Muck & macro
Ghost pipefish and mimic octopus on volcanic sand
Drift
A drift along a coral slope where the current can turn mid-dive
Wreck
A small wreck in the shallows off a pebble beach
A gentle bay slope that ends at a sheer wall
A pinnacle splits the wall into a canyon divers swim through
A wall reached straight off the beach at Jemeluk
Wall
A sandy approach that ends at a series of walls
A nursery for baby white-tip reef sharks
Similar dives elsewhere
Black coral on the deeper reef, dived as a drift
A drifted wall under a 200-year-old Spanish watchtower
A current-washed plateau at 25–30 m, pelagics one day, pygmies the next
A drifted slope of soft and black coral off Pamilacan's tip