Blue Season Bali

★ 5 · Grace McMillan · 2009-08-12

I went to Bali to dive, but I wanted to avoid the crowds of the south. The Blue Season dive center, based in Sanur, has a satellite office at Zen Resort Bali in the north, outside of Serrerit, and it was perfect in every regard. The dive master/instructor there, Peter, is professional, friendly, service-oriented and very knowledgable. He leads dive trips for people staying at the Zen Resort but also at other hotels in the area who want to go to PJ, Menjangen, Pemuteran and Tulemben. Blue Season has started sending him dive master interns from their program in the south, and that adds a great dimension to the dive experience because the dive experience can be a fresh, educational experience for everyone. The dive trips are usually small groups, and Peter is happy to tailor trips to the interests and skill levels of the people going. The sites are gorgeous and varried, from muck diving to wreck diving to coral walls, some shore diving and some accessed by boat. As a relatively new diver, I learned and grew as a diver in my time diving with Peter and his interns, and after a less professional experience at another dive resort further south, I was delighted by Peter's professionalism, cautious safety alertness, knowledgable discussion of the fish and other sea life at the different sites combined with a laid-back friendliness. The equipment was well-maintained, and guests could just sit back and enjoy while others did the hard work and heavy lifting to and from sites. It was an amazingly relaxing, enjoyable, fun experience. I also highly recommend the Zen Resort Bali as a place to stay. The staff is amazingly friendly, the service excellent, the environment relaxing and gorgeous. They have a fabulous spa that has massages and Ayurvedic treatments for all sorts of things, as well as yoga instruction and practice. For people looking for a low-key time, it is perfect.