Think of Bali and images of palm fringed beaches spring to mind.  Bali’s beaches are all undeniably beautiful.  Those picture-postcard silver or white tropical beaches do exist, but there’s also black volcanic sand beaches as well as deep blue lagoons and sleepy coves..

Sanur beach is about a five – ten minute drive from the capital Denpasar and is the definitive palm lined white sandy beach of tropical dreams. Only a stone’s thrown from that idyllic seafront though you’ll also find ancient temples standing as solemn and proud today as they have done for centuries. The beaches of Kuta and Legian stretch along the south western side of Bali. Much livelier and far more “tourist” than Sanur, Kuta offers shops, pubs and bars and a host of other facilities.

If you like what Kuta offers, but would prefer something less crowded, then try Lovina Beach in the northern tip of the island.  It’s well known for spectacular sunsets, snorkelling, and diving as well as its night life and is the best place to see dolphin. Directly south of the airport, on the way from Denpasar is Nusa Dua, a new luxurious resort area where the world’s most sumptuous hotels gracefully integrate into the beautiful white beaches. Crystal clear water provides excellent snorkelling and diving and the waves on the northern and the southern part of Nusa Dua make for great surfing.

Bali is home to the vast majority of Indonesia’s small Hindu minority and is the largest tourist destination in the Indonesian archipelago.  Renowned for its highly developed arts, including dance, sculpture, painting, leather and metal working and music, Balinese tradition is strongly influenced by Indian, Chinese and particularly Hindu culture….

The first European contact with Bali was made by Dutch explorer Cornelis de Houtman who arrived in 1597. The Dutch were the main colonial power in the nineteenth century, however Dutch rule over Bali had came relatively late in the day  compared with Java and Maluku for example.   Bali therefore retained much of its own distinct character and local control.  Following Japan’s surrender in August 1945, the Dutch returned to Indonesia determined to reinstate their  colonial status. This was resisted by the Balinese and Bali was eventually included in the “Republic of the United States of Indonesia” when the Netherlands recognised Indonesian independence in 1949.

The 1950s and early 1960s saw conflict between the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI).  An attempted coup in Jakarta was put down by forces led by “strong man” General Suharto and the army became the dominant power as it instigated a ruthless anti-communist purge.  Many years of political upheaval followed, but by 2005, the military had pulled back from direct participation in government and a more or less stable democracy was established.

Bali  suffered considerably less than other Indonesian islands from Tsunami and earthquake damage and this has benefitted the main tourist locations of Legian, Seminyak, Sanur and the newer development of Nusa Dua. Bali is renowned for its diverse and sophisticated art forms, such as painting, sculpture, woodcarving, handcrafts, and performing arts as well as the “signature” percussion orchestra music, known as gamelan.  Balinese dances portray stories from Hindu epics such as the Ramayana but with heavy Balinese influence.

If you have a sense of adventure, are passionate about  Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus and don’t mind flying out to a holiday destination from UK airports, then a brand new member of the  Tropical Sky family could be for you!

Tropical Sky Scuba Diving aims is to provide the same standards of excellent customer service and travel advice to ensure we create the perfect tailor-made luxury diving holiday. Focussed exclusively on the needs of those who crave underwater adventure as well as holiday sun, Scuba Diving is the sole passion of the new site.

We have a very experienced team that are exclusively focused on providing you with a great value for money diving holiday. Tropical Sky Scuba Diving has practical and direct experience of the exciting destinations in their worldwide programme. Stephen Cooper is the commercial manager for Tropical Sky Scuba Diving and he’s worked in the travel industry for over 10 years, five  with British Airways Holidays before spending six years at specialist diving, windsurfing and kitesurfing tour operator Sportif.  Steve will regularly update the new site with blog postings and welcomes contributions from experienced divers and bloggers on their favourite locations throughout the world.

Top Scuba Diving Destinations include the Maldives, with incredible diving and an excellent choice of island resorts and liveaboards or the “wreck capital” of the Caribbean on the beautiful island of Grenada.  Dahab and the Red Sea offer an excellent year round destination with superb shore, boat and technical diving. Diving in Africa (Zanzibar, Mozambique, South Africa and Kenya) or Mauritius and Oman will also feature strongly on the new site.

Whatever your requirements are Tropical Sky Scuba Diving will make it a superb reality.  Whether it’s your first time underwater on a PADI learn to dive course, an adrenalin fuelled shark diving adventure or an advanced diving liveaboard – our purpose is to ensure your holiday with Tropical Sky Scuba Diving is beyond your expectations.