While the pandemic took over the world, an emerging reef off the shores of Siddhartha Oceanfront Resort & Spa has thrived. The spectacular Bali resort announced that its reef restoration and house reef project grew into a success, and are launching two new diving and snorkeling packages for its April 2022 reopening.

Spanning 100 meters alongside the shoreline of the resort, an immense artificial reef was added during lockdown as an expansion of the existing reef—a passion project of onsite Managing Directors Stefan Brand and Barbara Ebel. With the aim of not wanting to destroy anything in order to create something new, the project took a long time to reach where it is now. To create the house reef, the couple collected broken stone corals and soft corals that had separated naturally from other reefs—from strong currents, for example—and have successfully used discarded man-made materials as a foundation for growth. Because reefs usually take time to grow, the duo noted that the artificial reef has blossomed in the absence of divers during the pandemic. Some corals they didn’t think would even work on the reef have prospered.

Despite the slow growth of the house reef, an increase in fish happened swiftly. Turtles, batfish, trumpetfish, lionfish, and even the occasional reef shark or eagle ray can now be found in the waters outside Siddhartha.

The house reef also provides access to a wreck called the Boga Wreck, which was purposely scuttled in September 2012 to offer more dive opportunities and increase marine diversity. The dive site is perfect for advanced divers, as the boat is 50 meters long and between 16 and 35 meters deep. The resort also offers a fully equipped SSI (Scuba Schools International) dive center on site. To celebrate the reopening and the success of the reef project, they have rolled out two brand new diving and snorkeling packages that cater to a range of underwater enthusiasts, from the curious to the advanced:

Discover East Bali

A ten-night stay package that includes two guided one-hour house reef dives (by scuba or snorkel) and two 60-minute Balinese style massages at the resort’s Six Elements Spa. Rates start from 37,530 baht per room.

Explore Diving Bali

A seven-night stay package for certified divers featuring six guided dives that take in the house reef along with other famous nearby shore dive sites. Rates start from 29,900 baht per room.

Both of the packages include daily breakfast and airport transfers, and are available until December 1, 2022. Free yoga classes are also on offer each day in an open-air Balinese-style pavilion near the shoreline.

For more information about the resort or to find out more about the packages, visit siddhartha-bali.com.