Scuba Dive Nusa Penida in Bali – Finest Information 2023

Nusa Penida close to Bali presents a improbable alternative to dive with mola mola (the oceanic sunfish) and manta rays, two of probably the most exceptional massive creatures to swim throughout the ocean. On this article, we focus on our diving expertise right here, the place is the perfect place to dive from Padang Bai, Nusa Penida or Nusa Lembongan, the perfect mola mola and manta season for Nusa Penida, dive operators, dive websites round Nusa Penida, dive costs and lodging. For the perfect diving throughout Indonesia see our Full Indonesia Dive Information.

Nusa Penida

Nusa Penida, Nusa Ceningan, and Nusa Lembongan are three small islands separated from Bali on the east facet by The Bandung Strait, a spot to not miss when touring to Bali. Nusa Penida is the biggest of the three at 17km lengthy. There’s a lot to discover across the island, spectacular cliffs, pristine seashores, bat caves, temples, and waterfalls, however for us, it was all about diving from Nusa Penida island.

Diving Nusa Penida

There’s some improbable diving round Nusa Penida, the highlights are the unbelievable cleansing stations at Manta Level and swimming with mola mola at Crystal Bay. This little neighbor to Bali has much more diving to supply than sunfish and manta rays.

We did a few of the longest drift dives now we have finished world wide, gliding over the attractive reefs surrounding Nusa Penida. I’ll suggest the drift dives round Nusa Penida for extra skilled divers for the reason that currents may be sturdy and unpredictable.

The water flowing across the island is an up-welling from the deep and is usually chilly water with temperatures within the low twenty diploma Celsius vary, even dropping to 16C! I’ll suggest diving right here in a 5mm wetsuit (your dive middle ought to present one). Water temperatures are the bottom from June to October and better from November to February.

The visibility is nice diving within the space, ranging between 10 and 40 meters!

A lot of the diving is finished at depths ranging between 10m and 20m, there are some deep dive websites all the way in which to 40m.

For extra superior issues to do within the space see this Bali journey itinerary.

Finest time of yr to Dive Nusa Penida

January and February are the height of the wet season and never probably the most nice time to be on the island. Diving is nice from November to Could when the ocean is calm. Manta Rays may be seen from Nusa Penida all yr spherical. August to October is the perfect time of the yr to dive with Mola Mola from Nusa Penida, we focus on this later within the article. Take a look at our complete Bali Information for all the data wanted to Dive and Journey to Bali.

Marine Life Diving Nusa Penida

The island is understood for Mola mola (the oceanic sunfish) and manta rays, two monumental bucket checklist animals for many divers to swim with! Mola mola, generally often known as the oceanic sunfish is the heaviest identified bony fish on this planet weighing as much as 1,000 kg. These animals are native to tropical and temperate waters across the globe. The mola mola seems just like a fish head with a tail, and its essential physique is flattened laterally. Manta rays are massive rays belonging to the genus Manta. The bigger species, M. birostris, attain as much as 7 meters in width. Each these animals may be very massive and make improbable photograph topics! Should you stay calm and swim sluggish they will come very shut!

This isn’t the one exceptional marine life discovered diving round this superb little island. Silvertip and Gray Reef sharks typically swim within the currents round Nusa Penida. Hawksbill turtles and a wide range of puffer fish and lionfish are generally encountered floating over the reef. Verify-in holes and crevasses, Large Moray eels reside right here. Don’t simply seize or put your knees on any piece of reef, scorpionfish reside on the reef and the sting may be very toxic. Shiny-colored anemone fish make anemones everywhere in the reef their residence. Maintain a watch out for a wide range of stunning nudibranchs (sea slugs) when you have an excellent information he’ll level some out.  In sandy areas swim rigorously to identify blue noticed stingrays and backyard eels, they’re troublesome to {photograph} since they pull again into the sand as quickly as they sense you. We had been fortunate to swim with some huge marble rays whereas doing a deep dive in a robust present.

Should you take pleasure in wreck diving try our publish on diving the Wreck of the USAT Liberty from Bali.

Manta Level Nusa Penida

When speaking about diving with manta rays round Indonesia Komodo and Raja Ampat are all the time the primary locations talked about. I knew there have been mantas someplace round Bali, however by no means would have imagined a cleansing station visited by so many manta rays as Manta Level from Nusa Penida. Loads of manta rays come all yr spherical to benefit from the cleansing station. It’s an incredible place to dive or snorkel with Manta rays. They are surely plentiful right here, when you stand on the encircling cliffs you possibly can spot many mantas near the cliffs.  

Mola Mola Nusa Penida

The water round Nusa Penida is pretty chilly resulting from a deep up-welling south of Bali and the nutrient-rich deep-water trench is famend as one of many prime locations on this planet to identify mola mola, the large oceanic sunfish. The strange-looking mola mola appears like a giant head swimming round with out a physique. It’s the heaviest identified bony fish on this planet. These fish often reside very deep however they arrive as much as shallow waters to be cleaned of pores and skin parasites.

In South Africa, I’ve been fortunate sufficient to swim with mola mola on a number of events, however in Bali, we had been very unfortunate and arrived a day after the dive middle noticed 9 mola molas throughout a single dive! We did nonetheless see many extra manta rays than we did whereas diving in Komodo Nationwide Park. Throughout a special type of superb dive on the web site PED, Alya and I acquired engaged to be married throughout a drift dive in gentle present, you possibly can see the video beneath.

Finest situations for seeing Mola Mola in Bali, Nusa Penida

Nusa Penida is among the greatest locations on this planet for seeing Mola Mola additionally known as Oceanic Sunfish. The excessive season to see them is from August to October. Tides and currents will decide if mola mola are round. The most effective time is simply between the brand new moon and the total moon throughout lengthy slack tide. On the day of the total moon (we arrived a day late) our dive chief noticed 9 molas! We dived for the next three days with out having any luck.

Dive websites for Mola Mola from Nusa Penida

The most effective dive websites to see them are Crystal Bay, Gamat Bay, Toyapakeh, and Ceningan Wall within the Ceningan channel and Blue Nook in Nusa Lembongan. If you need to choose one web site Crystal Bay is the place to go.  The mola mola comes up from the deep in chilly water, so that you need temperatures beneath 25C and these huge “swimming heads” don’t like present, so little present or look in a bay the place they will cover.

Diving Nusa Penida from Bali (Padang Bai), Nusa Penida or  Nusa Lembongan

Diving the websites round Nusa Penida from the island itself is a good suggestion since it’s cheaper than diving from Padang Bai or Nusa Lembongan with a pace boat, as you’d count on. We loved staying in Nusa Penida, it has some stunning websites and wholesome reef, see our entry Issues to do in Nusa Penida, for all about this stunning island. Since Manta Level is simply across the nook snorkeling with these stunning beasts just isn’t very costly and you are able to do it on daily basis! There’s much more to do in Bali than diving, listed below are a pair extra concepts for accountable journey actions round Bali.

Dive Centres and Costs for Diving Nusa Penida

As a result of Nusa Penida is situated near each Nusa Lembongan and Bali the websites round Nusa Penida may be dived as day journeys from both of those islands. Is that this your first dive? Manta Bay and Nusa Penida diving is a superb place for newbie divers with an excellent probability to see manta rays yr spherical on the well-known manta level dive websites. Verify this Uncover diving tour.

Nusa Penida

We did go to a number of dive resorts in Nusa Penida earlier than deciding on a dive middle to dive with for 3 days. We went diving with Penida Dive Resort; skilled, organized, pleasant, educated dive professionals and off-course good costs.

Dive with the famend Pure Dive Resort in Nusa Penida to discover the deep blue, whether or not you’re open water or extra superior, an expert dive grasp will present you the treasures of the completely different dive websites across the islands of Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida. 

Bali (Padang Bai)

Padang Bai is the place to dive from if you wish to dive round Nusa Penida from Bali itself. OK divers was a pleasant dive middle in Padang Bai. You’ll be able to simply e-book a tour to choose you up at your lodging in Bali corresponding to this Scuba Diving in Nusa Penida Island and Manta Level tour together with pick-up and drop-off out of your Bali resort. 

Nusa Lembongan

Lodging Nusa Penida

Dive Websites Nusa Penida – from my logbook

Crystal Bay Dive Website

Max Depth: 29m, Avg Depth 15m, 23C, viz 20m

Among the best dive websites of Nusa Penida in mola-mola season. Robust currents over the coral reefs, ready at 25-30m for a lot of the dive ready for large stuff – mola mola and sharks to return previous with our dive guides drift diving. The water temperature was good for the primary attraction the uncommon mola mola, it was chilly however the present was very sturdy on each our dives, possibly explaining the molas not exhibiting up. We noticed some white tip reef sharks, eagle rays, a turtle, and a tuna in pretty deep waters on this dive journey.

On the finish of the second dive right here, we completed within the shallows and noticed good coral, a number of nudis, backyard eels, and a wide range of reef fish.

Blue Nook dive web site

Max Depth: 38m, Avg Depth 16m, 23C, viz 20m

Some of the well-known dive websites across the island of Nusa Penida. Situations usually are not all the time favorable. Robust currents are higher at this dive web site and it is a web site for superior divers. Some dive operators solely take scuba divers with greater than 100 dives on a day journey to Blue Nook. A well-liked web site with a clean deep slope with terraces and a quick drift dive. Mola mola is usually seen in season, we had been hoping they’re hiding from the present across the nook, however sadly didn’t make it across the nook – no Mola mola. We did nonetheless see eight huge marble rays! They had been swimming at 38m.

Manta Level

Among the best spots to see majestic manta rays within the wealthy waters of the manta cleansing station. There are two websites known as Manta Level; Manta level (Manta Level 1) and Manta Level 2 (Manta 66). Manta Level 1 is shallow (10m) and really near the rocks. Many mantas may be seen swimming right here from the cliff above. The height season is from March to June, however the mantas are right here all yr spherical. Some dive retailers give a money-back assure for seeing them. Our resolution to go snorkeling as a substitute of diving was an excellent one. You’ll be able to discuss to the boat that spots them and swim in that path. We had a number of mantas swimming round us on the floor for some time.

 PED

Lovely sloping reef coated in wholesome coral. Dived it twice, the present was medium and robust. We noticed a big number of reef fish, turtles, white-tip reef sharks, if A thermocline is current mola mola may be seen right here in season.

Komodo Island is one among our favourite dive spots in Indonesia! ↓↓↓↓↓↓ GO PRO HERO 11

I requested Alya to marry me diving on this reef

Helpful issues to pack to your underwater journey

MARES STAR |AEGEND FOLD AWAY| RASH VEST |ANTI-FOG |HAVAIANAS FLIP FLOPS|GO PRO HERO 11| COLUMBIA SHIRT|OSPREY TOILETRY BAG

Happening a dive journey? – Dive Journey Packing Checklist+Suggestions

Extra Diving Indonesia Assets

The island Sulawesi has a few of the greatest diving in Indonesia, diving within the South of Sulawesi see the ‘off the overwhelmed monitor’ island Bira. Lembeh Strait for Muck diving within the north and the Togian Islands to essentially dive a hidden paradise.

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The sturdy half of Stingy Nomads, a nomadic aquaman that may be completely satisfied to spend all his life within the water diving, browsing and spearfishing however typically has to compromise with Alya and go climbing as a substitute. Campbell is liable for all our marine adventures and following them with write-ups. He loves touring, braai (BBQ in South Africa), pink wine and spending the day in a wetsuit.