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Dive Sites of Nusa Lembongan & Penida

New sites are still being discovered around Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida, but the dive sites we visit regularly are listed below:

Nusa Lembongan

Blue Corner

This is an exciting dive for experienced divers only. The huge expanse of current swept slopes at Blue Corner provides some dramatic topography. Here you are not inspecting the coral but watching instead for bigger fish out in the blue and the site doesn’t often disappoint. A great site for mola mola (ocean sunfish) during the season and other visitors include eagle rays, huge marble rays, wobbegong, tuna and even the occasional shark.

Mangroves

This site is so called due to its location, right by the mangrove area to the north east of Nusa Lembongan. Mangroves offers a healthy sloping coral reef, with small bommies and table corals waiting to be explored for the small stuff and often marble rays and other larger species swimming past in deeper water. Sharks are occasionally seen here too. A good site for all levels.

Lembongan Bay

Lembongan Bay offers the perfect introduction to diving. Due to its maximum depth of 10m and calmer conditions, it is an ideal site for beginner divers, those wanting a refresher or for avid photographers. The sandy bottom is dotted with coral bommies which are home to frog fish, moral eels, schools of silversides, unicornfish and many more of the smaller species.

North Coast of Nusa Penida Around to the East

SD, Pura Ped, Sental & Buyuk

These four sites are found side by side on Nusa Penida and share similar topography. The slope is far more gentle on the north coast of Penida and is covered with beautiful staghorn corals (amongst other varieties) sloping well beyond recreational limits. The colourful reef is made even more interesting with big, randomly placed barrel sponges and coral bommies. Schools of fish and the occasional shark distract divers from the multitude of smaller creatures hiding amongst the corals such as scorpionfish and frogfish. The resident school of batfish at SD are almost always a certainty.

Malibu Point

This site on Nusa Penida's East coast is not often dived, as its exposed location makes it susceptible to fierce currents. In the right conditions however, it can be one of the most rewarding in the area. Malibu Point is definitely the best place to see sharks: whitetip reef sharks; grey reefsharks; silvertips and nurse sharks are often sighted towards the end of the dive. The site is wilder and more barren than those on the North coast of Penida, but the topography is more remarkable, with large bommies extending down to 25+m. Big schools of fish constantly distract divers in their search for larger predators!

The Channel Between Nusa Penida & Nusa Ceningan

Toyapakeh

Toyapakeh means salt water in Balinese and is found at the north end of the deep channel between Penida and Ceningan. It is normally a diver’s favourite as you often find yourself swimming through school after school of colourful fish of all varieties, including the common red tooth triggerfish. Toyapakeh is a large coral covered bay dotted with bommies and a steeper wall to either side. Mola sightings are possible here and even the infamous pygmy seahorse is occasionally spotted by keen sighted divers.

Gamat Bay

Gamat Bay is a very small yet memorable site off Toyapakeh Strait. The steep, rugged reef slope is rich in hard and soft corals and is colourful down to 50+m. Gamat is a dive where you don't want to cover much territory and once you have navigated the slope, there are plenty of bommies, overhangs and small caves to explore as you head back into the shallows.

Crystal Bay

Coral Reef The “Crystal” in Crystal Bay refers to the fantastic visibility normally experienced here, which can reach 40m+ on good day (although 20-30m visibility is common at most sites for much of the year!) Crystal Bay is certainly one of the area’s most popular dive sites and is a favourite of the visiting mola mola (ocean sunfish) from September to November. The bay floor is covered with golden sand which slopes down out of view and is surrounded by sloping coral reef to either side. A healthy reef, an interesting cave, huge table coral and incredibly colourful shallows with hundreds of fish of all shapes and sizes – there is not much that this dive site cannot offer. Crystal Bay is a must for any diver’s logbook!

Cenigan Wall

This impressive coral wall begins at the foot of the sea cliffs to the North of Ceningan and drops down vertically to a depth of 180m. Currents can be strong here and once again this site is reserved for experienced divers only. The wall is colourful and fun to explore, with plenty of nudibranchs to find and sweetlips to pass if you can keep your eye off the vast depths below.

South Coast of Nusa Penida

Manta Point

When conditions allow we run trips out to Manta Point. It is an exposed site so is open to the elements and we need a calm day with swell less than 1.5m to be able to enjoy it fully. The boat ride out to Manta Point is almost as exciting as the dive itself, as it offers divers incredible views of the towering seacliffs of Nusa Penida with the sun rising behind. Close to the site we pass huge stacks rising out of the water with waves crashing at their base. Manta Point itself is a site which rarely has any current at all but can be subject to swell. The plankton rich waters here attract the mantas all year round, sometimes seven or eight at a time, though even one is Manta Ray Image a fantastic sight. We rarely dive more than 15m deep and certainly mantas are the main priority as the coral and visibility here are not as good as elsewhere. Besides the mantas, blue spotted stingray are regularly sighted at Manta Point and occasionally there are so many of them it can seem the sea bed is actually moving!

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