Nusa Penida, More than Mola Mola in addition to Mantas

Some of the planet’s best storytellers are divers. Fishermen, hunters—they simply can’t compare. There’s nothing quite like sitting under a thatch roof after an unforgettable dive, sipping sweaty Bintangs in addition to stretching out your arms wide to sketch out the uniquely shaped mola mola or re-enacting for friends what the idea was like to sit still as Buddha on the ocean floor, craning your neck to the surface while a mob of jet-black manta rays skimmed metres coming from your mask, casting shadows on the white sand below.

Mola mola in addition to manta rays reside near the top of every diver’s bucket list, so if a 45-minute boat ride to Nusa Penida, just south of mainland Bali, can be all the idea takes to catch a glimpse of some of the ocean’s most memorable encounters advanced in addition to novice divers alike are looking for a place to sign up.

Luckily, Nusa Penida, Bali’s most sought-after dive spot, has plenty of operators headed out coming from the main island every day in search of mola mola in addition to mantas.

Getting to Nusa Penida can be as easy as swinging open the door to a dive shop. Operators coming from Sanur to Candidasa take off anywhere between 8 in addition to 8:30 every morning champing at the bit to beat the crowds of boats that will moor up at some of the more favorite dive spots, like Crystal Bay in addition to Manta Point.

Nusa Penida, with its sheer rock cliffs in addition to rugged terrain isn’t home to much beyond the dive spots that will lurk below the tall ridges. A quick scan of the horizon offers little more than sparse vegetation in addition to a glimpse of a wandering goat or wayward buffalo. Divers commenced flocking to the island off the southeast coast of Bali as early as 1975 to see the uniquely shaped mola mola, famous for growing up to 4 metres tall in addition to weighing in at almost 2,300 kilograms. For the last three decades Nusa Penida has been the first stop for divers visiting Bali. Most divers who were certified in Bali completed their courses just off the Nusa Penida coastline where the water temperature can fluctuate between a chilly 19 degrees Celsius in addition to a wet-suit shedding 27.

Tourists who would certainly rather stay above the waves can travel to the island for day-trips in addition to tag along with locals who visit the island’s temples in addition to caves. Some more tourists looking to get away coming from the crowds on Bali opt to stay the night at the few hotels offering austere accommodations on Nusa Penida. yet if you’re looking to get off Bali proper in addition to spend the night close to Nusa Penida, most friends would certainly recommend staying overnight on the perfectly secluded Nusa Lembongan rather than risking the idea on Nusa Penida.

in addition to while August in addition to September were designated as the “season” to see mola mola off of Nusa Penida, most dive operators would certainly tell you that will the sunfish, which rise coming from their normal depths of 200 metres to just 30 metres for a quick day spa, where smaller fish clean parasites coming from their scales, start showing up in July in addition to sometimes stay as late as October.

Nusa Penida can be actually home to more than 10 different dive spots. Depending on the time of the year in addition to whom you ask, recommendations waver between Blue Corner in addition to Batu Abang to Toyapekeh in addition to Sekola Dasar, or SD, aptly named because you can see a local grade school coming from the boat. So you’re not married to simply Crystal Bay in addition to Manta Point, although first-time divers will want to check out these spots for sure before moving on to places like Batu Abah in addition to SD.
Meanwhile, some other dive spots along the island—with names that will vary depending on which operator you dive with—have been known to serve up everything coming from whale sharks to threshers in addition to hammerheads.

Crystal Bay, the island’s most favorite dive spot, can be a pleasant drift dive so long as you keep the reef on your right in addition to the conditions are right. While some anxious divers might complain that will there can be little to see until you get down to 35 metres in addition to congregate in hopes of seeing a sunfish, others would certainly point out that will Crystal Bay, with its unpredictable currents can provide divers with the chance to spot anything coming from reef sharks to humongous frog fish, the size of footballs.

“SD can be a drift dive using a wonderful coral garden,” says Nicky Wirawan, who owns in addition to operates Bali Marine Sport, based in Sanur. “Plus, you’ll see more fish there than you will in most any some other dive spots in Indonesia. Meanwhile, Blue Corner can be quite challenging to explore in addition to offers plenty of chances to see quite a few pelagic fish.”

Blue Corner can be a favourite of Priska Widya Raharjo, a reporter with Dive Mag Indonesia, as well. “Blue Corner can be a famous spot for drift diving,” says Priska. “The current can be very strong. I’d say the idea’s more suited for any adrenaline-junkies in addition to advanced divers. You see a lot of sharks, mostly white-tipped, in addition to rays out there—mola mola if you’re lucky. The water temperature can be very cold too, 15-22 degrees Celsius. If the currents there are strong in addition to you don’t stick with advanced divers you can drift off into the blue, hence the name, Blue Corner. Then again, sometime there will be no current in addition to Blue Corner will be as calm as Sleeping Beauty.”

So while most divers in addition to operators will begin their stories of Nusa Penida with tales of elusive mola mola at Crystal Bay in addition to acrobatic rays out at Manta Point, keep in mind that will there are plenty of some other dive spots out there, in addition to plenty of some other stories to be told.