One of the most important item on our itinerary for Bali is scuba diving. Bali is one of the few places in this part of the world where there is almost a guarantee that you’ll dive with the otherwise very elusive Manta Rays, and there’s also a good chance in spotting the biggest bony fish in the world – the weird and wonderful Mola Mola, also known as Sun Fish.

leaving from Sanur to Nusa Penida
the beach at Sanur before heading to Nusa Penida

Prior to the trip, I did some research on the various dive centres at Bali (and there were a lot of them) and arrived at no conclusion, so I asked Edvin for suggestion and Bali Scuba was recommended, it turned out to be a good one, so thanks buddy!

Diving at Nusa Penida
the three dive sites at Nusa Penida that we went to

There are many dive sites in Bali offering very different diving experiences. There’s the USS Liberty wreck at Tulamben, white tip sharks that is common at Gili island, muck diving for macro photography at Seraya, and more.

However, since my goal was to see Manta Rays and Mola Mola, I chose Nusa Penida as my destination.

boat transfer from Sanur to Nusa Penida
Bali Scuba is located at Sanur

The dive center charges US $145 for three boat dives at Nusa Penida, and the package comes with hotel transfer, drinks, and a lunch served on the speed boat. Equipment can be rented at extra charge, and extra wet suit is recommended (5mm wet suit rented at $5).

To tag on for snorkeling only, the fee was US $50, Haze does not dive yet, so she went aboard for a snorkeling trip, that was the initial plan anyway.

manta ray at Manta Point, Nusa Penida
abundance of manta rays at Manta Point

We left Sanur at around 9 in the morning and our first dive was at the famous Manta Point, located at the Southern part of the island.

Even before jumping into the water, there were already sightings of those gentle giants swimming close to the surface.

2 mantas in a mating dance
2 mantas in a mating dance

I was wearing the rental 5 mm wet suit for the dive, and spent over 40 minutes in the water that was 22-23 Celsius. A bit too cold for me, but bearable, a hood and extra thermal guard would probably be a good idea.

My previous coldest diving temperature was at Aquaria KLCC, but 22-23 Celsius is a big difference with 24-25 Celsius.

the graceful devil ray
the graceful devil ray

The dive though, was definitely worth it. While the water at Manta Point wasn’t particularly clear and there were even debris (some banana leaves, plastic wrappers and such from offerings made by boatmen), the sight of these huge fish was amazing.

There were probably over a dozen mantas at the site and some were doing their mating dance too. A fantastic dive for sure.

mola mola at Crystal Point, Nusa Penida
mola mola: hello, diver: say cheese!

The second dive was at Crystal Point to hunt for the elusive Mola Mola.

The dive master said it’ll be cold on this dive, so I put on two wet suits this time (Haze has already abandoned snorkeling after being shocked by the 23 C water temperature at first site), but it was not nearly enough for the 17 Celsius water temperature at this site.

It was FREEZING! It was so cold I think I’d need at least a thermal layer, 2 wet suits, gloves, hood, and probably socks too.

But we saw two mola mola, so it was definitely worth it. I only managed to take four photos in the 20+ minutes we were underwater. I was shaking too much to operate the camera, basically.

Other than the temperature, the current at Crystal Point is also something to be reckoned with. There is sometimes a down current that can pull inexperience divers towards the deep slope, you need to always stay close to the coral & dive master and monitor depth constantly. A Japanese diver with another group was seen being pulled by the current while we were doing our safety stop and our DM had to help him out.

Crystal Point is definitely only suitable for those who have a bit more experience in diving.

underwater seascape at North Shore
underwater seascape at North Coast, Nusa Penida

We had lunch on the boat, took a bit of rest and then moved to the 3rd dive site of the day. This time at the much warmer North Coast of Nusa Penida. The operator usually would have a repeat at Crystal Point as third dive if you don’t spot any mola mola on first attempt.

North Coast offers drift diving opportunity, and after the two very cold water, I was happy we agreed to do something relaxing for the final dive.

then we meet another mola mola at 37 meter
then we meet another mola mola at 37 meter

And as luck would have it, we met another mola mola at this site. The dive master did mention that while there is a chance to see the sun fish here, it is exceedingly rare, we were very lucky.

The photo taken here turned out to be almost exactly the same as the one from previous site, and I think a couple of us accidentally went a little too deep chasing mola at 37 meter.

scorpion fish at north coast, nusa penida
hey look, a scorpion fish

After the encounter with the sunfish (lasted but a few minutes), the remaining dive was a more leisure and less interesting affair. There were scorpion fish, moray eel, and more coral fish. We finished the day after 40+ minutes underwater.

It was tiring, and definitely a very rewarding day diving at Nusa Penida.

Diving at Nusa Penida – Manta Rays and Mola Mola
Tagged on:                             

15 thoughts on “Diving at Nusa Penida – Manta Rays and Mola Mola

  • October 18, 2011 at 12:02 pm
    Permalink

    omg mola mola!!!

    Reply
    • October 18, 2011 at 3:46 pm
      Permalink

      kimberlycun: and manta rays! 😀

      Reply
  • October 18, 2011 at 1:19 pm
    Permalink

    heyya…

    bride-blogger droppin by..

    my oh my.. looks fun! im going to bali for my honeymoon in feb.. wanna checkout this place.. it’s beautiful..! 🙂 thanks for sharing..

    Reply
    • October 18, 2011 at 3:46 pm
      Permalink

      Renee: and congratulations!

      Reply
  • October 18, 2011 at 2:05 pm
    Permalink

    This is so beautiful to the point that i’m getting chills running down my spine!

    Reply
    • October 18, 2011 at 3:46 pm
      Permalink

      Michelle: thanks thanks 😀

      Reply
  • October 18, 2011 at 6:19 pm
    Permalink

    can the mantas and mola-mola be fished and eaten too, or are they endangered? 😀 really nice pics, btw. i think they really convey the underwater feel 😀

    Reply
    • October 18, 2011 at 10:36 pm
      Permalink

      Sean: those are kind words! 😀

      Reply
  • October 18, 2011 at 8:50 pm
    Permalink

    nice pic.

    the last pic is lion fish or scorpion?

    Reply
    • October 19, 2011 at 4:49 pm
      Permalink

      Myhorng: they are too similar I have no idea. LOL

      Reply
  • October 20, 2011 at 12:34 am
    Permalink

    Diving Gods must have been smiling..

    Reply
    • October 20, 2011 at 8:57 am
      Permalink

      suertes: for sure! 😀

      Reply
  • October 23, 2011 at 5:41 am
    Permalink

    I’ve done about 3 trips to Bali for diving. Manta Point is definitely in my Top 5 dive sites. It’s indeed spectacular.
    I also tried 3 dives at Crystal Bay to hunt for mola mola but cold as hell, no sunfish. So I’m super jealous.
    The Liberty wreck is actually a lot of fun if you emjoy wreck dives and swim throughs. You’d likely spend a whole day just at that wreck. It is another one of my Top 5 favourites.
    I haven’t done a duve trip in awhile, so looking at these pictures make me miss the ocean. *sigh*

    Reply
    • October 23, 2011 at 11:21 pm
      Permalink

      WInnieKepala: sounds like time for another trip!

      Reply
  • March 16, 2023 at 2:48 pm
    Permalink

    This is amazing blog. All around. If you ever come to Komodo National park, please look us up. Komodo is only about 1 hour flight from Bali and we have a full service scuba dive shop and Komodo tours company. You can visit us at https://www.komodoislandtour.com/

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *