Nusa Penida | Bali Paradise

Monday, November 1, 2010

Nusa Penida

Nusa Penida is a largest island of 3 islands (the others being Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan), located in the southeast of Bali, has dive sites for the novice to the more experienced diver. Water temperature in Nusa Penida is quite cold but often startlingly clear, with gorgeous corals and prolific fish, with some turtle, shark (including grey reefs and silver-tips and Mola-Mola).

Nusa Penida is arrounded by coral reef that runs the length of Nusa Penida's north coast. The reef has a lot of soft corals, and also many kinds of fish, such as Moorish Idols, Sweetlips, Lionfish, Moray Eel, Scorpionfish, white tip reef shark, Napoleonfish and Sunfishes. Nusa Penida’s sunfish can get over 100 years old. If you are very lucky you might even see the Molas while eating jellyfish. They hover nearly motionless in the water and suck one jellyfish after the other into their small mouth.

Wonderful barrel sponges and gorgonians can be seen in the deeper waters, and sea snakes can be seen on almost every dive. With the reef extending up to within five metres of the surface your safety stop will allow time to spot moray eels, titan triggerfish and the brilliantly coloured emporer angelfish. Be careful not to touch the reef as the local scorpionfish are notoriously difficult to spot.

Toyapakeh
Toyapakeh is located in nort-west Nusa Penida. This is most popular dive site. Actually the site breaks into two with Toyapakeh wall and Toyapakeh. Both these sites are encrusted with corals and fish. The intensity of the fish life is something to be witnessed. Large pelagics are often seen here just lurking in the blue.

Toyapakeh is lovely reef of beautiful soft corals and thriving hard corals, gives us clouds of reef-fish including anthias, Scorpionfish, Moray Eel, trumpetfish, puffers, Giant Trevally. This popularity is deserved and not only because it is partially protected from the current flowing through the strait between Penida and Ceningan, but also due to the good visibility and rich coral. In addition to the coral reef, there are some very attractive coral formations, with big gorgonians, that provide excellent places to find fish and other marine life.

The current here often heads north-east, which makes for an easy and pleasant drift-dive however the current in shallow water and the current in deeper water are sometimes going in different directions, therefore the direction of your dive can change as you alter your depth. The water can be pretty cold which means thermoclines. 

Gamat Bay
Gamat Bay just closed from Toyapakeh dive point, between Toyapakeh and Crystal Bay, Gamat Bay is one of the few dive sites at Nusa Penida where you don't have to just 'go with the flow', the bay is protected from the currents although once you head down the steep slope at the mouth, you are again drift-diving.

Gamat Bay is a profusion of colourful soft corals, with gorgonians and hard corals everywhere. These shallow areas are lovely, full of reef-fish - some quite rare, commensals, nudibranches, and could take your whole dive, particularly if you are a photographer. The larger fishlife here is fairly diverse with some large specimens of surgeonfish, grouper and unicornfish. Overhangs and a couple of small caves provide resting places for white tips and turtles. 

Cristal Bay
Crystal Bay have the most fantastic visibility under water. This site consists of a fantastic little bay in shallow water that offers excellent opportunities for photos. Crystal bay have many kind of coral reef. This hard coral reef has a white sand base, and is covered with anemones and soft corals. It can be quite surgey in the bay. The marinelife includes Angelfish, Sweetlips, many Moorish Idols. The Hard Coral also provide homes for a lot of lobster.

Following the north side of the bay around, we come to a Bat Cave: enter from underwater, surface inside the cave (which is open to the sky) where bats sleep overhead - big waves may crash in through the top. Sometimes 2 small reef shark are in the cave, but they leave when you arrive or if you lucky you can find leopard shark.

Manta Point
Manta point is most popular dive site in Nusa Penida besides Crystal Bay, Gamat bay and Toyapakeh. Manta sightings here are very common with some very large animals being seen. This site is very open to the elements so sometimes it is not possible to dive this site.

Manta point have amazingly limestone cliffs that descend straight into the ocean. The swell can be stupendous, sometimes making entry impossible by mid-morning. There's a sandy bottom at 12-18m. The water is quite cold because it comes in from the ocean (22-26 degrees). You may also see other pelagics such as tuna and tiger mackerel.


Malibu Point
Located on south-east Nusa Penida, Malibu point has reef lies on a very steep slope, the topography of which is great with table corals and big bommies going to 22M.

Malibu Point is the best place to see shark, which may be true. However, the site is a long way from the mainland and is not always dive able due to the currents. At the northern end of the site, the currents can be very swirly, but it is a good place to see Shark, Manta and Mola-Mola.

SD
SD is beautiful scenery at this site can only be experienced first hand. From SD point you can find large coral heads and a huge variety of marine life. The normally gentle currents here wind you past Turtles, Manta Rays, Sea Snakes, Octopus, White Tip Reef Sharks and some of the most diverse collections of corals and sponges in Bali.

During the Sunfish (Mola Mola) season it is also possible to get some good sightings here as the Sunfish drift along the reefs. Temperatures are usually 26 to 29C but may drop to around 20C, so please be prepared. This place is suitable for divers who seek a higher adventure. This Bali Dive Site is stretch along the north coast of Penida Island. The soft and hard corals are among the best in Bali.

Nusa Penida Map

18 comments:

  1. Very nice place. It's amazing! I enjoy reading your post. It seems that I am in the place itself. How I wish to be with that place. I' am sure everyone will enjoy there if they visit that place. I also love sea diving, and other sea divers said that the beauty down the sea water is more than the beauty in the land. The corals and the animals living with in that place is very interesting! very nice post I enjoy it!

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  2. What a gorgeous place! I am imagining being in the said place right now...and I feel that I am in a paradise. I am pretty sure that whoever can come in this place would surely enjoy. Thanks for this great share. I really enjoy reading every details of your writings.

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  3. What a wonderful place! This is really one of the best place I've ever seen even though it is in the picture. Personally, I am really a nature lover. And every time I see beautiful gift of nature like this I enjoy watching it. How I wish to be with this place. It is like a paradise. I enjoy reading your post. I really love it.

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  4. Amazing! For me, this is an extraordinary place. This is a kind of place where you can really enjoy and appreciate the beauty of nature.I like your post! keep it up..

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  5. Bali is really a paradise! With its rich natural resources and great tourist attraction, no doubt that it is also in line with great places of the world. This is a very nice place. It seems that you are really in the paradise. This is the place where you can enjoy and relax...thanks for sharing this.

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  6. Nice blog here! Also your website loads up fast! What host are you using? I wish my website loaded up as fast as yours lol

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  7. Great post .I liked as it has a lot of soft corals, and also many kinds of fish, such as Moorish Idols, Sweetlips, Lionfish, Moray Eel, Scorpionfish, white tip reef shark, Napoleonfish and Sunfishes

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  8. Nusa Penida is a very nice place and you will feel yourself as if you are in the paradise. It is surrounded by coral reef that runs the length of Nusa Penida's north coast.

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  9. I heard about this island but never read any blog about this. Here i got a great information about this.

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  10. really very nice place I really liked the view and enjoyed going through your post.

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  11. Fabulous place for vacation. It's view fascinated me towards that place. Really very nice place it is.

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  12. Most beautiful place I have ever seen.Really just by seeing the pics I am taking myself lucky.Thanks for sharing such nice post.

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  13. Thanks for sharing such a nice information with us. It is really very helpful for visitors.

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  14. Nusa Penida is an amazing diving spot, it is one of the last coral reefs on earth - or in the ocean - that is still untouched. I would love to see it one day...

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  15. Nusa penida island certainly seems to be very much interesting place to visit, it would be very nice to see the world underwater.

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