Conditions referenceSeason, water and visibilityBest Jul–Oct · Strong current · 24–29°C (coldest Aug, warmest Jan)
- Current
- Strong
- Water temperature
- 24–29°C (coldest Aug, warmest Jan)
- Visibility
- 10–30m: Commonly 15-30m in the November-May warm season.
- Experience
- Nusa Penida is routinely sold to Bali holidaymakers on a fresh Open Water card, and that is the honest problem with the place.
01 · Marine life
What you may see
Sightings are never guaranteed. The bars show typical likelihood by month.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | rare |
| February | rare |
| March | rare |
| April | rare |
| May | rare |
| June | rare |
| July | occasional |
| August | peak season |
| September | peak season |
| October | peak season |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Present in the area year-round from the surface to well below recreational depth, but divers encounter them mainly between about July/August and November: the locally named sunfish season:…
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | peak season |
| May | peak season |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident year-round at both Manta Bay and Manta Point.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Recorded alongside green turtles on routine surveys in the MPA.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Recorded regularly on survey dives across the Nusa Penida MPA through the year.
02 · Dive sites
Dive sites worth knowing
A starting point, not a ranking. Conditions decide what works on the day.
Blue Corner
A short, sharp wall dive on a narrow tidal window.
10–40m · Extreme current
Crystal Bay
A sheltered white-sand bay with an easy shallow reef inshore and a genuinely serious dive outside it.
5–40m · Strong current
Manta Point (Batu Meling)
A shallow limestone bommie on Penida's exposed south coast where mantas queue to be cleaned.
5–20m · Moderate current
See all 8 dive sites
03 · LogisticsGetting there and costsEasy. Fly to DPS. Typical trip $.
Route overview
Easy
Day trips from a coastal base, about 1h from the airport, then a short boat.
Airport options
DPS
I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport (Denpasar, Bali)
Direct international and domestic arrivals; road transfer of roughly 30-45 minutes to Sanur harbour, then a fast boat to Nusa Penida or Nusa Lembongan
Typical trip cost
$
under $2,000
Per person, excluding international flights.
- Add the Nusa Penida marine protected area retribution of IDR 100,000 (about $6) for foreign visitors entering the water (IDR 10,000 for Indonesian nationals), the Klungkung island entry retribution of IDR 25,000 per adult and IDR 15,000 per child, and the one-off Bali provincial tourist levy of IDR 150,000 (about $10) paid via the Love Bali portal.
Permit or park fee
What you pay
IDR 100,000 (about $6) per foreign visitor to dive, snorkel or swim in the protected area, IDR 10,000 for Indonesian nationals, in force since 1 July 2023 under Bali Perda 7/2021. Separate Klungkung Regency tourism retribution of IDR 25,000 per adult and IDR 15,000 per child for entering Nusa Penida, Lembongan or Ceningan, formally applied from 1 September 2026 under Klungkung Perda 4/2026, which also charges IDR 25,000/IDR 15,000 at designated tourist attractions on the islands. The Bali-wide tourist levy of IDR 150,000 is a separate, one-off provincial charge paid via the Love Bali portal.
How it works
No dive permit as such, but the Nusa Penida marine protected area levies a per-person, per-day retribution on snorkelling and diving, collected by the Klungkung Regency government and the MPA management unit. Payment is now largely cashless. Diving is by licensed local operator; the MPA zoning plan reserves a 12.2 km² marine tourism zone in which fishing is prohibited.