Dive Site: Crystal Bay, Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia

The famed dive site Crystal Bay is tucked into the coast of Nusa Penida, a small island east of Bali, Indonesia. The beautiful little bay is named for its crystal-clear waters and the view itself is worth a trip for the white-sand beach and luxuriant vegetation. A very small island stands inside the bay itself and serves as the organizational point for the dive.

The dive can start either in the bay or along the reef of the tiny island in the bay. The choice will depend largely on currents, as they can be very strong in the area and specifically on this dive site. Crystal Bay is located right opposite the neighbor island of Nusa Ceningan, and the channel between the two islands is notorious for its strong currents depending on the tidal movements.

The bay itself offers a sandy area in the middle and is fringed by stunning coral reefs. The sandy area features good macro life such as nudibranchs, crabs, shrimps and cuttlefish. Once out of the bay, the reef drops down along the islet and, if conditions are right, you can go all the way around. The wall is covered in soft and hard corals, with great fish life including tuna, butterflyfish, parrotfish, clownfish, scorpionfish and many more.

But the star of the show during the “cold” season, and the dive site’s main draw, is the undoubtedly the mola mola. From June to October, the waters around the island get considerably colder and mola mola seem to enjoy this upwelling of freshness. You can see this curious-looking fish all around Nusa Penida, but encounters are most frequent at Crystal Bay. While cruising the wall, lucky divers may suddenly see this huge animal coming up from the depths to get cleaned by wrasses or just to swim up, breach the surface and disappear again into the depths. Note that currents can be very strong and proper experience is vital at this site.

Average water temperature: 79 to 82 F (26-28 C) from November to May and 64 to 75 F (18 to 24 C) from June to October

Average visibility: 65 feet (20-plus m)

When to go: Year-round, but mola-molas are more frequent from June to October

Average depth: 65 feet (20 m)

 

 

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