Mangrove diving in Nusa Lembongan

Mangrove runs along Nusa Lembongan's own north coast, facing the strait toward Nusa Ceningan, and takes its name from the mangrove forest on the shore behind it. The mangrove roots filter sediment and feed nutrients into the water, which shows in how healthy and colourful the coral plateau below has stayed, and the site is sheltered enough that it rarely gets cancelled for weather the way some of the more exposed Nusa Penida sites do.

It is one of the closest sites to Sober Diving's base in Jungut Batu, which is part of why it is used so often for training dives and for anyone easing into diving in Bali for the first time. Visibility usually runs 20 to 25 metres and the water stays warm, generally 25 to 28°C, which is as comfortable as diving around Lembongan and Penida gets.

The site is a long coral plateau running most of the length of Lembongan's north coast, and the dive is shaped almost entirely by how much current is running on the day. On a quiet day you can spend an hour and still not cover the whole reef; on a stronger drift, the same stretch passes in twenty minutes. It is a regular stop on Sober Diving's fun diving schedule for exactly this flexibility.

Newer divers stay on the shallow plateau between about 6 and 12 metres, while more experienced divers can follow the slope down toward 25 metres, where the current usually picks up along with the chance of bigger animals. The substrate alternates between coral bommies, gorgonian patches and sandy clearings, giving instructors plenty of variety for skills practice without needing to move far.

Turtles are a regular sight resting in the coral, and schools of trevally and fusiliers move over the plateau with the current. Eagle rays pass through the deeper western section, moray eels sit in the reef's crevices, and there is plenty for anyone with a macro eye, including nudibranchs scattered through the coral. Sandy patches between the coral bommies are worth a glance too, since stingrays and the occasional cuttlefish often settle into them during the day.

Mangrove is also one of Sober Diving's standard sites for the third and fourth dives of the Open Water course, since the shallow plateau gives instructors calm, controlled water to finish off skills training. It is equally suited to a relaxed afternoon dive for anyone who has already had their fill of current earlier in the day.

Mangrove works year round and does not depend on a season the way the mola mola or manta sites do. It genuinely suits all levels, from Discover Scuba Diving guests staying shallow to experienced divers pushing to the deeper edge of the slope, and it is often the first site a newly arrived guest dives with Sober Diving.

If you are deciding between diving Lembongan's own sites or heading out to Nusa Penida, our Lembongan vs Nusa Penida guide walks through how the two compare, and Mangrove is usually the first example we point to when explaining what a gentle Lembongan day looks like.