Fun Diving Around Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida

You meet at the centre to sort out gear and go through a quick briefing with your guide, before a short walk or transfer down to Jungut Batu harbour. From there it is a few minutes to half an hour by boat, depending on the site, aboard one of our two 15-seat speedboats with Yamaha F150 engines.

Between dives you get a proper surface interval back on the boat, with drinking water, coffee, tea, snacks and fruit, and lunch if you are out for the full day. It is a genuine break, not just a quick turnaround before getting back in the water.

Your guide runs through the site, the planned depth and route, entry and exit points, and does a buddy check before anyone gears up. Groups stay small, at most 4 divers to 1 guide, and every boat carries life jackets, a first aid kit, emergency oxygen and a marine radio as standard.

If you are diving with people you have not met before, the small group size means you are not lost in a crowd, and your guide has a realistic chance of actually noticing if something changes for you underwater.

Entries and exits vary by site and boat, sometimes a giant stride off the back, sometimes a backward roll, and your guide explains exactly what to expect before you gear up rather than assuming you already know.

Sites vary a lot in current and depth, from calmer options suited to any certified diver through to drift sites that reward more experience. Our guides pick sites to match the group's certification and comfort level on the day. See each dive site page for specific depth and current information before you book.

Manta Point and Manta Bay are the two spots most people ask for by name, and Crystal Bay is the one to watch for mola mola season. If you are newly certified and unsure what suits you, tell your guide when you book and they will steer you toward the right sites rather than the most requested ones.

Manta rays are seen year round at Manta Point and Manta Bay. Mola mola season generally runs from June to October, with sightings said to build through July, August and September as cold water rises from the deep.

Surface water usually sits between 26 and 29 degrees Celsius most of the year. Between roughly June and October, a cold upwelling can drop the temperature at depth to somewhere in the high teens or low twenties, which is part of what draws mola mola into diveable range. A 5 mm wetsuit, or a shorty with a hooded vest, is worth having during those months.

Outside of mola mola season, the water stays noticeably warmer and a 3 mm wetsuit or even a rash vest is usually enough for most divers, though this comes down to personal preference as much as the actual temperature.

Beyond the well-known names, sites like Toyapakeh, SD Point, Ped, Sental, Mangrove, Ceningan Wall, Malibu Point and Batu Abah round out the roughly 20 dive sites around Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida that we can get you to. Ask your guide which ones suit the conditions and your certification on the day you are diving.

If you are staying for several days, mixing well-known sites with some of the quieter ones is usually more interesting than repeating Manta Point every day, even manta sightings included.

Full equipment, your guide, boat transport and lunch on the boat are included in every fun diving package. See our full price list for every combination, or book online directly.

If it has been a while since your last dive, consider pairing your trip with a scuba refresher beforehand, and if you have not been diving in current conditions like these before, our safety and conditions guide is worth a read first.