Although Bali is one of the world’s most underrated destinations for divers, it has some exceptionally beautiful diving sites. Crystal Bay Nusa Penida is an attractive site in this respect. Bali has a surprisingly rich underwater life, which is mainly due to the fact that it is located between two great oceans, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. As a result of this ideal position, an enormous flow of water passes between Bali and Nusa Penida depositing plankton larvae that attract a high diversity of fish.
Nusa Penida is an island situated 28 km east of Benoa/Sanur, located next to the smaller sister islands Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. On the far side of Nusa Penida, in the Indian Ocean, lies the Wallace Line, a trench of 1,3 km deep that separates Western Indonesia from Austronesia. At Nusa Penida, which forms a barrier, the ocean currents coming North cause strong upwelling of cold water, which brings large fish with it, such as sharks, mantas, giant trevally and the Oceanic Sunfish, or Mola Mola.
Crystal Bay is named for its crystal-clear waters and therefore typically delivers incredible visibility. Protected from large waves, and accompanied by a beautiful white sand beach dotted with coconut trees, this turquoise colored bay is a slice of paradise. In the middle of the bay is a tiny island with a staircase carved into the rock leading up to a sacred temple. The dives are made around this island, beginning on a sandy slope that guides us down to the edge of a coral plateau, between 6-10 meters deep, before it drops off into a wall that plummets down to 50 meters and another small plateau can be seen. This little plateau, however, ends abruptly and drops off again, this time into the depths of the channel that separates Penida Island from Ceningan Island.
At Crystal Bay, you will see an entourage of anthias and batfish which come around periodically. A bat cave is located nearby. There is a beautiful white sandy beach at Banjar Penida, west of Sakti village on the north-western coast facing Nusa Ceningan. Crystal Bay is one of the few places in the world where one can see the awesome mola-mola. One can be reasonably sure of a sighting during the season if two or three days of diving are allowed. And for sure, diving with the Sunfish is an experience that you will never forget. The mola-mola can reach a length of 3 meters and a weight of over 2,000 kg. They are usually found in deep and cold oceanic waters but occasionally they come inshore, in Bali between July and September.
You’ll see a large rock isolated on the edge of the bay, marking the edge of the channel. The hard coral reef starts at 5m, has a white sand base, and is covered with anemones and soft corals. Marine life includes angelfish, sweetlips, frogfish, Banded sea snakes and many Moorish idols. You can also expect to see occasional Wobbegong sharks and Manta rays. Below 27m we often find Decorated dartfish.
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 small reef sharks are in the cave, but they generally leave when divers arrive. Continuing along the (very deep) wall from the Bat Cave at 20-24m, the hard corals provide homes for a number of lobsters. Because this area is in Ceningan Channel when there is a current present, and due to the coldness of the water from the Indian Ocean, there is also definitely the opportunity to see reef sharks, Eagle rays and also (if you're lucky) Leopard, Wobbegong and Guitar sharks.
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