Diving Nusa Lembongan

The short version

Diving from Nusa Lembongan means diving the channel between Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida. The island's own sites are Blue Corner and the Ceningan Wall for experienced divers, Mangroves as a drift dive most certified divers can handle on the right day, and Lembongan Bay for training. Penida's big names — Crystal Bay and Manta Point — are a boat ride away.

A note on where this comes from: we dive the east coast most weeks, not the channel. This page is built from the published site notes of the operators who dive Lembongan daily, cross-checked against each other. Where they disagree, we say so.

The dive sites

Blue Corner — experienced divers only

Lembongan's famous site, off the north-west of the island. A reef drops from around 6 metres down a steep slope and terraces into the blue, and the currents that sweep it bring the big stuff: schooling jacks and snapper, tuna, eagle rays, reef sharks, and in season, mola mola. It is also the site most operators put the strictest rules on. Currents here can be strong, sudden and unpredictable, and several operators describe water that can carry a diver down and out into the blue before they notice. Expect to be asked for Advanced Open Water and a solid number of logged dives in current; a reef hook is standard kit.

Mangroves (Sakenan) — the everyday drift

Off the north-east tip of Lembongan, near the mangrove forest it's named after (you'll also hear Sakenan or Jack's Point). A gentle slope from roughly 5 to 28 metres of hard coral, sponges and reef fish, with turtles seen on most dives. The current ranges from almost nothing to a proper ride — operators use it for drift-diving courses — but on a normal day it's within reach of an Open Water diver with some experience.

Ceningan Wall — deep, steep, often current-swept

On the Nusa Ceningan side of the channel, a coral wall starts shallow and drops far past recreational depth into the channel. It's covered in soft coral and sea fans, with reef sharks, rays and, in the cold months, the occasional mola. Most operators treat it as an advanced dive because of the current; at least one uses a sheltered stretch for easier dives when conditions allow. Trust the operator's call on the day.

Lembongan Bay — training and easy dives

Inside the bay on the north side of the island: shallow, sheltered, and usually current-free, though surge is possible. Juvenile fish, octopus, cuttlefish, morays, shrimp and crabs. This is where Open Water courses do their first dives, and it's a good refresher if it's been a while.

Across the channel

Toyapakeh, on the Penida side of the channel, is a slope from about 4 to 30 metres with usually mild-to-moderate current, big schools of fish and turtles — a favourite second dive. Crystal Bay is about 25 minutes by boat, and Manta Point about 40–50 minutes along Penida's southern cliffs. See our guides to the mantas and mola mola season.

Take the currents seriously

The channel between the Nusa islands and Bali moves a lot of water, and it doesn't always move it sideways. In February 2014, seven divers went missing on a dive at Blue Corner. Five were later found alive, one was found dead, and one was still missing when the search was reported. It's why the good operators here run the tide tables before the dive plan.

• Dive with an operator that dives the channel daily and will change or cancel a site when the current is wrong. Ask what they do on a bad-current day before you book.
• Carry a surface marker buoy and know how to deploy it from depth. A reef hook for Blue Corner.
• Be honest about your experience. If you haven't dived in current, say so, and start at Mangroves or Toyapakeh.
• Know where help is. The recompression chambers are on mainland Bali — see dive safety & emergencies.

When to go

• November to May: the calmer, warmer half of the year, with water around 26–29°C.
• July to October: mola mola season. Cold upwellings push thermoclines that can drop the water to around 18°C at depth. Bring a 5 mm suit and a hood if you feel the cold.
• Visibility averages around 20 metres year-round, from about 15 to 30 metres depending on the day.

Getting there and staying

Fast boats from Sanur take roughly 30–45 minutes and run from early morning until late afternoon. Most land at Jungut Batu, the main harbour on the north-west coast, where most dive centres are; some boats go to Mushroom Bay a little further south. It's an open-water crossing, so if you're prone to seasickness, take something for it. Find a local operator in our dive centre directory, or read learning to dive in Bali if you're not certified yet.