Bali is a wonderful island surrounded by amazing seas filled with schools of fish and wonderfully colourful corals. Scuba and snorkelling are popular throughout the island and naturally we planned on partaking. After our success at Phu Quoc we were looking for a group to go with and we found Day Trip Bali who would take us to spots around Nusa Penida to enjoy the islands brilliant corals. Nusa Penida is a doable day trip from most of Bali and has a high chance of spotting turtles and manta rays. Gili has better chances still but requires an overnight stay as it is too far to day-trip
We were picked up from our hotel in Ubud around 7am by a cab to take us to the Sanur harbour. which is actually an area where most cabs are not allowed. The people at the Day Trip Bali office got us registered and introduced us to our guide Olog before pointing us to the free-flowing coffee and snacks. After changing and putting on sun-screen we were led by Olog to our boat, ‘Sweetheart 4’ which would take us to Nusa Penida. On the way we were approached by hawkers selling sun-hats, fruits and bunch of other things.
On the boat we were about a dozen people total, including the 3 of us, meaning it was a medium size group, but small enough for the two dive leaders/guides to properly manage. The initial plan for our tour was to do a warmup snorkel at a calm spot then visit the coral garden and some bays. Then we would be heading for the on-land part of the tour for lunch at a resort with a nice view and an infinity pool. After lunch we would visit a viewpoint for the T. Rex Bay and finally some afternoon snorkelling at the Manta point. There is a myriad of providers who offer different combinations of on-land and in-sea spots, and we chose this one because it had more of the sea snorkelling parts.
There was a slight re-arrangement though and our first spot was going to be the Manta Point where sometimes one can spot manta rays. To get there took us about a 30-minute ride across open sea and after the rain and thunderstorm Bali had had the day before the sea was pretty choppy. It messed with our stomachs, but Olog had given us sea-sickness pills before we got on the boat which helped my parents through the worst of it. Mamma had taken some seasickness pills and was very proud of not feeling any discomfort for the entire voyage. The route to Nusa Penida goes through a cross-current channel making the sea even rougher and the boat would leap up into the air and crash down again spraying us with water.
When we got to the manta point, my tummy was doing terribly but I still wanted to swim whenever possible so with a life jacket I leapt into the water. The life jacket was a bad idea for me. It made it difficult for me to swim cleanly and hurt my neck the entire time and because of the waves in the water there was very little chance we would see manta rays. Of course, if you are more comfortable with the jacket take it, but it made it hard for me to swim.
The only reason I got safely back to the boat was our guide who held my hand and pulled we there himself. Back on the boat I was far more comfortable and so were our companions so in a better mood we headed to the coral garden. This was a spot filled to the brim with colourful corals, there were soft-hair strand like corals waving with the tide, folded brown corals teeming with life and huge green pads filled with projections upwards. There were also fish everywhere, I saw a two-metre-long pipefish, tons of blue tangs (Dory from Nemo) and a huge school of small brown and green striped fish. This is also a spot that turtles frequent but spotting them is still rare. Deep out into the sea where the corals were more frequent and far away the blue was interrupted by a moving spot of green, A TURTLE!
It was dark green and gliding through the sea as is in slow-motion with its shell glowing in the sunlight. The turtle looked lovely, and we were so happy to see it among the corals especially after the choppy mess that we had experienced at the manta point. My mother got to see it for a really long time as it went from one end of her field of vision to the other. I tried to chase it and somehow caught up a bit, but then one of my flippers fell off and I was forced to turn around. The corals here were wonderful and vibrant with a lot of variety so I do recommend checking if your provider comes to this spot, it was referred as the SD Dive spot on our booking.
After only a few minutes we were called back to the boat from a very successful expedition and now we were heading to land. The plan on Terra Firma at Nusa Penida was to grab lunch at a resort with an infinity-pool and then visit the T. rex caves before again heading back to the open sea. The boat reached the harbour, and we were led to some waiting cars, we got in and were driven to our lunch spot, Antara. It had a great view of the sea and a buffet waiting for us. There was teriyaki chicken, noodles, stir fried veggies and fresh fruits. We sat at the railing table looking out to the sea and Mt. Agung beyond it. Post lunch we had all changed and found some bean bags to relax in the resort lawns. There was a small pair of Balinese Gates at the end of the property closest to sea which looked beautiful with the sea as a backdrop. We sat for a while admiring the view and clicking pictures.
Soon after we were off once again heading to another side of the Nusa Penida cliffs. The T. Rex cliffs are a rock formation that from a particular angle look like a Tyrannosaurus Rex. There is a spot with a ladder from where people take pictures for social media, needless to say there was a long queue. But our guides were smarter than that and took us to a spot next to the popular spot with their own ladder getting the same photos without the queue. The T. rex cliff looks quite cool and does resemble a dinosaur head. While we were there, we saw someone climbing the head of the dinosaur looking incredibly brave.
A bit later we were headed back to the boat to get some more snorkelling done. This is where we lost some of our fellow snorkellers as they were staying on the island and wouldn’t continue. If you want to do that take note of what your provider offers in terms of drop offs. Back on the boat, we were headed to a snorkelling location closer to land. Here we swam right up against the cliffs, and the area was filled with plant life and dead leaves which do not lend themselves to a comfortable swim. This was also the spot our guide most clicked photos of us. It was still fun, and we saw quite a few schools of fish swimming by. Because of the amount of vegetation when we made it back to the boat all our flippers were filled with baby crabs who live among the vegetation. We spent a good part of our next ride tossing them out. This was maybe not the best place for clicking pictures due to the quantity of things floating in the water.
During the rides we had time to explore the boat, and it had a top deck that was padded and had a couple of bean bags on it so that those not swimming could relax, enjoy the view and take in the sun. My parents in fact stayed there during the last swimming spot, which was again in slightly choppy waters, this time though I was feeling much better and didn’t take the life jacket and with just flippers could swim with confidence. The spot was called crystal bay and had been hailed by our guides as generally one of the best spots for swimming if not spotting sea life. After getting back to the boat I decided to visit the top deck which was fun for a while but I preferred the seating downstairs mostly because it felt more stable.
The ride back was again a bit bumpy as we passed the cross current channel again. The water was coming over the sides of the boat and at one point drenched me. Alls well the ends well, we made it safely back to the harbour where we were once again accosted by hopeful hawkers trying to sell their wares to tourists. The tour operator’s office had bathrooms where we could change and get ready to head to our hotels for rest.
Day Trip Bali was a wonderful provider who provided wonderful guides, transport and food and our guide, Olog, was also great in the water especially in clicking pictures of us but he did not click as many pictures of the corals and creatures as we would have liked.
A few Snorkelling Tips –
- Follow the guides and instructors as they know the currents well and it’s easier for them to reach you in case you need help.
- If you think you will need a floatation device, make sure to take one, the waters are very deep and it is more enjoyable when you feel safe, but do not feel the need to take one if comfortable in water.
- Keep an eye on the water and how choppy it has gotten as this can cause difficulties in swimming as it drains your energy so quickly.
- Check your gear and be careful in the water, including tightening your flippers and ensuring your mask fits properly.
- As with most things in nature, there are good days and not so good days, make the most of what you get and listen to your guides.
- And of course, have fun enjoy the vibrancy and the glamour of the corals.