Manta Point Nusa Penida
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beckerman
Registered
We were in Bali and Nusa Lembongan in October '11. Dove with Aqua Marine and they were phenomenal. However, our two tanks at Nusa Penida were disappointing. I had been after Manta sightings for my entire dive life and although AM wouldn't 'guarantee' a sighting, they have never been on a dive trip and not seen one. Well, you guessed it, no mantas! The cleaning station has low vis and relatively cold (72 F) for the area. All and all combined for two of our least favorite dives of the trip. We did Menjangan Island, Tulamben, Amed and Padangbai in Bali, Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan. Nusa Lembongan is well worth the trip, got to swim with our first Mola Mola!
Barbara at Aqua Marine is great and very easy to work with. I'm sure we were the exception and not the rule in Penida.
Barbara at Aqua Marine is great and very easy to work with. I'm sure we were the exception and not the rule in Penida.
Sideways
Contributor
I've been wondering the same also. We'll be in Bali at the end of April, and are doing at least one day at Manta point. Like Beckerman, I have tried 2 trips to supposed bullet proof locations for Manta's, both times were failures 
. I read, and I'll look for the link, the other day on a site about Bali area dive sites that Manta's were most prevalent in April/May SO!!!! Here's hoping!!!!!
. I read, and I'll look for the link, the other day on a site about Bali area dive sites that Manta's were most prevalent in April/May SO!!!! Here's hoping!!!!!I've been wondering the same also. We'll be in Bali at the end of April, and are doing at least one day at Manta point. Like Beckerman, I have tried 2 trips to supposed bullet proof locations for Manta's, both times were failures
They are not seasonal in the area : you can see them year round.
Getting to Manta Point & Manta Bay when conditions are right (swell < 1.5m) grants 90% chances to see some manta rays. Chances highly decrease with swell : you can get lucky and see some manta with 2.5m swell but you will be sick on the boat. 100% guaranted.
Swell forecasts (5 days accurate) need to be checked here : Ceningan Surf Report, Surf Forecast and Live Surf Webcams
If you're lucky you can spend an hour surrounded by 20 of them.
But do not get too excited, honestly most of the time you will not be so lucky and may able to see 3 of them from 5 minutes to 1 hour depending of various factors : sea conditions, sun - they seems to love getting a nice tan
- number of divers & snorkelers underwater + how they interact with the manta, time of the day (better experience in the morning), ...Finally if you see some dolphins on the south tip of Nusa Lembongan on the way to Manta Bay / Manta Point, the trip to Manta Point might be not worth the time to get overthere : never saw manta with dolphins in the area. Don't ask me why
+1 for zivva
Mantas can be seen on almost every trip, all year round. Make sure to respect them by not chasing them, stealing their spot on the cleaning stations or prohibiting their access to the cleaning station by creating a wall of bubbles around them.
That being said, it is a natural world out there. If you are really keen on seeing mantas, why not plan more than one day of diving on appropriate sites?
Mantas can be seen on almost every trip, all year round. Make sure to respect them by not chasing them, stealing their spot on the cleaning stations or prohibiting their access to the cleaning station by creating a wall of bubbles around them.
That being said, it is a natural world out there. If you are really keen on seeing mantas, why not plan more than one day of diving on appropriate sites?
Tippytoes12
Contributor
Hi there
We have dived Manta Point on several occasions and have always seen at least one manta. We have however always stayed on Lembongan and dived with a very experienced operator , World Diving. That way were we're almost first on the dive sites. Towards the end of each dive more and more divers appeared and people particularly with cameras behaved in my very humble opinion n a way that would scare away me if I was a manta. One dive I was on a year or so ago had two mature men doing what looked like DSD in shorts , t shirts and no fins bumping into other divers , shooting up etc etc.
To maximise your chances of seeing mantas I would recommend staying on Lembongan for at least a few nights.
Best fishes x
We have dived Manta Point on several occasions and have always seen at least one manta. We have however always stayed on Lembongan and dived with a very experienced operator , World Diving. That way were we're almost first on the dive sites. Towards the end of each dive more and more divers appeared and people particularly with cameras behaved in my very humble opinion n a way that would scare away me if I was a manta. One dive I was on a year or so ago had two mature men doing what looked like DSD in shorts , t shirts and no fins bumping into other divers , shooting up etc etc.
To maximise your chances of seeing mantas I would recommend staying on Lembongan for at least a few nights.
Best fishes x
Sideways
Contributor
They are not seasonal in the area : you can see them year round.
Getting to Manta Point & Manta Bay when conditions are right (swell < 1.5m) grants 90% chances to see some manta rays. Chances highly decrease with swell : you can get lucky and see some manta with 2.5m swell but you will be sick on the boat. 100% guaranted.
Swell forecasts (5 days accurate) need to be checked here : Ceningan Surf Report, Surf Forecast and Live Surf Webcams
If you're lucky you can spend an hour surrounded by 20 of them.
But do not get too excited, honestly most of the time you will not be so lucky and may able to see 3 of them from 5 minutes to 1 hour depending of various factors : sea conditions, sun - they seems to love getting a nice tan
Finally if you see some dolphins on the south tip of Nusa Lembongan on the way to Manta Bay / Manta Point, the trip to Manta Point might be not worth the time to get overthere : never saw manta with dolphins in the area. Don't ask me why
Yes, I understand that they are year round. Like I mentioned, it was from an article I read...here.
Bali lies in the Indian Ocean, north-west of Australia. It measures just 140 by 80 km (87 by 50 miles). There is diving all year round: between April and September is the dry season but the best diving is possibly between September and November. April and May is the time to see Manta Rays. Mola-mola (oceanic sunfish) are present all year round, but the best time to see them is August to October. There are a wide variety of dive sites, some suiting beginners and others with fierce currents and only for experienced divers.
SCUBA Diving Bali - the Dive Sites of Indonesia | SCUBA Travel
So, is this article/website incorrect? If so that sucks....I was getting my hopes up... LOL. Maybe they are talking about other spots around Bali, and not just Manta Point? Speaking of which, are there any other sites that frequently are visited by Mantas in Bali?
Wisnu
Contributor
we visited Nusa Lembongan on the third week of Dec. dived manta point twice - only 2 big mantas on first dive and one manta on next dive two days later
You could come across a passing manta on other sites. This has happened to me at Blue Corner, Crystal Bay or even tulamben. However this has been as rare as seeing threshers or whale sharks. Mantas do commute around and across the Straits. There have been some proven sightings of the same mantas in fairly far away spots.
Mantas can be seen all year round. There does not seen to be any month when more sightings occur. Last december/january were not so good. February/march are much better. 2 years ago April/May was no good... Go figure!
Definitely dive with an experienced operator. Captains should not drop divers right on top of cleaning stations. Divers and photogs need to be told to respect mantas. "Manta Point" is a big dive site. the entire south western coast of Nusa Penida is graced by their presence. A good Divemaster can bring his divers away from cleaning stations, so they can enjoy private interactions even if there are 6-7 boats around. A bad Divemaster will leave you in the middle of diver soup in complete jacuzzi mode.
I wouldn't say early morning is better in my experience. I personally prefer to arrive after 10 as I find that more mantas are around then. This may be my own personal manta voodoo science. To me some claims have more to do with such voodoo science than systematic empirical observation...
Just remember to enjoy and help protect these little guys. We're lucky to see them at all. We may not be able to enjoy them much longer anywhere. CITES anyone?
Mantas can be seen all year round. There does not seen to be any month when more sightings occur. Last december/january were not so good. February/march are much better. 2 years ago April/May was no good... Go figure!
Definitely dive with an experienced operator. Captains should not drop divers right on top of cleaning stations. Divers and photogs need to be told to respect mantas. "Manta Point" is a big dive site. the entire south western coast of Nusa Penida is graced by their presence. A good Divemaster can bring his divers away from cleaning stations, so they can enjoy private interactions even if there are 6-7 boats around. A bad Divemaster will leave you in the middle of diver soup in complete jacuzzi mode.
I wouldn't say early morning is better in my experience. I personally prefer to arrive after 10 as I find that more mantas are around then. This may be my own personal manta voodoo science. To me some claims have more to do with such voodoo science than systematic empirical observation...
Just remember to enjoy and help protect these little guys. We're lucky to see them at all. We may not be able to enjoy them much longer anywhere. CITES anyone?
The article is not so right on various topics.
I would suggest you unbookmark this website
Manta rays can (don't count on it : you need to get VERY lucky !) be seen elsewhere around Bali & West Lombok (from Tulamben to the Gili islands) but Manta Bay & Manta Point south Nusa Penida are their main known feeding points & cleaning stations in the area.
It has recently been proven (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...04759540.65097.244643352274429&type=1&theater) that some of them travel from Nusa Penida to the Gili islands from time to time, but sightings are eratic & no schools have been spotted overthere but only 1 or 2 manta at a time. There used to be some regular sightings of manta rays around the Gili Islands (they even have a dive site called "Manta Point") but the Lombok area being highly overfished, it's not a regular sightings spot anymore for years now ...
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