Manta Point Nusa Penida | Scuba diving and snorkelling with manta rays near Bali

Manta Point Nusa Penida, near Bali is undoubtedly one of the best places in Indonesia, if not the world, to scuba dive and snorkel with the majestic manta rays.

Having grown up with a strongly instilled feeling of fear around the ocean, never wading past knee-deep at any point in my life before I turned 18, I wouldn’t have believed it if you told me that my early to mid 20’s would be spent travelling the globe in search of PURPOSEFUL underwater encounters with phenomenal creatures of the sea.

Photo by Abdul Latif

But here I was, 25 and finding myself for the third time in 3 years giant-striding off the back of an Indonesian dive boat, the waves (made by my splash) pouring over my face as I reached out and punched my head with the big OKAY directed at the skipper.

Manta Point, to the South of Nusa Penida, is my FAVOURITE dive site to date. I am so excited to share with you exactly why you NEED to do this site, as soon as you can (when it’s safe of course, re: Covid).

 

When is the best time to see mantas at Manta Point Nusa Penida?

The 3 times I’ve dived here have been overly exceptional. The internet will tell you the best season for manta rays at this site is March through June. However, from my own experience and confirmed by the local  divemasters there are manta rays year round. There is only a 10% chance of not getting to see manta rays at this site, so I’m sending you all the manta-luck I can muster up! There are, however, times (about 4-5 weeks) each year when they can rarely (if at all) be seen there. You need to go to the other spots to have a chance to dive with them.

Photo by Arkadiy Almendieiev

I’ve dived Manta Point during November, May, and March, and each time there have been over TWENTY manta rays gracefully flying around like giant ocean magic carpets.

Cue *a whole new world* in muffled underwater melodies.

 

How to dive Manta Point when you are staying in Bali

You don’t need to be staying on the island of Nusa Penida to access this site on a day trip. There are numerous companies in Bali that offer the day trip to Manta Point.

Photo by Arkadiy Almendieiev

My best recommendation if you are not planning to spend some time on Nusa Penida, is to organise your double boat dive from Sanur for the most affordable experience. Sanur is located South East of Bali, and is the closest port to the dive site. Most dive shops will include or organise transfers from your accommodation to the dive shop inclusive in the price.

If you decide to stay on Nusa Penida (which I do highly recommend for the outdoorsy adventure loving type) your Manta Point dive will be more affordable.

 

How much does diving at Manta Point cost?

 

Staying in Bali?

When I dived out of Sanur, the total trip including 2 dives, breakfast, lunch and transport to and from my accommodation in Legian came to $215 AUD (2,150,000 IDR or 170 USD).

You’d be looking at starting your day around 6:30am and will be back at your accommodation around 2-3pm.

 

Staying on Nusa Penida?

In 2020 I dived out of Nusa Penida. The trip included a return boat from Nusa Penida to Manta Point, snacks, and 2 dives. This came to $130 AUD (1, 290, 000 IDR or 100 USD).

We started our day at 7:30am and we were back in our room by 1:30pm.

Diving with manta rays and having a super incredible story to tell and memory to keep? Priceless.

 

Snorkelling at Manta Point Nusa Penida

If you or your travel buddies are not certified or cannot dive for whichever reason, you can definitely opt to snorkel amongst these beautiful beasts.

Manta Point’s depth ranges from 0 – 30m / 0-100ft, however most of the action is found within the first 1-12m / 1-40ft beneath the surface. With an average visibility of 10-15m / 30-50 ft you won’t be missing any of the show from above, making this site ideal for both snorkelling and scuba diving.

Photo by Arkadiy Almendieiev

 

Why are there so many manta rays at this particular site?

Manta Point is what they call a ‘cleaning station’. This means that manta rays, and a range of other underwater species come here specifically to have their bodies cleaned by small wrasse’s and parasitic copepods.

Basically, it’s a communal bathing hole, attracting them year round and making for an incredible environment to watch the manta rays put on a show. You can and even see some turtles, smaller rays and more depending on the conditions.

Photo by Arkadiy Almendieiev

 

Diving conditions at Manta Point

Due to the location of the dive site, situated at the southern point on Nusa Penida, Manta Point can at times be unsuitable for scuba diving, with swells of 4m+ / 13ft. The dive centers that travel here are well aware of conditions ahead of time and are very pedantic on when to call the trips off due to weather that may pose an unsafe environment. The bad weather conditions can stretch for a coupe of weeks every quarter when no decent dive operator will send the boat to Manta Point. Rule of thumb for any respected and safety-oriented operation on Lembongan and Penida is you don’t go there when the forecast is 1,6-1,7 meters / 5ft. And you turn around if you see the swell is too high. Manta Point does not have currents, even at it’s deepest part on the wall where you sometimes spot molas.

Consult with your desired dive shop for the dates you wish to dive and they will keep you updated.

Luckily, more often than not, Manta Point is calm, clear and consistently spectacular 90% of the year.

 

What is the water temperature?

Cool water pours in from the south at this dive site, so if you feel the cold easily I would definitely recommend wearing a 5 or 7mm wetsuit for this dive. Most sites around Bali are a comfortable 26-30°C / 80-86°F, however Manta Point can reach lower temperatures around 15-18°C / 60-65°F, and can get to about 22-25 C° / 72-77°F.

Although it can get a little chilly (especially if you decide to dive at 20-30m / 65-100ft) the magnificence of the manta rays distracts from the cool water.

 

Finals tips for diving Manta Point Nusa Penida

Take your GoPro or underwater camera on this one. You don’t want to miss filming a fly by!

The mantas are super friendly and can come up pretty close. Don’t worry, they mean absolutely no harm, but make sure you don’t touch them. If you’ve ever touched a fish, you might remember the slimy slippery feeling you had, most likely JUST before it slipped out of your fingers. Manta rays also have this mucus film that covers their bodies. This mucus film is actually a protection coat to repel bacteria, so when you touch sea life (mantas included) this will remove the mucus film in that area, exposing them to the bacteria and can cause them life-threatening infections. Remember to take only photos and leave only bubbles!

Photo by Arkadiy Almendieiev

Stay safe, stay salty and enjoy one of my FAVOURITE dive site I’ve ever experienced. For some more amazing diving in Indonesia, check out Bali, Komodo and North Sulawesi.

 

About the author

Hey hey online dive buddy! So nice to e-meet you. I am Tiffany Simonovski. 

I’ve been diving sparingly since 2013 after battling YEARS of fear around the ocean. Scuba diving became a life-long addiction of mine in 2015.

Combined with my love of travel, I now share my dives and adventures through photography, videography, traditional & digital artwork, writings and guides online. I am also the founder of sustainable dive/travel inspired clothing line FEELING SALTY.

Connect with me on Instagram & YouTube, hopefully we can dive together one day!

See you beneath the surface, stay salty,

Tiff 🙂