Dive Sites Around Menjangan Island Marine Park, Bali, Indonesia

 

 

Dive Sites Around Menjangan Island Marine Park, Bali, Indonesia

I did not have high expectations when I came to dive in North Bali.
Overfishing and plastic pollution is a problem around Bali, so my expectations were pretty low.
But the area really did delight and surprise me.

Unlike the surfing beaches of Bali which attract big crowds, this area is calm and very relaxed.
They are working hard to promote tourism in the area, which no doubt will detract from the charm of the place, if they succeed.
You just have to look at what happened to some of the islands in Thailand, after hoards of people started coming to vacation there.

I am hopeful that even though I am helping promote diving in Northern Bali by publishing details about the beauty of the place and its dive sites, that the place will not lose its charm and will remain calm and intimate.

Here is a description of the dive sites that I visited around Menjangan Island:
 
#1- Name: Pos #2 – Menjangan Island.
Depth: 3 – 40 meters (10 – 130 feet).
Mostly calm currents.
Average water temperature: 27 – 29 C
Underwater topography: A continuous reef wall surrounds this part of the island, dropping from a couple of meters to over 50 meters deep.
Lots of fan corals, some 3 m high. (This is where the pygmy seahorse lives). Gorgonians and delicate coral trees and barrel sponges.
Marine life: Profusion of small fish that live among the soft corals and sponges.

The waters flowing down from the Northeast part of Menjangan are mixed here with an upwelling of cold waters from the deep ocean currents.

This condition is said to occasionally bring with it turtles, manta rays, sharks, Titan Triggerfish, Trevally and Jackfish.
You might also see Anthias, Chromis, gobies, moray eels, scorpionfish, angelfish, Lionfish, Stonefish, and Crocodile fish.

#2- Name: Cave Point Dive Site – Menjangan Island.
Depth: 3-40 meters.
Average water temperature: 27 – 29 C
Underwater topography: This dive site gets its name from the caves that are visible along the lime rocks of the island.
The caves stretch down underwater, and are a haven for fish and invertebrates, like the Nudibranchs and tiny fish that live amongst the corals and tube sponges.
The Gorgonian corals poke out from the wall as well as create clamps and brittle stars.

Marine life: Orange-lined triggerfish, Blackspotted puffer fish, occasionally barracuda fish.
Main attraction: perfect for photography.
The morning sunshine creates dramatic lighting for photographing the reef.
 
#3- Name: Bat Cave Dive Site- Menjangan Island.
Depth: 3-18 meters (10-60 feet).
Average water temperature: 27 – 29 C
Diving Conditions: usually a drift dive with the current direction.
Underwater topography: Many small bats inhabit the caves above the waterline of Menjangan’s eastern wall.
The bat caves are a continuation from the Pos 2 dive site.

Marine life: Schools of fish including Tuna, Jack, pompano, Barracuda and Fusiliers.
Fusiliers, or Caesionidae, are a family of marine ray-finned fish.
The family includes about 23 species.
They are related to the snapper, but have adapted for feeding on plankton, rather than on larger prey.
They are usually found at reefs in the Indo-Pacific area and in the Red Sea.

#4- Name: Coral Garden Dive Site- Menjangan Island.
Depth: 3 – 40 meters (10 – 130 feet).
Average water temperature: 27 – 29 C
Diving conditions: the currents can be strong and will determine entry point.
Drift dive with the currents.

Underwater topography: This site is a drop-off, a more gradual slope than a wall.
Marine life: burrowing creatures including the blind shrimp, goby, reef fish, Nudibranchs, big-eyed trevally, titan triggerfish, many clownfish in their anemones, scorpionfish, and a variety of pygmy seahorses.

#5- Name: Eel Garden – Menjangan Island.
Depth: 15 to 30 meters.
Average water temperature: 27 – 29 C
Underwater topography: This reef has some large coral heads and formations as well as sandy channels where the sandy eels poke up like grass.

Marine life: large puffer fish, batfish, eagle ray, stingray, and mantas glide through the channels between Menjangan, Bali and Java.
Occasionally dolphins can be seen.
There are also Gorgonian fans with longnose hawkfish. This area is also known for sightings of White-tip and black-tip reef sharks, dogtooth tuna, small schools of barracudas, Turtles, and napoleon wrasse.

Garden eels live in the sandy bottom and in the reef there are lots of Sea fans, pygmy sea horse, shark, eels and other kinds of reef fishes.

#6- Name: Pos 1 – Menjangan Island.
Depth: 0 to 30 meters.
Average water temperature: 27 – 29 C
Underwater topography: Covered by live coral on the top of the site and then underwater lime stone pinnacles covered in coral.
Marine Life: shrimps, goby, anemone, lobsters, nudibranch, clown fish, fusiliers, turtles, batfish, pipefish, garden eels, moray eel.

#7- Name: Shark Point Dive Site- Menjangan Island.
Depth: 5 to 40 meters.
Average water temperature: 27 – 29 C
Underwater topography: Big sea fans, table corals, soft and hard coral on top of the reef.
Marine Life: sea cucumbers, nudibranches, pigmy sea horse, orangutan crabs, batfish, surgeon fish, fusiliers, clown fish, white and black tip sharks, parrot fish, sweetlips, lionfish, scorpion fish.

#8- Name: Temple wall – Menjangan Island.
Depth: 12 to 40 meters.
Average water temperature: 27 – 29 C
Underwater topography: Good soft coral on the top, sea-fans and table corals.
Marine Life: nudibranchs, pigmy sea horses, orangutan crabs, squat lobsters, batfish, surgeon fish, fusiliers, clown fish, parrot fish, sweetlips, lionfish, scorpion fish, sometimes sharks.

#9- Name: Sand slope- Menjangan Island 
Required level: Beginner
Depth: 5 to 25 meters
Average water temperature: 27 – 29 C
Underwater topography: Amazing soft coral.
Marine Life: nudibranchs, pigmy sea horses, orangutan crabs, squat lobster batfish, surgeon fish, fusiliers, clown fish, parrot fish, sweetlips, lionfish, scorpion fish, sometimes sharks, leaf scorpion fish.

#10- Name: Turtle point -Menjangan Island.
Required level: Beginner.
Depth: 5 to 30 meters.
Average water temperature: 27 – 29 C
Underwater topography: Amazing hard coral on top, table coral and sea fan
Marine Life: nudibranchs, pigmy sea horse, orangutan crabs, squat lobster, ghost pipe fish, batfish, surgeon fish, fusiliers, clown fish, parrot fish, sweetlips, lionfish, scorpion fish, sometimes turtles, leaf scorpion fish.

#11- Name: Anchor wreck – Menjangan Island.
Depth: 5 to 40 meters(18 – 130 feet).
Average water temperature: 27 – 29 C
Diving conditions: currents can be strong, so drift diving is best.

Underwater topography: the anchor rests 5.5 meters along a deep slope.
The slope can get steep in places and has canyons and crevices.
This offers great wall diving and deep diving.
Colorful corals, as this is one of the oldest wrecks in Bali, built in the late 1800s and sunk during World War One.

Marine life: lots of varieties of nudibranchs, frogfish and sand dwellers.
Schooling around the pieces of wreck are bannerfish, fusiliers and batfish.
Big sponges, table coral and sea fans, pigmy sea horse, orangutan crabs, squat lobster, ghost pipe fishes, surgeon fish, clown fish, parrot fish, sweetlips, lionfish, scorpion fish, sometimes turtles, leaf fish and scorpion fish.