The Underwater

Menjangan Island

The island is part of the Bali Barat National Park, a protected reserve area that encompasses 780 square kilometers. The names menjangan means “deer”. Because the island is in a protected position, currents and wind-generate waves are rarely a bother. The water can be clear-a snorkeler, distinct, 50 meters above and the rest of the time the visibility seldom drops to less than 25 meters.

The coral walls around Menjangan are vertical down to 30-60 meters, and then slope outward. The reef surface is particularly rugged : caves, grottoes, crevasses and funnel-like splits break up the coral wall, and the surface is textured with little nooks and crannies. Gorgonians of many kinds reach large size here, and huge barrel sponges are abundant. Soft corals blanket the colorful wall all the way down.

The island offers fine diving to suit every taste with 7 recommended sites to explore - Menjangan Sites

1. Temple Point : a sandy site in the eastern tip of the island, a good point to see crocodile fish and nudibranchs.
2. POS II : a rich reef-wall site up to 50 meters deep with huge gorgonian fans, surgeonfish, jaclfish, batfish, angelfish, coral cod, nudibranchs, shrimps, trevally, lionfish, parrotfish, scorpionfish and shark.
3. Cave Point : several underwater caves with interesting rock structures to explore inside.
4. POS I : a sandy slope site from 2 down to 30 meters with lots of soft corals and gorgonians, lionfish, shrimp gobies, sea stars, mantis shrimp, small coral cod and royal dottybacks. Some divers have even witnessed whale shark here.
5. Garden Eel : a shallow sandy bottom area alive with garden eels which has terrific hard corals with large gorgonian fans, huge barrel sponges, coral cod, angelfish, lionfish, scorpionfish, basslets, anemone fish, cuttlefish, trumpet fish, frogfish, mandarin fish, napoleon fish and school of pelagics
6. Anker Wreck : believed to have laid there for over century, it is 25 meters long and sits 45 meters deep. Flat rectangular sheets lay in what had been the hold which also contains an assortment of ceramic and glass bottles. The wreck is communalized by soft corals, a good site to see turtle and shark.
7. Coral Garden : a tees sloping wall leading from 8 down to 4o meters with lots of soft corals, gorgonias and sponges, some large snappers, a few blue-spotted trevally, schools of fusiliers and a black-tip reef shark.

Eel Garden - Courtesy Pierfranco Dilenge

Secret Bay

Approximately 30 minutes drive from the resort, located on an adjacent bay to ferry harbor of Gilimanuk, the Secret Bay is a unique easy shore dive often considered as a site for new discoveries and best for macro photography. It is 25 C (77 F) on average, a chilly 5 C colder than most other dive sites around Bali. This is due to the nearby deep water cold currents which are directed into the bay by upwelling and the daily tidal changes. It is because of this cold water, along with the shallow sand and sea grass environment that makes this place so special. It has a unique blend of tropical, temperate, Indian and Pacific ocean species, all living in the same bay.

Among the many varieties like seahorses, nudibranchs, gobies and dragonets, it is the abundant and variety of anglerfish and scorpionfish that makes this dive site so exiting. There are at least 4 different species of anglerfish that have been found in Secret Bay including the Spotfin Anglerfish and Sargassum Anglerfish. But it is one species which has been producing great interest, locally known as Tono’s Anglerfish, about 30 cm in length and usually yellow coloration. It has an interesting esca (bait) that is unusual to any other species. This indicates it may be a new sub-species or even a new species all together.

Secret Bay has the most stunning variety and diversity of scorpionfish. One of the most common species found here is the Dwarf Lionfish (Dendrochirus branchypterus), which, due to its surrounding environment, has adapted its coloration to a dazzling rusty red body with vivid green eyes. The Blue-Finned Lionfish is apparently a first for Indonesian waters. With the eclectic blue pattern on its pectoral, it is very easy to see how it got its name.

Mimpi Channel

Only 5 minutes by boat, in the narrow entrance channel leading into the resort’s bay, is a site with delicate hard corals growing in tower-like structures. Colors were bright and vibrant in different shades of green and yellow. One area in particular has dozens of these two and three meter high coral towers, all closely packed together. Among the corals there are various gobies, blennies, lionfish, mandarin fish, nudibranchs and blue spotted trevally.

Puri Jati

A newly-discovered site located approximately 40 minutes drive east of the resort. Considered as Bali’s richest point for muck diving, this site is characterized by flat sandy bottom with some sea-grass. This is the most likely site to see mimic octopus and some other rarities.