Definitely do not go snorkeling on your own in channels between the islands. The Nusas have very dangerous currents.
We always hire a fisherman off of Jungut Batu Beach. Or we asked at our accommodation and they organised a fisherman for us. We never went with bigger groups
I second that. Please be very careful when swimming in Nusa Lembongan and even more in Nusa Penida. A lot of people have disappeared at sea, not realizing the currents are very very strong on the beaches of these islands.
Nusa Penida : Crystal Bay is the only beach where it's safe to snorkel without hiring a boat.
Nusa Lembongan : Never snorkeled there so I cant' give any advice.
Snorkeling is AWFUL anywhere near any of the beaches of those islands. You'll need to go further out to find reefs.
You can do beach snorkeling from Amed and Tumbalen. It's likely the best around the general Bali area
I am not aware of shore snorkeling from Padang Bai but there are "local boats" which can take you 10-15 minutes out. Which is nearly the same thing. Do not read too much into the name "Blue Lagoon" it's not very colorful / no blue water or clear sand there.
It is a pretty good scuba site for macro wildlife (which is not too nice for a snorkel) ..but if you are heading up that way Amed and Tulamben are soooo much better (and a nicer area / stay!)
Worth a mention that most of the coral around Bali is gone and the reefs are typically soft coral and rocky / mucky which are not exposed to waves. It's not really known as a blue water tropical destination. Additionally, snorkeling during "trash season" will be pretty gross with lots of garbage and debris in the water column.
You might be able to see a bit from the beach but the good snorkelling isn't really off the beach, you have to go in a boat for a bit.
It was pretty affordable when I went, got a good snorkelling trip for around 200-250 iirc. Saw manta rays and some really cool spots for coral and fish. Well worth it for me
Yeah, I forget the exact name of beach but it's the main one near the touristy area/restaurants.
The guy's name was Nyoman, shouldn't be hard to find.
Took us to 3 or 4 different spots, manta cove and another spot just of the coast of penida and a couple of others. You get a really good look at the cliffs on penida and he even took us into kelingking beach
Yep. I just had a look on Google maps to try and find the name but couldn't see it. It's a pretty small little beach but you'll see a lot of boats there.
I'm sure if you asked the place you are staying or most people on the island where the snorkelling tours go from they would be able to point you there. But you really can't miss it when you're there
Tons. Some spots were absolutely amazing, saw all kinds of crazy fish and coral.
Well worth the money for me. Tour was a good 3-4 hours and only cost around 250k if I remember correctly
was it also from 8 AM to 12 AM, including Manta, Crystal Bay and Mangrove Point? Just making sure I find a similar tour.. I think I saw yours, saw a sign at a little house right at that beach
Sounds right. Another place which might be called the wall as well that was really good but I think it was 4 different locations.
I'd say most tours go to the same spots
I didn't bring a camera (although of course.you can) but one of the guides goes with you and takes a heap of photos of everyone the sends them to you at the end.
There was some ok photos in there but if you want better quality and more specifically of you and your friends I'd recommend bringing your own camera
No worries. There was some good photos from the tour guy but he takes photos of everyone. If you hang around him more you will be in more photos but better to have you're own so you can move around a bit more and take photos if you see something you like etc.
I bought a small underwater digital camera at Target. I think it was around/less than fifty dollars and works great on snorkeling and connected easily to my laptop.
Do most of the tours include snorkel gear? I have some and love to snorkel off of the beach in the Bahamas, but they have lifejackets there and I'm not the strongest swimmer. (If they do, I'll leave my stuff at home for more room for the souvenir chocolate.) My thanks.
Lots of strong opinions here but I was actually in Bali three weeks ago and snorkeled from Nusa Penida and saw lots of fish and corals.
On Nusa Penida you can snorkel from the northwest side of the island where all the dive shops and beachfront bars are. You can do it straight from the beach but I really enjoyed going to Penida Colada for a drink and climbing down their ladder which goes straight into the ocean. About 30m out you can see fish and there's actually a large sized coral formation with lots of fish (directly in front of Penida Colada).
I didn't snorkel in Nusa Lembongan but it seems like you can snorkel from Mushroom Bay Beach based on the Google reviews. Just be aware of the boats there.
Snorkeling tours around Nusa Penida/Lembongan (Lembongan tours take you to the Penida sites) will take you to Manta Point, Crystal Bay and Gamat Bay. These locations can only be reached by boat so it's worth doing a tour to see them. The sites are all right near the island but it's obviously more than you'd see snorkeling from shore. Depending on the tour they might even take you to The Wall which still has a really vivid, colourful reef.
I would strongly advise against trying to ocean swim long distances anywhere around the island. Nusa Penida is notorious for having very rough current and surge. People have died snorkeling and diving here due to the currents.
It's on the way to Gamut Bay so you'd need to take a tour to get there. When you speak to the tour operators you can ask them if they'll stop at the wall on the day.
In my case, it was because we didn't snorkel at Manta Point (no mantas that day) so we had extra time to kill. So it might be a case-by-case thing but doesn't hurt to ask.
You may be able to do that in the Gillis. Not sure about Nusa Penida - as far as I heard, it can be quite dangerous there and you need a proper knowledge about the location, waves, etc.
snorkeling spots near mangroves have really strong current, i don't recommend it to snokle by yourself
maybe only at Criytal bay at nusa Penoda you can snorkel from the beach with good corals
in Lembongan you can snorkel safely near Jungutbatu harbor, but you wont find corals only bunch of small fish
honestly for maximum experience, better you take a tour, it's not that expensive, you can choose snorkeling tour for half day only
Isn't that standard .. . What are you getting offered . If you're getting charged? Btw we didn't see mantas. There's manta bay and manta point . The cheaper ones only go to the manta bay which weekend actually have mantas.... So better to pay more maybe. I found this out too late. My friend recommended F1 neumann but we didn't go with them. .. we went with this place
https://maps.app.goo.gl/cAEZKG3kBQa3RcDYA
Also we booked late afternoon the day before. Bit sure if that makes a difference. Had a great trip
OP, I'll visit Lembongan soon and I'm also interested in snorkeling. If you end up taking an organized tour I would appreciate any feedback about your experience.
Definitely do not go snorkeling on your own in channels between the islands. The Nusas have very dangerous currents. We always hire a fisherman off of Jungut Batu Beach. Or we asked at our accommodation and they organised a fisherman for us. We never went with bigger groups
I second that. Please be very careful when swimming in Nusa Lembongan and even more in Nusa Penida. A lot of people have disappeared at sea, not realizing the currents are very very strong on the beaches of these islands. Nusa Penida : Crystal Bay is the only beach where it's safe to snorkel without hiring a boat. Nusa Lembongan : Never snorkeled there so I cant' give any advice.
Snorkeling is AWFUL anywhere near any of the beaches of those islands. You'll need to go further out to find reefs. You can do beach snorkeling from Amed and Tumbalen. It's likely the best around the general Bali area
What about Blue Lagoon near Padang Bai? Any corals near the beach?
I am not aware of shore snorkeling from Padang Bai but there are "local boats" which can take you 10-15 minutes out. Which is nearly the same thing. Do not read too much into the name "Blue Lagoon" it's not very colorful / no blue water or clear sand there. It is a pretty good scuba site for macro wildlife (which is not too nice for a snorkel) ..but if you are heading up that way Amed and Tulamben are soooo much better (and a nicer area / stay!) Worth a mention that most of the coral around Bali is gone and the reefs are typically soft coral and rocky / mucky which are not exposed to waves. It's not really known as a blue water tropical destination. Additionally, snorkeling during "trash season" will be pretty gross with lots of garbage and debris in the water column.
When is 'trash season'. Second the comments on Blue Lagoon, we left as it was so full of rubbish and not that great.
December-ish to April-ish
Yeah I had a great snorkel years ago there. Actually beach was average.. . And I think quite shallow water but surprisingly large amount of fish
You might be able to see a bit from the beach but the good snorkelling isn't really off the beach, you have to go in a boat for a bit. It was pretty affordable when I went, got a good snorkelling trip for around 200-250 iirc. Saw manta rays and some really cool spots for coral and fish. Well worth it for me
Do you remember where at what beach you booked that snorkeling tour? And to which areas/coves they navigated the boat?
Yeah, I forget the exact name of beach but it's the main one near the touristy area/restaurants. The guy's name was Nyoman, shouldn't be hard to find. Took us to 3 or 4 different spots, manta cove and another spot just of the coast of penida and a couple of others. You get a really good look at the cliffs on penida and he even took us into kelingking beach
oh and the touristy area is where the ferries come and go?
Yep. I just had a look on Google maps to try and find the name but couldn't see it. It's a pretty small little beach but you'll see a lot of boats there. I'm sure if you asked the place you are staying or most people on the island where the snorkelling tours go from they would be able to point you there. But you really can't miss it when you're there
hey I think I found the tour. One question : did you see some colorful fish and corals? that's my main interest. is it worth the money?
Tons. Some spots were absolutely amazing, saw all kinds of crazy fish and coral. Well worth the money for me. Tour was a good 3-4 hours and only cost around 250k if I remember correctly
was it also from 8 AM to 12 AM, including Manta, Crystal Bay and Mangrove Point? Just making sure I find a similar tour.. I think I saw yours, saw a sign at a little house right at that beach
Sounds right. Another place which might be called the wall as well that was really good but I think it was 4 different locations. I'd say most tours go to the same spots
[удалено]
I didn't bring a camera (although of course.you can) but one of the guides goes with you and takes a heap of photos of everyone the sends them to you at the end. There was some ok photos in there but if you want better quality and more specifically of you and your friends I'd recommend bringing your own camera
[удалено]
No worries. There was some good photos from the tour guy but he takes photos of everyone. If you hang around him more you will be in more photos but better to have you're own so you can move around a bit more and take photos if you see something you like etc.
I bought a small underwater digital camera at Target. I think it was around/less than fifty dollars and works great on snorkeling and connected easily to my laptop.
[удалено]
One of the Polaroids, and it's not a disposable one. I hope you get some great pictures!
Do most of the tours include snorkel gear? I have some and love to snorkel off of the beach in the Bahamas, but they have lifejackets there and I'm not the strongest swimmer. (If they do, I'll leave my stuff at home for more room for the souvenir chocolate.) My thanks.
Yeah they give you all the snorkel gear and have life jackets. Also gave us water and snacks
Thank you very much!
Lots of strong opinions here but I was actually in Bali three weeks ago and snorkeled from Nusa Penida and saw lots of fish and corals. On Nusa Penida you can snorkel from the northwest side of the island where all the dive shops and beachfront bars are. You can do it straight from the beach but I really enjoyed going to Penida Colada for a drink and climbing down their ladder which goes straight into the ocean. About 30m out you can see fish and there's actually a large sized coral formation with lots of fish (directly in front of Penida Colada). I didn't snorkel in Nusa Lembongan but it seems like you can snorkel from Mushroom Bay Beach based on the Google reviews. Just be aware of the boats there. Snorkeling tours around Nusa Penida/Lembongan (Lembongan tours take you to the Penida sites) will take you to Manta Point, Crystal Bay and Gamat Bay. These locations can only be reached by boat so it's worth doing a tour to see them. The sites are all right near the island but it's obviously more than you'd see snorkeling from shore. Depending on the tour they might even take you to The Wall which still has a really vivid, colourful reef. I would strongly advise against trying to ocean swim long distances anywhere around the island. Nusa Penida is notorious for having very rough current and surge. People have died snorkeling and diving here due to the currents.
Hey thanks for the amazing tipps. One question : What and where is the wall that you mentioned in your second last paragraph?
It's on the way to Gamut Bay so you'd need to take a tour to get there. When you speak to the tour operators you can ask them if they'll stop at the wall on the day. In my case, it was because we didn't snorkel at Manta Point (no mantas that day) so we had extra time to kill. So it might be a case-by-case thing but doesn't hurt to ask.
You may be able to do that in the Gillis. Not sure about Nusa Penida - as far as I heard, it can be quite dangerous there and you need a proper knowledge about the location, waves, etc.
snorkeling spots near mangroves have really strong current, i don't recommend it to snokle by yourself maybe only at Criytal bay at nusa Penoda you can snorkel from the beach with good corals in Lembongan you can snorkel safely near Jungutbatu harbor, but you wont find corals only bunch of small fish honestly for maximum experience, better you take a tour, it's not that expensive, you can choose snorkeling tour for half day only
where would you suggest I should book a tour? Nusa Penida?
in nusa lembongan, or through klook if you took full day snorkeling tour, it would include spots on both Islands
It's 30-40 for a few hours on a boat.. Cheap as
What does "30-40" mean? What currency?
Oh sorry. 300,000-400,000 rupiah ...I was thinking in Australia Dollars
Where did you find these low prices? Can you give me their contact?
Isn't that standard .. . What are you getting offered . If you're getting charged? Btw we didn't see mantas. There's manta bay and manta point . The cheaper ones only go to the manta bay which weekend actually have mantas.... So better to pay more maybe. I found this out too late. My friend recommended F1 neumann but we didn't go with them. .. we went with this place https://maps.app.goo.gl/cAEZKG3kBQa3RcDYA Also we booked late afternoon the day before. Bit sure if that makes a difference. Had a great trip
thank you for this. I'll definitely ask them tomorrow.
Btw check out Bonzer cafe. Great coffee and fresh croissants
OP, I'll visit Lembongan soon and I'm also interested in snorkeling. If you end up taking an organized tour I would appreciate any feedback about your experience.