Snorkeling With Manta Rays At Nusa Lembongan

Bali Indonesia Locations South East Asia

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Summary

By Luke

Summary

Rating: 4 out of 5.

By Luke

Fantastic island for snorkeling and swimming with Manta Ray, Turtles and Clownfish, and one of the best snorkel locations in Bali. 50/50 chance of seeing Manta Rays on Nusa Lembongan snorkel trips, the waters are unpredictable and can be choppy. Some of the best corals I’ve ever seen.

Pros

  • 50/50 chance to see Manta Rays
  • Awesome Coral wall
  • Very diverse coral reefs and fish
  • Can see Turtles

Cons

  • Can have strong currents and waves meaning you can’t get to Manta Bay
  • The island gets unpredictable currents and waves.
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Snorkel Video

Taken on my snorkel trip around the islands of Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida
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Snorkel Review

Highlights

Coral Reef Icon

Coral present

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2-5 Meters Average Depth

Australian Mado Icon

Very good visibility

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Medium to Hard difficulty

Food Drink Icon

No Cafe’s

Econonic Financial Icon

Tours approx $20-40 USD

Sea Urchin Icon

Unlikely

Jellyfish Icon

Unlikely

When:

Who:

Tour Cost:

Star Rating:

Cost:

09:00am May, 2023

Luke

$15.00 US Dollars

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Nusa Lembongan is a small island located off the South-East coast of Bali, part of the popular Nusa island including Nusa Penida. Nusa Lembongan is much smaller than Nusa Penida but more developed with many hotel, homestay, and restaurant options for tourists. It was evident that snorkeling was a big attraction and tourist activity, there were many advertisements around the island.

Mushroom Bay Beach, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
Mushroom Bay Beach

There are many snorkel trips on offer from Nusa Lembongan and also from mainland Bali. I booked a snorkel tour from the homestay I was staying in, just off Jungubatu Beach. The tour was at a very good price 200Rp (Approximately $12.50 USD) for a 3x hour snorkel trip around the island stopping at 3x snorkel spots.

The main reason I traveled to Nusa Lembongan and booked the trip was to swim with Manta Rays, which has been a bucket list goal for some time. The Nusa islands are home to Manta Rays, most notably at Manta Bay at Lembongan which is a popular snorkeling spot due to the mantas swimming at the surface, and Manta Point which is on Nusa Penida and a popular diving spot due to the mantas cleaning station at a depth of 6-8 meters.

Nusa Lembongan Beach, Bali
The snorkel trip set off from the beach

On the Nusa Lembongan snorkel trips, the first stop is Manta Bay, Crystal Bay, and Mangrove Lembongan. We met at a homestay, with about 16x people joining the snorkel tour with two captains, one who would get in and snorkel with us at each spot. It is worth noting that the Nusa islands tend to have unpredictable ocean conditions, with strong currents and waves, safety is important, picking the correct tour as you don’t want to put yourself at risk. The tour I picked, although relatively cheap was run by two locals who knew the oceans.

We set off on the boat at 8:30ish to Manta Bay, the sea conditions were ok with some small waves. It was about a 15-minute ride to the first stop Manta Bay, On approach, Manta Bay is essentially a small bay in the corner of two large cliff faces. There were many boats upon approach, probably about 10x and there was a swell in the water. Judge whether it is safe to get in, in my opinion, this is not a spot unless you are a confident strong swimmer, flippers are definitely required.

Manta Ray Icon

Manta Bay

As we got into the water you could hear people shouting Manta, so there was one in the crowded water. I swam away from the crowds, as I don’t think it was fair on the creature, also I wanted to get some footage/photos. I spotted the Manta cruising near the surface and it majestically swam past me, they’re pretty quick and hard to swim with, so I planned for the next swim by as they’re feeding, they will circle the bay, so it’s normally best to wait for the manta to swim back around.

I was on my own and I judged where the Manta Ray would swim and at this point, I got some awesome footage of it gliding over me. Super cool experience to swim with these Reef Manta Rays. This creature had a wing span of 1.5-2 meters with its wide mouth, mouth flaps, and trailing tail. You can tell it’s a Reef Manta Ray, firstly because it’s swimming on the coastline, but also because it is smaller than the giant Manta Rays and bigger than the Mobular Ray. Reef Manta Rays also have distinctive black spots on its white underside as shown in the photos below.

The Reef Manta Ray is ranked as Vulnerable by ICUN, meaning they are rare to see in the wild.

Snorkel Spot

Snorkel Spot, Manta Bay, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
Snorkel Spot at Manta Bay
Snorkel Spot, Manta Bay, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
Snorkel Spot at Manta Bay
Blue and Yellow Giant Clam
Manta Bay

Manta Rays

Cruising Manta Ray, Manta Bay, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
Cruising Manta Ray
Manta Ray, Manta Bay, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
Reef Manta Ray
Manta Ray, Manta Bay, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
Manta Ray at Manta Bay

Top Tip:

The Manta Ray swam with us for 5 minutes and then dived and swam into the deep blue. The ocean depth is about 6 metres here, so it was deep and the waves started to pick up, and we made our way back to the boat. Speaking with the Captain who runs this tour daily, he said that the chances of seeing a Manta Ray is 50/50, it all depends on the ocean conditions and whether it’s safe to enter Manta Bay, times it is not possible. I’d give yourself two mornings to snorkel, if you don’t see the Manta on the first snorkel, then you can go out on the second day to increase your chances.

Crystal Bay

We then set off to the next snorkel location at the stunning bay of Crystal Bay which is actually on the neighbouring island of Nusa Penida. The Bay isn’t massive and was pretty busy with tourist boats, but I have the say the coral reef was small but incredibly diverse with many colourful species of coral and fish. We spent a good 30 minutes swimming among the reef, and the captain snorkeling with us got some cool shots of me underwater!

Snorkel spot, Crystal Bay, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
Snorkel spot at Crystal Bay

The coral reef as shown below had many unusual coral species, including a field of Folded coral (Alcyloniidae), which is unique and distinctive due to the folded shape, looking like clay. There were also well-established encrusted hard corals shown below. The coral reef was very healthy and also teamed with life.

Coral Reef

Clam
Moorish Idol’s swimming over the coral reef at Crystal Bay
Folded Coral, Crystal Bay, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
Folded Coral
Blue and Yellow Giant Clam
Encrusted Coral

There were many species of fish and marine life at the Bay, including schools of Klein’s Butterflyfish, Horned Bannerfish, Indian Ocean Oriental Sweetlips, Clark’s Anemonefish, and Spotted Boxfish.

Marine Life

Klein's Butterflyfish, Crystal Bay, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
School of Klein’s Butterflyfish
Horned Bannerfish, Crystal Bay, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
Horned Bannerfish
Oriental Sweetlips, Crystal Bay, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
Indian Ocean Oriental Sweetlips

Safety Tip:

Mangrove

The final stop was back across to Lembongan to Mangrove point where there is a large stretch of coral 400 meters from the coast. The Mangroves are on the shoreline, but further out, we drift snorkeled along the coast moving westerly. There was a strong current so flippers are needed.

Snorkel Spot, Mangrove Point, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
Snorkel Spot at Mangrove Point

The coral reef was incredible in pristine condition and covered the sea bed, made up of many different hard and soft coral species. There were large fields of several of species of coral which made for a fantastic snorkel.

Coral Reef

Coral Reef, Mangrove Point, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
Coral reef at Mangrove Point
Coral Reef, Mangrove Point, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
Coral Reef at Mangrove Point
Coral Reef, Mangrove Point, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
Coral Reef at Mangrove Point
Coral reef, Mangrove Point, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
Coral reef at Mangrove Point

There was marine life to see, mainly Damselfish, Surgeonfish, Butterflyfish, and Triggerfish. I did see a Porcupine Pufferfish, Tomato Anemonefish, and a Hawksbill Turtle. The current did make it a little difficult to stay in one position to spot marine life, but there was a lot of marine life.

Marine Life

Porcupine Pufferfish, Mangrove Point, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
Porcupine Pufferfish
Tomato Anemonefish, Mangrove Point, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
Tomato Anemonefish
Tomato Anemonefish, Mangrove Point, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
Tomato Anemonefish keeping an eye on me

Summary

Overall, I thought for the price this was one of the best snorkels in Bali and the surrounding islands. To swim with Manta Ray’s was an incredible experience, and one of the highlights of my trip.

The coral is stunning, abundant, unique, and the best I saw off Bali. The main draw back is the unpredictable waters, the weather can change quickly causing it to be unsafe to snorkel at Manta Bay. Finally, I asked the local tour I went on the chances of seeing Manta Rays, and he said it was 50/50.

Tour Guide Options

There are snorkel tours that run from the main harbor on Nusa Lembongan, although they are dependent on the number of snorkelers. There are also snorkel trips that run from Bali Mainland. There is the option to purchase the trips on mobile apps such as ‘Getyourguide’, and ‘Klook’.

Best Snorkel Spot

Manta Bay was the best purely because of the opportunity to swim with Manta Rays which is rare, but I have to say both Crystal Bay and Mangrove Point were awesome, packed with diverse coral. For the price of these tours, they’re fantastic, one of the best I did on my trip around South East Asia. Just be aware of the sea conditions, as I haven’t seen them change and be that unpredictable before.

Manta Ray, Manta Bay, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
Incredible experience snorkeling with Manta Rays at Manta Bay

Best Time Of Year

The best time to visit and snorkel Nusa Lembongan is in Indonesia’s dry season which runs from April to October.

Marine Life Icon

Popular Marine Life

Mantaray Icon

Reef Manta Ray

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Parrotfish

Lined Butterflyfish Icon

Butterflyfish

Sergeant Major Damselfish Icon

Damselfish

Moorish Idol Icon

Moorish Idol

Blue Powder Surgeonfish Icon

Powder-Blue Surgeonfish


Rare Marine Life Icon

Rare Marine Life

Pufferfish Icon

Pufferfish

Green Turtle Icon

Green Turtle

Clark's Anemonefish Icon

Clark’s Anemonefish

Tomato Anemonefish Icon

Tomato Clownfish

Indian Ocean Oriental Sweetlips Icon

Indian Ocean Oriental Sweetlips

Hawksbill Turtle Icon

Hawksbill Turtle


Rare Marine Life Icon

Coral Reef

Table Coral Icon

Table Coral

Staghorn Branch Coral Icon

Branch Coral

Brain Coral Icon

Brain Coral

Acroporidae Coral Icon

Acroporidae Stoney Coral

Encrusted Coral Icon

Encrusted Coral

Fan Coral Icon

Fan Coral

Folded Coral Icon

Folded Coral

Lettuce Coral Icon

Lettuce Coral

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What I Saw

(Seen on April, 2023)

Reef Manta RayTable Coral
Sergeant Major DamselfishKlein’s Butterflyfish
Neon DamselChevroned Butterflyfish
Randall’s RabbitfishGolden Gregory
Three-Spot DascyllusBlackback Butterflyfish
Clark’s AnemonefishMoorish Idol
Spotted Coral GrouperPowder-Blue Surgeonfish
Blue Spotted BoxfishHumphead Bannerfish
Indian Ocean Oriental SweetlipsSixbar Wrasse
Soft CoralEncrusting Coral
Fan CoralTable Coral
Cauliflower CoralOrange Funnel Coral
Leather CoralBranch Coral
Hawksbill TurtleTomato Anemonefish
Saddle ButterflyfishBlack Triggerfish
Porcupine PufferfishTeardrop Butterflyfish
Blue-Green ChromisJansen’s Wrasse
Jewel DamselfishRaccoon Butterflyfish
Moorish IdolKlein’s Butterflyfish
Striped SurgeonfishBlack Axil Chromis
Checkered SnapperThreadfin Butterfly
Lined ButterflyfishIndian Triggerfish
Srgeant Major DamselfishHumphead Bannerfish
Black SurgeonfishBlue Sea Star
Crescent WrasseBlackback Butterflyfish
Golden GregorySixbar Wrasse
Encrusting CoralMassive Boulder Coral
Stoney Acroporidae CoralStaghorn Branch Coral
Table CoralSoft Coral
Flower CoralOrange Funnel
Mushroom CoralBrain Coral
Cauliflower CoralLettuce Coral
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Where is Nusa Lembongan?

Nusa Lembongan is an island off the South East coast of Bali main island, Indonesia. Lembongan is connected to the larger neighbouring island of Nusa Penida, connected by a bridge.

Nusa Lembongan

Manta Bay

Crystal Bay

Mangrove Point

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Frequently Asked Questions

Luke Snorkeling Nusa Lembongan

Luke

FOUNDER

Luke is a passionate snorkeler who started Snorkelverse to live his dream of combining his passions for snorkeling, marine life, protecting marine ecosystems, and helping others.

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