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
Cons
Snorkel Video
Snorkel Review
Highlights
Coral present
2-5 Meters Average Depth
Very good visibility
Medium to Hard difficulty
No Cafe’s
Tours approx $20-40 USD
Unlikely
Unlikely
When:
Who:
Tour Cost:
Star Rating:
Cost:
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.
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.
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 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
Manta Rays
Top Tip:
Manta Bay can get very busy if it is safe to swim, you can potentially beat the crowds in the morning. Manta Bay is not to be confused with Manta Point, which is more of a diving site as the Manta’s are 6-8m deep.
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!
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
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
Safety Tip:
The waves and currents can be very unpredictable and can be quite powerful, do not get in the water if it is dangerous to do so. If you do wear flippers and a floatation vest for safety.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
Popular Marine Life
Reef Manta Ray
Parrotfish
Butterflyfish
Damselfish
Moorish Idol
Powder-Blue Surgeonfish
Rare Marine Life
Pufferfish
Green Turtle
Clark’s Anemonefish
Tomato Clownfish
Indian Ocean Oriental Sweetlips
Hawksbill Turtle
Coral Reef
Table Coral
Branch Coral
Brain Coral
Acroporidae Stoney Coral
Encrusted Coral
Fan Coral
Folded Coral
Lettuce Coral
What I Saw
(Seen on April, 2023)
| Reef Manta Ray | Table Coral |
| Sergeant Major Damselfish | Klein’s Butterflyfish |
| Neon Damsel | Chevroned Butterflyfish |
| Randall’s Rabbitfish | Golden Gregory |
| Three-Spot Dascyllus | Blackback Butterflyfish |
| Clark’s Anemonefish | Moorish Idol |
| Spotted Coral Grouper | Powder-Blue Surgeonfish |
| Blue Spotted Boxfish | Humphead Bannerfish |
| Indian Ocean Oriental Sweetlips | Sixbar Wrasse |
| Soft Coral | Encrusting Coral |
| Fan Coral | Table Coral |
| Cauliflower Coral | Orange Funnel Coral |
| Leather Coral | Branch Coral |
| Hawksbill Turtle | Tomato Anemonefish |
| Saddle Butterflyfish | Black Triggerfish |
| Porcupine Pufferfish | Teardrop Butterflyfish |
| Blue-Green Chromis | Jansen’s Wrasse |
| Jewel Damselfish | Raccoon Butterflyfish |
| Moorish Idol | Klein’s Butterflyfish |
| Striped Surgeonfish | Black Axil Chromis |
| Checkered Snapper | Threadfin Butterfly |
| Lined Butterflyfish | Indian Triggerfish |
| Srgeant Major Damselfish | Humphead Bannerfish |
| Black Surgeonfish | Blue Sea Star |
| Crescent Wrasse | Blackback Butterflyfish |
| Golden Gregory | Sixbar Wrasse |
| Encrusting Coral | Massive Boulder Coral |
| Stoney Acroporidae Coral | Staghorn Branch Coral |
| Table Coral | Soft Coral |
| Flower Coral | Orange Funnel |
| Mushroom Coral | Brain Coral |
| Cauliflower Coral | Lettuce Coral |
Frequently Asked Questions
There are fast boats that depart from Sanur port on the South East coast of Bali, a 40-minute drive from Kuta. The boat takes an hour to get across to Mushroom Bay, on the South West side of island. A return fast boat transfer to Nusa Lembongan costs around $40 US Dollars but depends on the tour operator and who you book with.
The snorkel tours vary depending if you depart from Nusa Lembongan, or Bali mainland. Local tours cost from $10-$20 USD for 3 hours, 3x snorkel spots, whereas Tours from Bali Mainland range from $35-$100 USD.
The snorkel tours vary depending if you depart from Nusa Lembongan, or Bali mainland. Local tours cost from $10-$20 USD for 3 hours, 3x snorkel spots, whereas Tours from Bali Mainland range from $35-$100 USD.
I went on a local tour that was offered by the homestay I was at, it cost $12.50 for 3 hours, and 3x snorkel spots. There were 16x people on the boat and two boat captains, one that swam with us.
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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