Gillis and Lembogan

[DownUnderwater Dan]

If you want to take your son to Nusa Penida, take him to the north side, like Ped, SD, etc. South can be cold, but you can take him to Manta Point. Skip Blue Corner and Crystal Bay, where down current could be ripping.

Here is an example of Blue Corner in a good day:

Skip Blue Corner and Crystal Bay, where down current could be ripping.

Hey Dan .


I've done a lot of dives at Crystal Bay, I think around the 50-ish mark. A lot of the daily dives there, probably +100 divers during peak season, are OW divers, so they aren't even going down the slope at 30m looking for Mola Mola, thus not encountering ripping down current. And ripping down current is not very usual if dived at right times. Gentle/easily manageable down current can be common, as well as medium downcurrent, but with all current/drift diving, you stay as close to reef as possible to go through the current.


I've seen many DSD's done at Crystal Bay, and the top of the reef inside the bay, is very beautiful, and even Bli Mola makes a surprising appearance in the shallows there, from time to time. So if every dive shop in Bali offers DSD (Discover Scuba Diving...for those that don't know) at Crystal Bay, I have great confidence that almost anyone can dive safely there, including beginners. I actually did my OW there

And also, most of the the cold water in August-November season, is below 18m. So, the dive can still be enjoyed at cold but bearable temperature closer to
surface.

 

[Dan]

Hey Dan .


I've done a lot of dives at Crystal Bay, I think around the 50-ish mark. A lot of the daily dives there, probably +100 divers during peak season, are OW divers, so they aren't even going down the slope at 30m looking for Mola Mola, thus not encountering ripping down current. And ripping down current is not very usual if dived at right times. Gentle/easily manageable down current can be common, as well as medium downcurrent, but with all current/drift diving, you stay as close to reef as possible to go through the current.


I've seen many DSD's done at Crystal Bay, and the top of the reef inside the bay, is very beautiful, and even Bli Mola makes a surprising appearance in the shallows there, from time to time. So if every dive shop in Bali offers DSD (Discover Scuba Diving...for those that don't know) at Crystal Bay, I have great confidence that almost anyone can dive safely there, including beginners. I actually did my OW there

And also, most of the the cold water in August-November season, is below 18m. So, the dive can still be enjoyed at cold but bearable temperature closer to
surface.

I dove Crystal Bay many times too since 2008 (> 50 dives). Fought the currents a few times in the slope. We usually didn’t wander too far in the blue because of the notorious down current.

Timing is also important. We do it during slack tide. Early in the morning the current tends to be calmer too.

If you want to increase your chance to see Mola Mola, during its season (July-October) you add a few more conditions, like cold water temperature (<20C) and during the period few days before to few days after new moon and full moon. I have seen at those conditions 9 Mola Mola in a dive.

I haven’t heard much dive accident there lately, but there were some in the past, like this one,
7 divers missing off Indonesian island I’ll post some more later. @DandyDon may be able to help find them easier than I do.

Diving inside the bay is pretty safe. They even bring snorkelers there.

 

[NauticalNick]

Would second Blue Corner on Lembongan. I was just there in December (2nd time with that dive shop) and they are fantastic. Staff are super helpful and nice. I was with a pretty seasoned group and unfortunately I was first low on air (everyone else in my "experienced" group was an instructor other than my partner who seems to be a fish), so after the first couple of dives they swapped me to a 15L tank so that we could all stay down for over an hour. I have never seen another dive shop do that for anyone so I appreciated them doing what they could to maximize my experience. My fish of a partner still had almost half a tank left at the end of the dive!

In terms of dives sites, late December currents weren't really an issue (we did most of the sites along the north and the channel, + Manta point). There certainly was some current but we did drift dives and stuck close to the reef so it was quite relaxing.

 

[Dan]

Here is my latest diving in Crystal Bay at the right “conditions” mentioned above to see Mola Mola last August. I’ll be back there again in this coming August with 11 of my buddies from USA (fingers crossed).

 

[Dan]

Here’s another Mola Mola diving in Manta Bay, further southeast from Crystal Bay. They were hanging out in deep & cold water. I saw them around 41m and 17C.

Here’s one of my buddies taking a picture of me taking video of the Mola Mola. A pretty small Mola Mola (2m tall).

 

[DandyDon]

@DandyDon may be able to help find them easier than I do.

Where exactly? You can Search A&I.

 

[Dan]

Where exactly? You can Search A&I.

Crystal Bay, Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia.

 

[Dan]

Here’s one posted by you, @DandyDon.

Singapore doctor dead - Bali

Singapore doctor dies in Bali diving accident A Singaporean woman died during a diving trip to Bali on Wednesday morning. Dr Wong Yu Yi had been at Blue Lagoon, in the eastern port town of Padangbai, with a group of divers, Indonesia's BaliPost reported on Wednesday. At 9.12am, they were...

scubaboard.com

 

[DandyDon]

Crystal Bay, Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia.

Ssearch A&I for Penida.

 

[Dan]

Would second Blue Corner on Lembongan. I was just there in December (2nd time with that dive shop) and they are fantastic. Staff are super helpful and nice. I was with a pretty seasoned group and unfortunately I was first low on air (everyone else in my "experienced" group was an instructor other than my partner who seems to be a fish), so after the first couple of dives they swapped me to a 15L tank so that we could all stay down for over an hour. I have never seen another dive shop do that for anyone so I appreciated them doing what they could to maximize my experience. My fish of a partner still had almost half a tank left at the end of the dive!

In terms of dives sites, late December currents weren't really an issue (we did most of the sites along the north and the channel, + Manta point). There certainly was some current but we did drift dives and stuck close to the reef so it was quite relaxing.

Here’s one dive accident in around Blue Corner,

Divers Missing in Bali

Not a diving accident as such but divers taking a boat to the dive at Nusa Lembongan - news report here Although another report indicates that the divers may have dived with 4 surfacing but the other 8 caught in a current. Denpasar.Eight tourists from Germany and Britain went missing on...

scubaboard.com