scubagirl1957
Registered
I will be in Bali late July/ early August. Is there any chance I could be lucky and see Mola Mola around Pendida or in relality is this a bit too early? Thanks
Mola Mola season, Bali
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pughio83
Contributor
Mola mola season technically starts end of July early August so I think there is a chance you may see one but depends on how long you are there for. Probably need a week to improve your chances. Last year the season was a bit slow starting with more sightings in sept and October. I was there end of sept and saw around 9 over a 7day trip. The mantas are always there and the reefs r v healthy. But I think u stand a reasonable chance, but hit or miss if u r there for just a few days.
Tippytoes12
Contributor
Hi there
We went in June 2011 and saw about five on one attempt. If you look at the facebook pages of the dive shops e.g. World Diving , Blue Corner Dive , Two Fish you will get a better idea of what is the season. What is important is to give yourself plenty of chances to see them , don,t just plan one day in Lembongan. I would also highly recommend that you stay on Lembongan and not just for the diving , which is wonderful. Day trippers I have seen get very excited at the sight of big stuff and chase them away. If you are first on the site and the operator and DM is experienced then you have a much better chance.
They are truly an amazing sight , so huge and so gentle ....good luck .
We went in June 2011 and saw about five on one attempt. If you look at the facebook pages of the dive shops e.g. World Diving , Blue Corner Dive , Two Fish you will get a better idea of what is the season. What is important is to give yourself plenty of chances to see them , don,t just plan one day in Lembongan. I would also highly recommend that you stay on Lembongan and not just for the diving , which is wonderful. Day trippers I have seen get very excited at the sight of big stuff and chase them away. If you are first on the site and the operator and DM is experienced then you have a much better chance.
They are truly an amazing sight , so huge and so gentle ....good luck .
You will definitely see a lot of people underwater as this is peak season but you got good chances to see Mola² too.
As previously stated, it would be a good idea to stay in Nusa Lembongan for a few days in order to make multiple trips and get early on the dive sites to avoid the Bali crowd.
You will have the opportunity to not only dive Crystal Bay that is NOT the best dive site for Mola² especially when it's crowded (it will be crowded in July / August and believe me, even getting early on the dive site you don't want to finish your dive with dozens of divers arriving to do anything & surface with 50 boats around you. This is not a nice show even if you see a Mola².)
We start seing Mola² on a so-so regular basis at the moment. I - and local divers in general - saw just a few off-season this year, we saw much more last year at the same time.
Can't tell what will happen this season : last year season was slow to start, the year before was early ...
I had diving in Bali last year and saw sunfish in Nusa Penida. The fish are very beautiful and friendly with divers. it was the first time I saw the Mola-Mola after diving into many countries. Maybe in August I will come there to see the Mola-Mola again. I think it was one lifetime experience. This video dives which I also participated. Diving with Mola-Mola in Bali - DiveDiveDiveBali - YouTube
see you in Bali and enjoy your dives..
see you in Bali and enjoy your dives..
pughio83
Contributor
For me crystal bay was a nice dive when there are few divers, otherwise its horrendous. Never seen so many divers and boats. only saw one mola mola briefly there, they never hang around with that many people! most of the mola mola I saw were at Buyuk, infact I saw 5 there over the 4 dives I did, and the best experience was blue corner as it sat just below us for 10mins. Stay on lembongan, dive early and avoid crystal bay for the most part, in agreement that its not the best site for the experience!
You definitely have chances to see them but there is no guarantee. The season may be different this year seeing that we had so little rain and that freezing thermoclines are already upon us. The best season is normally August to October... but may arrive early this year, or not!
Staying in Lembongan can be a good choice, but it does not allow to visit dive sites away from the Penida area that offer great sighting opportunities, like Gili Biaha, Mimpang and Tepekong. Penida can be dived from any place on the East coast of Bali and its closest dive sites are 20 minutes away from Padang Bai.
Last tips: it's best not to focus only on molas. There are 1000s of species to observe here. Looking only for one may result in you missing out on so much (rhinopias, frogfish, pygmies, sharks, turtles and mantas are nice too). And as Zivva said: avoid Crystal Bay in the midst of high season unless you enjoy a good circus or jacuzzi...
Staying in Lembongan can be a good choice, but it does not allow to visit dive sites away from the Penida area that offer great sighting opportunities, like Gili Biaha, Mimpang and Tepekong. Penida can be dived from any place on the East coast of Bali and its closest dive sites are 20 minutes away from Padang Bai.
Last tips: it's best not to focus only on molas. There are 1000s of species to observe here. Looking only for one may result in you missing out on so much (rhinopias, frogfish, pygmies, sharks, turtles and mantas are nice too). And as Zivva said: avoid Crystal Bay in the midst of high season unless you enjoy a good circus or jacuzzi...
okay... just to mention..
crystal bay can be dangerous if u are inexperience... some times even if you are experience.
searching the site will show you a few reports of people getting swept by downcurrent and stuff...
have a good time... stay safe
crystal bay can be dangerous if u are inexperience... some times even if you are experience.
searching the site will show you a few reports of people getting swept by downcurrent and stuff...
have a good time... stay safe
Yep, CB can get tricky specially in high season as currents are stronger, still unpredictable & change more quickly at this time of the year ... once you know that, you're pretty safe.
I would better say that Crystal Bay can be dangerous if your guide has not enough experience of the dive site. And every year we see locally unexperienced guides with their guests diving CB in high season ... (easy to spot : they are in the middle of the water, they jump in the channel or stare at you and continue their way when you signal them don't got further, strong current ...)
When you see that on a daily basis with the fierce currents you can have at this time of the year, you are pretty amazed there is only a few incidents ...
I would better say that Crystal Bay can be dangerous if your guide has not enough experience of the dive site. And every year we see locally unexperienced guides with their guests diving CB in high season ... (easy to spot : they are in the middle of the water, they jump in the channel or stare at you and continue their way when you signal them don't got further, strong current ...)
When you see that on a daily basis with the fierce currents you can have at this time of the year, you are pretty amazed there is only a few incidents ...
OP
scubagirl1957
Registered
Thank you all who have helped me with your replies. I think we will be staying at Padang Bai and take a chance of a few dives at Penida. Thanks Cediric and all of you.
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