Menjangan Island is located in the Taman National Bali Barat (Bali National Park). It is only a 30-minute boat ride from Pemuteran, depending on sea conditions, and is one of the best known dive locations in Bali.
Diving and snorkelling opportunities abound around Menjangan Island, which is roughly 2 km in length by just over half km in width. Menjangan Island holds more than a dozen recognised sites, ranging from sheer drop-offs of 60m+, to sandy slopes and a beautiful blue-green lagoon with some very nice resident ghost pipefish.
With Menjangan Island being located so close to the straits between Bali & Java, sightings of deep water pelagic are a regular occurrence. During the rainy season is the best time to have a chance to see manta and baby (±7mtr) whale shark, but these, like everything, cannot be guaranteed. However, bigger fish are the norm at Menjangan, turtle, napoleon, grouper, big barracuda and sharks are all regularly seen. But don’t be surprised if you’re shown and entranced by the little things as well.
Menjangan Island also has its own little wreck known as Anchor Wreck, named because of the anchor located in 5mtrs of water at the top of the reef. This is the wreck of a 200+ yr old wooden trading vessel, so there is not much left to look at and it is very deep.
Be warned however that there is a National Park entrance fee of 200,000Rps per person, per day. This additional fee is payable on-site. Children 12yrs and under are exempt from this new entry fee.
Usual Marine Life: Turtle, Snapper, Batfish, Sweetlips, Angelfish and Fusiliers. Unusual Marine Life: Frogfish, Pipefish, many interesting Nudibranchs, Scorpionfish, Lionfish, leaf scorpions, crocodile fish, pygmy seahorse and Cuttlefish. Occasional Marine Life: dolphin, whale shark, manta rays, giant barracuda, Napoleon, potato cod.
Reef Descriptions
Menjangan Island
Pos III left Side, Coral Garden
Trip Time: ±30 minutes
Current: Slight to Moderate
Brief: Long jetty to the renovated temples of Menjangan Island. White sands with many coral formations and loads of fish small fish life.
Description: Similar to Sandy slope and Peti Reef, only at this point things start to get steeper and deeper. Post III also offers a long jetty and a path leading inland to the renovated temples at the back of Menjangan. A good place for a break, but doesn’t offer any beach to speak of. If going to the temple, always observe the cover-up rules, wrapping a towel around you is enough. But always check if it’s OK to enter, if you’re not certain, take photos from outside. Snorkelling here is also excellent, and it makes an excellent alternative to post II when the wind picks up in the summer, as the island offers a lot of shelter.
Post III right side
Trip Time: ±30 minutes
Current: Slight to Moderate
Brief: Long jetty to the renovated temples of Menjangan Island. White sands with many coral formations and loads of fish small fish.
Description: Heading off in the opposite direction to Coral Garden, this site offers sheer drop-offs going all the way around to Post II (Belok Kiri). This vertical wall offers many cubbyholes for things to hide in. The wall is a little way out from the island, like most of the diving around Menjangan and tops off at the 5mtr mark, where it slopes gently in to the island. These shallow around the Bat Caves are also home to Triggerfish in the breeding season, which usually starts at the beginning of the rainy season. They lay their eggs here and get very territorial. During the rest of the year, they don’t bother you around here, Triggerfish Alley towards the west end of the island is a different story.
Eel Garden
Trip Time: ±35 minutes
Current: Slight to Strong
Brief: Steep Wall, one of the better dive sites around Menjangan Island. Besides various small marine life, you can also find Pygmy Seahorse’s. Big fish like Sharks, Trevally, Napoleons, grouper like to hang out in the channel.
Description: On the outer north of the Menjangan Blue Lagoon is the start of the Eel Garden Dive. Running along a steep wall dropping into open Ocean. This site can be one of the nicest dives around Menjangan. As you head along the wall towards the channel, the top of the reef gently slopes down to meet you while you drift along and into the channel. Strong currents are prevalent here, making it a good hangout for big fish. Grouper, Napoleon, large shoals of Trevally and Shark all like to hang around this area when the current is running. As the reef comes down to meet you at 20 m+ you have two choices. You can either turn in and left, which will bring you into Blue Lagoon, or continue on into the Eel Garden itself.
Left is where we usually find the Pygmy Seahorse’s, following a coral slope on your left side, the right side disappears into a long sandy plateau. As you move on into the Lagoon, you will have to run the gauntlet of triggerfish alley. A sandy valley populated by titan and yellow margin triggerfish. You have been warned.
Continuing along the wall, as the sand comes to meet you, brings you to a small coral mound that swings round to a sand ridge. This ridge is the garden itself, home to hundreds of garden eels that all rise to greet the current. This is the entrance to the channel between Menjangan and Bali; this is where you’ll find the bigger fish when the current is running. Swimming up the ridge brings you to 16mtrs and midway up a small hill populated by many corals, fish, and shrimp.
Take the right side, you’re going through the channel itself, the left will take you around the outer edge of the lagoon. If you come to the top of this small hill, you’ll find a beautiful coral garden, which, if the currents are running too strong, is where you may end up hiding until it’s time for safety stops. On good days, you drift around the hill and on into the Aquarium, which is the only way to describe this place. White sandy channels running through clumps of corals, soft, hard, fans, tables, sponges, and fish galore. All in the 12 m range.
Menjangan Blue Lagoon
Trip Time: ±35 minutes
Current: Nothing to Slight within the lagoon area
Brief: Sandy area with some single coral patches. Perfect place for macrophotography.
Description: This horse shoe lagoon offers a safe haven when the currents are running too strong. Shallow sandy bottom, maxing out at about 16mtrs, this often underestimated site is a great little dive, especially for critters. The whole inside curve offers mixed coral hiding places for Pipefish, Ghost pipefish, Robust ghost pipefish and Stonefish. Inside the lagoon are some pretty coral heads with large schooling groups of fusiliers, damsels and glass fish, which bring in the hunters. There is a beautiful variety of Lionfish in this locale, feathered, winged and half winged.
Post I
Trip Time: ±40minutes
Current: Slight to Moderate
Brief: Sandy bottom, sloping from 16-18 m
Description: Here is the main warden station with jetty, one of only three points where you can actually get ashore. Not the best location on the island for diving, having a sandy bottom sloping from 16-18mtrs down into the deep. Generally, this location is good for breaks and snorkelling, having coral running east towards the mangrove with lots of small fish. West heads towards the channel between Menjangan Island and Bali, strong currents can run through there (see Eel Garden & Lagoon). Though this area is mainly sand, with small patches of coral until it reaches the channel. Drifting out of the Eel Garden into this area has occasionally offered the chance of Manta during the Rainy season (Dec – Mar)
Anchor Wreck
Trip Time: ±35 minutes
Current: Slight to Moderate
Brief: Drift dive, the top reef starts at 5 m depth, the wreck itself is situated at 30 to 40 m depth, Beautiful slopes and walls, Excellent coral cover, many fish, turtle, shark, and critters Perfect for Marco Photography
Description: The back of Menjangan Island from here until Post III is all very similar. Looking out towards Java and the tip of Bali, it offers a beautiful variety of steep slopes and walls. All dropping into the blue and backed by open Bali Sea. Excellent coral cover, many fish, turtles, sharks, and critters. Everything you’d expect of a coral reef in a tropical paradise.
Currents generally run along the back here in one direction or the over, the dive always takes the easy route, divers getting picked up at the end. Currents can run strong here and, like most drift dives, you should stay close to the reef and watch your depths.
In the summer, the back of the island is also the best place to get out of the winds that come up from the south, which makes for choppy/rough conditions in the afternoons. This is common July through August until mid-September.
The site itself is named after the anchor sitting in 5 m of water at the top of the reef. This is the starting point for three dives, depending on which way the current is running or if you want to look at the wreck itself.
The Anchor Wreck seems to be an unknown 19th century trading vessel, possibly a slaver, that ran into trouble, anchored at Menjangan Island for protection and promptly sank. Following the anchor chain down brings you to a mast at about the 30 m mark and continues bows to stern out to sea. The far end lies in 46mtrs of water, not for the faint-hearted or ill experienced. It is nevertheless an interesting one off, sharks inhabit the lower reaches and are often seen. The contents of the wreck are copper sheeting and bottles of Arak by the look of it. Most of the bottles are gone now, taken by guides or guests. This is unfortunately the problem at many wreck sites throughout the world. Better to take only pictures and leave only bubbles, as the saying goes. So the rest of us can enjoy diving here in the future.
Bat Caves
Trip Time: ±30 minutes
Current: Slight to strong
Brief: Wall / drop-off
Description: A sheer drop-off, this wall offers some hairy drift diving when the current is running. Though possible to start here, most divers start at Post II, doing Belok Kanan and drifting round the island. A good place for sharks and other big fish. Bat Caves get their name from the above water caves running along the east side of the island, which are home to hundreds of bats, and an occasional snake.
These caves are shallow and accessible via snorkelling. Make sure the boat is at hand, as the caves are out of site of both Post II & III.
Post II Belok Kiri
Trip Time: ±30 minutes
Current: Slight to strong
Brief: Scenic Wall with steep sided gullies and small caves. Besides the usual marine life, barracudas, grouper and snapper, Sometimes manta rays and whale sharks can be seen here.
Description: Turn Left (Belok Kiri) and you start the Caves. This is a very scenic wall, going in and out, with steep sided gullies plus small caves. The wall runs deep on this side of the island, Manta and Whale Shark have been seen here in the rainy season. But the later isn’t a common sighting in these waters. Big Barracuda hang out here, surgeons, snapper, grouper all hiding in the many crevasses an over hangs. With the sun behind, the wall takes on a surreal property with cathedral like caves. It also offers some of the good snorkelling, as guests can follow the edge of the drop off catching bubbles, enjoying the abundant marine life and vibrant corals. Sometimes during the dry season (July-Sept) this area can become inaccessible due to strong wind coming from the south.
Caves
Trip Time: ±30 minutes
Current: Slight to moderate
Brief: Wall with dramatic scenery and a deep blue backed drop off, lots of marine life.
Description: Further along from Post II is a mooring buoy which is halfway along the drop-off. If the current is in the opposite direction, both divers and snorkellers can start here and head back to Post II with the current. You can also continue on from here towards the mangrove area, before the wall peters out to become a steep sandy slope. Though, it continues to be a wall for quite some distance beyond the buoy. As before, the wall offers dramatic scenery and a deep blue backdrop with lots of marine life.
Other Reefs
Dive & Snorkelling Spots
Pemuteran Bay
with its wide variety of reefs, award-winning BioRock™ coral projects, Garden of the Gods and Underwater Temple Garden
Macro Dives, Muck & Critters
Pemuteran dive sites and beyond, famous for their critter and macro delights.
