Diving Amok at Nusa Penida
Amok is one of our secret dive site in Nusa Penida ! The wall of Amok is going towards Crystal Bay. The dive site takes its name from Amok Sunset bar, which overlooks it. We start diving Amok between two rocks in a little cove, before drifting into the current. In front of us, vertical steep wall and big terraces are covered of red and orange corals as far as eye can see. The deep blue of this site makes the colors sharp. The topography of the site gives a safe feeling despite the currents that can get really strong here.
Three steps, three different kind of species
The layout is made of steps, and depending the depths, different species can be spotted. In the deep part, we will follow the big ones, looking for schools of batfish, thresher shark or Mola Mola. Less deep, a thin crack in the wall is welcoming scorpionfish and stonefish. We also can enjoy the presence of smaller animals like hairy squat lobsters living in giant barrel sponges.
Finally, on the last plateau in shallow water, different types of clownfish are protecting their anemones. But you can find as well porcelain crabs, ghost shrimps, sexy anemone shrimps and different types of nudibranchs.
The end of the dive is easy to recognize as the topography changes, a slope is going up to the bay of Gamat. There we may see different types of reef sharks (white tip, bamboo) but also robust ghost pipefish with its leaf shape camouflage. We will do our safety stop in the bay, in company of some turtles, juvenile or adult ribbon eel. We can admire the coral bumps on the sandy bottom, where fusilier, bannerfish and surgeonfish will surround us during the ascent.
Diving Amok definitely brings us some joy again & again every time !
Words of our guests
I had never heard of Amok dive site in Nusa Penida before. We jump in the water after a solid briefing of my instructor. He clearly mentions that I will have to stay focus because of the currents. Diving Amok will be a good occasion to put everything I learned during my Open Water course & Advance Open Water course into practice.
I can’t stop myself contemplating what is happening beneath us, the colors captures my attention. We go down on a plateau and nudibranchs are already welcoming us. After that, we drift into the current along the wall, as explained during the briefing.
Current is pretty strong, but I just drift in it, taking care to remain behind my instructor. It is a very pleasant sensation. I really enjoy the beauty of the landscape. There is hips of life, the schools of fish are impressive. We start to ascent after this delightful dive, and during the safety stop, a school of tunas shows up. I really was touched by the incredible beauty of Amok dive site!
Jean-Mi, January 2020
Instructors’ crush
Marion, OWSI
Amok is a site I like to keep as a treasure for my students. I really enjoy bringing them there to finalize an Advanced Open Water course, or when they spend several days of diving with us. They realize then how much they improve in those challenging conditions. We work on the buyoancy, the position to adopt while drift diving, always being aware and respecting the aquatic life surrounding us. It is a totally different dive site, not much people go there. It is always nice to discover new sites like this.
We enjoy diving Amok because of its very specific colors, red and orange, but also because of the different species of fish we can see there. It is a very interesting site to discover for beginners as confirmed divers. The smiles at the surface after the dive tell by themselves how beautiful this site is and how enjoyable it is to dive here. Also, it is a very nice feeling for them to dive safely in a bit more challenging conditions.
Loic, OWSI
Sensational !
Just after I arrived in Nusa Penida, one of my first experience was to go diving Amok. We often say that short jokes are the best ones, it can also be a true fact about diving. I realize that Nusa Penida waters has to be earned. Indeed, I have a lot of work to do to deserve it, a lot of competences to learn, and a self confidence to build. All of that will be needed to be able to guide in those conditions. About this first time, I remember the speed and my lack of experience in such an environment. Despite of that, I enjoyed the beauty of this colorful site.
After a year and many dives around Nusa Penida, I built that confidence. Nowadays, I really enjoy bringing my students here to sum up an Open Water course. I consider that it is really important for them to confront those conditions and realize they are able to do it. What a joy at the surface seeing them with big smiles, sharing the experience they just lived, between the challenging conditions and the incredible dive they just did. I know for sure that they are now able and ready to dive safely wherever they want in the world, no matters the conditions.
Amok dive site characteristics
Depth : 10-40 m
Visibility : 25/30 m
Temperature : 20/25
Current : Moderate to strong
Access : 15 min navigation from Toyapakeh
Flora : Corals, coral substrates
Fauna : Mola-mola, thresher shark, barracuda, batfish, travelly, shrimps, crabs, nudibranchs.