The north coast of Nusa Penida offers among the most beautiful drift dives of Bali. Five dive sites stand out around the same area. SD, Ped, Sental, Buyuk and Tugu walls.
It is in fact a very wide drop-off, about eight kilometers long, along which the current will carry you throughout the site. When there is little current you will stay around your starting point on the same dive site. But if the current is stronger, your drift dive may take you through several of these dive sites ! The current is generally stable and the diving is very pleasant. However, you must remain vigilant to rip currents and downdrafts. When diving with the right instructor, safety will remain the first objective!
Ped dive site
Ped dive site is located next to SD, and it takes its name from the city of Ped and its very sacred temple. This temple is very famous because a very powerful demon who once ravaged the island of Bali lives here. Diving Ped is a great experience, for all divers, whatever their experience.
This site is, like the four sites mentioned above, a drift dive. Indeed, the current carries us throughout the site. However, watch out for pull-out currents and downdrafts. When diving with the right guide, safety will remain the first objective !
You can also cross Mola Mola diving Ped !
The site consists of a fairly wide and shallow plateau where there is an impressive diversity of flora and fauna. Turtles love this site and we come across them quite often. Following the plateau, a wall takes us to the seabed. Here, the chances of crossing a Mola-Mola during the season are relatively high. We even saw one in late November when the season was already over. But our record at Ped dive site is 3 Mola Molas who followed each other quietly !
The best depth is 18 to 20 meters to enjoy most of the dive site. Indeed, the macro is omnipresent and it is an explosion of colors ! The place remains very large and extensive because it confuses different sites. Diving Ped will allow us to extend the dives till SD point. Two dive sites in one dive when the current pushes us very fast ! To know more about the marine fauna in Bali you can read this guide of Nusa Penida diving.
Diving PED Instructor’s best of
A relaxing ride.
Often, the underwater world is outstanding, sometimes it is breathtaking. A beautiful dive becomes unbelievable. That is what happened while diving Ped that day. I was taking care of some guests during a discovery dive, the conditions were perfect, a crystal clear water, a tiny bit of current that make the dive even easier. We don’t know it yet, but the next 45 minutes will be in our memory for ever.
A Mola Mola appears, my guest were a bit confused as I didn’t mentioned in my briefing that a massive sunfish could show up. Scream of joy in our regulator. He is following us, we just admire and enjoy his presence. Once he decided to go back deep, I felt something unusual, different. Here comes a thresher shark, followed by a school of barracudas. Do you want some more ? A second Mola Mola shows up, with its natural grace and decides to jump at the surface right in front of us. Magical. Time just stopped for a few seconds. There we are, stars in our eyes, feeling like we just lived a dream.
Loic, PADI OWSI
SD dive site
SD stands for Sekolah Dasar which means elementary school in Indonesian. Because the dive site is right in front of the school ! Diving SD is like going to the movies. Because during a drift dive you just have to let yourself be carried by the current and watch the show !
SD dive site consists of a fairly wide plateau, between 4 and 6 meters, rather sandy, on which you can sometimes come across turtles. The plateau ends in a coral slope which goes very deep. The best depth to enjoy the site is around 18 meters where you can see abundant color as well as macro. This is particularly pleasant when you go there early in the morning. At SD dive site you can even come across Mola Mola during the season. However, the place is vast because it is a series of several dive sites.
The place is privileged for beautiful encounters with turtles, tunas and barracudas. A few white tip sharks also reside there. From the beginning of our immersion until the end of the dive, huge schools of sergeant majors often surround us as well. Nothing to get bored of on the drop off of SD point, we would like time to stop.
Diving Sental dive site
Between SD point and Buyuk you will find Sental dive site. Characterized by high voltage submarine lines from Bali, this site is exceptionally well preserved. Diving Sental is a fantastic opportunity to watch a great diversity of flora and fauna.
Just like the other dive sites mentioned above, we practice drift diving on this site. Indeed, you will let yourself be carried by the current along the wall in order to watch the “movie” in front of you! The tray located above the wall allows you to progress in excellent conditions during a PADI discovery dive or a PADI training dive.
Your guide will show you the macro present on this place. For example, the many varieties of nudibranchs, crabs and even ghost fishes. It is indeed a real treasure hunt which allows even experienced divers to have stars in their eyes ! However, it is still necessary to have good buoyancy to observe the macro ! An ill-advised palm stroke can prevent you from observing what your guide is showing you. You will also have to be patient because we do not find ghost fish or other rare creatures with the first anemone !
Buyuk dive site
Buyuk dive site is in continuation of Sental and just before Tugu. Diving Buyuk starts close to the beach. The entry point is just above a very shallow plateau.
The coral reliefs already stand out from the white sand. We will descend along a gentle slope in order to drift according to the currents. Sponges, sea fans, corals and anemones surround us in all directions, as far as the eye can see.
We take full advantage of the film by tracking down orangutan crabs, nudibranchs, Thor shrimps. But we also always keep an eye in the blue, because Mola Mola or fox sharks could surprise us. More rarely, too, a whale shark can silently observe us. Wide smiles, stars in the eyes and images full of the head, are therefore always there when leaving this particularly easy and rich dive.
Words of our guests diving Buyuk
On the morning of December 31 in Nusa Penida, I was very excited to dive Buyuk dive site, well known for offering great marine life. It’s really my favorite type of diving. The ocean is calm, a small current quietly pushes Yann and myself. We are the only ones diving there today. The conditions are perfect. So, I am amazed by the decor while Yann focuses on the deep blue, looking for a big beast.
Then I suddenly hear him knock on his cylinder to get my attention. I turn around and with surprise, I see this fabulous whale shark less than two meters in front of me, swimming peacefully. This amazing animal allows us to admire him for a little while despite the proximity, then he continues on its way.
What a beautiful and captivating moment ! This dive will certainly be my greatest New Year’s gift of my life. This dive will indeed remain forever engraved in my memory.
Stephanie, December 31, 2019
Diving Tugu dive site
On the north coast of Nusa Penida, Tugu dive site is located just after Buyuk wall. Characterized by its proximity to the ferry port of Sampalan, Tugu is particularly pleasant to dive.
We practice here drift diving, as on the sites mentioned above. On the wall, the diversity is great and one can see and observe a large quantity of fauna and flora. Because of its proximity to the ferry line, you must remain extremely careful not to go back to the surface in its path! The instructor will guide you to avoid this!
Once we saw a small Mola Mola jumping out of the sea at Tugu dive site ! But we cannot promise we will see another one…
The characteristics of the dive site
Type of diving : wall, drift, deep, photography, marine biology.
Depth: 5 to 40 meters
Level required: all levels
Visibility: 25-30 meters
Current: weak to moderate
Access: 15 to 20 minutes navigation from Toyapakeh
Fauna and Flora: Mola-mola, reef shark, barracuda, trevally, shrimp, crab, nudibranches
Best time: All year