Dive Sites: Menjangan Island

Menjangan Island Dive Sites

Menjangan Island became Bali’s first internationally-known diving location, famous for its wall-diving with great visibility (50m at certain times of the year).

Part of West Bali National Park, Menjangan Island is 30 minutes by local boat from mainland Bali and offers warm waters with stunning visibility that can reach 50m+. The island’s white sand beaches provide good, and well-protected, snorkelling opportunities.

The walls at Menjangan go from 10 to 26-60m+ and are full of nooks and crannies, overhangs and crevasses with soft corals, sponges and Bali’s highest concentration of Gorgonian seafans (some with pygmy seahorses). The fishlife is prolific and turtles are regular visitors.

Although Whalesharks may be sighted, pelagics are fairly rare here as the island is protected from the cold ocean currents felt at some other Bali dive sites.

The main three dive sites are Garden Eel Point, Pos Two, and the small wooden Anker Wreck (35-50m) where the calm conditions and good visibility can make it easy to forget that this is a deep dive.

Menjangan-Island-Gorgonian-Seafans

Best Time to Dive

Although the best diving in Menjangan Island is said to be from April to November (during the south east monsoon), the island can be dived year round as it offers some of the most protected diving in Bali.

The clarity of the water can at times be amazing, July to September often yields the best visibility and a current of more than 1 knot is unusual. However, as Menjangan is protected from the cold currents coming in from the open sea, there are only rare sightings of larger fish.

Menjangan-Island-Batfish

Mount Agung

Mount Agung is Bali’s Most Sacred Mountain

Mount Agung (Gunung Agung) lies in central-eastern Bali and, at 3,148m, is Bali’s highest point by almost 1km – it is even visible in the early mornings from my house in south west Bali. The height of Mt Agung actually affects Bali’s climate: clouds coming from the west drop their rain (unsurprisingly) on the west side of the mountain which is why east Bali is usually dry and barren.

According to Balinese Hindus, the gods created mountains as their thrones meaning Mt Agung, as the highest, is Bali’s most sacred mountain and is therefore the location of Pura Besakih, Bali’s ‘mother’ temple.

Mount-Agung-Scenery

Sunrise Rise Trekking on Mount Agung

Sunrise Trekking on Mount Agung is very popular: you leave, with your guide, from a fixed departure point in the early hours so you can be at the top to watch the sunrise.

Mt Agung is an active stratovolcano (built of layered lava), with the most recent major eruption in 1963. Those lava flows missed Besakih Temple by only a few metres in places; that was regarded by the Balinese people as miraculous and a signal from the gods that they wished to demonstrate their power but not destroy the monument the Balinese faithful had erected.

The earth tremors of the 1963 Mt Agung eruption were what caused the 120m USAT Liberty Shipwreck to slide off the beach and into the shallows of Tulamben Bay. For that at least, we can be thankful.

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The Burning Ring of Fire

Bali is part of ‘The Ring of Fire’ and we therefore have several other dormant volcanoes, eg: Mount Batur – although we do see occasional puffs of smoke.

Book Mt Agung Sunrise Trekking

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Nyepi Segara

Nyepi Segara: The Silent Sea Day

by Mardia, AMD-B’s 2023 Divemaster Internship

Nyepi Segara, also known as Silent Sea Day, is a traditional ritual in Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan, Bali, Indonesia. This unique ritual pays homage to Dewa Baruna, the ruler of the sea and one of the manifestations of the Balinese Hindu almighty god, Ida Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa (a.k.a Acintya), God of gods. This ritual aims to promote the conservation of the sea and maintain the balance of the ecosystem and marine biodiversity. With the meaning of silence and stillness, Nyepi Segara is a significant event that shows the importance of preserving the environment and respecting local wisdom and traditions.

One of the primary purposes of Nyepi Segara is to allow the sea to rest from all human activities for an entire day. All sea activities, including transportation, fishing, and all tourism-related activities such as scuba diving, freediving, snorkelling, walking on the beach and swimming are halted on the islands. This temporary pause in human interference enables the sea’s ecosystem to rejuvenate and maintain its natural balance.

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Honoring the Silent Sea Day in Nusa Penida, Lembongan, and Ceningan

The implementation of Nyepi Segara involves the active participation of the local community and the government. This practice starts at 6:00 a.m. and lasts for 24 hours; the government and tourism stakeholders work together to ensure that tourists comply with the appeal to refrain from using the sea for any activities during this time. Meanwhile, the people of Nusa Penida, Lembongan, and Ceningan engage in collective activities related to religious rituals to pay their respect to Dewa Baruna and express gratitude for the blessings provided by the sea.

Nyepi Segara, the Silent Sea Day, is a highly significant and cherished ritual deeply rooted in the culture of Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan, Bali. This unique and sacred tradition holds immense value. It is a powerful symbol of their deep connection to the marine environment and their relentless efforts to maintain the delicate balance of marine biodiversity. Nyepi Segara serves as a gentle yet impactful reminder for all of us to be more conscious and mindful of our actions toward the environment. It reminds us to appreciate and cherish the abundance provided by the sea, which sustains the lives and livelihoods of the local community, and the incredible beauty and diversity of the marine ecosystem.

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