Are you planning your freediving trip to Nusa Penida ? Freediving in Nusa Penida has been our team’s favorite adventurous getaway from Bali, and we are giving you this Nusa Penida freediving guide from our discoveries over the years – from its Penida’s diverse freedive spots, secret gems on land, to all the how-to logistics that simply makes your trip smooth like butter. Read on, save this article, and have fun freedivers!
Mainly there are 3 options – The local public ferry from Padang bai, and private speed boats from Sanur and kusumba.
We love the public ferry option, it’s super airy, cheap, you can take your scooter onto the ferry, and it’s interesting to observe the local style of transportation. Although you have to weigh in the inconvenience of it not being on time from time to time.
Sanur port is known for its chaotic traffic, but it’s closer to major hubs like the airport, Canggu or Ubud.
Traveling to Nusa Penida from Kusumba port takes the shortest time – only 20 minutes by boat. And the port is rather small and chill.
It is rather an important must-knows before you travel to Penida – on the map it seems like a small island, but it’s rather hilly and it takes time to travel to the other side of the island.
For convenience, we like to stay around the northern coastline area between Buyuk harbor and Toya Pakeh Harbour. This is where you can find affordable homestays, diverse food options and accessible reef exploration just from the shore.
We don’t have other recommendations other than getting your own rental bike, especially with the roads condition in Nusa Penida, you’d get to places faster instead of waiting in the traffic jam in the car. Plus, if you get a Fish on Stilts freedive bag, designed for scooter-carrying friendly, traveling with your freediving gear would be smooth like a butter.
Nusa Penida is situated amongst big water channels, it brings in some of the most vibrant sea lives, also offers great drift dive opportunities for us freedivers. Some can be easily accessible from shore with a pre-planned scooter drop or hitchhike, and some are only reachable by boat.
Entry from Penida Colada beach bar, exit to the beach of Nomads diving or Entry from the same bar, exit before Buyuk harbor. Depends on the direction of current.
This is our favorite way to explore the reef in Penida, the strong current gets you flying and covers you great distance in short time, and a nice depth ranging from 5-20 meters, the underwater life here is absolutely vibrant as well.
One of the most popular dive sites on the island, and it’s popular for its reason!
Crystal bay is a great freedive sites for its vibrant corals, clear water and sandy bottoms, It’s around 3-10m depth. The only note is to watch out for down currents around the small island in the middle of the bay,
Snorkeling friendly, though a rather shallow site for freediving, but you will be guaranteed an afternoon well spent here making friends with sea turtles, getting lost in the colors of coral reefs, chilling on the less crowded beach of the island.
Manta’s feeding point, a short boat journey from Toyapakah harbor.
If you’d hire a boat or joining a manta boat trip, most captains take you to Manta bay, it can get really crowded with all the boats docking in the area, mind your surroundings especially with the motors of the boat, and keep at least 3-4 meters distance with the mantas to not disturb them.
Manta’s cleaning station, a longer yet very stunning boat ride passing the cliffs of Nusa Penida island. (Bring your sea sickness pill!)
Manta bay or Manta point ? We’d spoil the secret with you that this is our favorite manta encounter site, it’s rather a calmer site with more diverse marine encounters (blue dotted rays, or even turtles! )
Usually captains charge you a little extra to go to this site, as it is further away.
Usually the last diving site if you are on a manta boat trip, featuring a gentle drift, coral pillars, and if you are really lucky, mola mola sightings if you go in the season!
We all know that having dry days is important to freedivers, if you are like us, here are our favorite places to go in nature that are less crowded.
Features a spring water pool under the mesmerizing cliff. It’s usually not crowded since it’s not easy accessible. Locals offers scooter taxi you down and up the parking lot due to the tiny and steep gravel roads, and you’d hike for 5 minutes to reach the spot.
But you know what they say ? The most beautiful places are hard to get to!
For those adventures seekers, hiking down to this beach would remind you not skipping leg days in the gym, but you would probably be rewarded with the whole beach for yourself!
Nice to visit around sunset time when its not too hot, walk around the paved path on the rocks, watching the roaring waves shaking the ground beneath you.
These are our friends who live in Penida, if you are looking for freedive coaching, taking a freediving course, or going on a spearfishing trip in Penida, we couldn’t recommend them more!
This is where you get a complete freedive coaching & courses services in Nusa Penida.
If you happen to be in Penida and feeling like buying our bags, go and visit Freedive Nusa as they are having our bags at their shop. So this is one more reason to step by this freediving hub.
We hope this freediving self guide to Penida is useful to you, and the waters in Penida treat you well!
If you have any questions or concerns about planning your trip to Penida and we didn’t cover, Feel free to message us via all our platforms, we’d love to hear from yo
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