Bali’s clear blue waters are home to an astonishing variety of marine life and feature some of the most beautiful underwater architecture in the world. At Menjangan Island, or “Deer Island”, which is located in Bali’s northwest region, about three hours from Nusa Dua or Kuta, divers can enjoy this fabled beauty at any of the dive sites in the area.
Menjangan Island is part of the West Bali National Park, and its waters are protected. Area reefs were damaged by crown of thorns starfish, and then sustained even more injury during the massive coral bleaching epidemic that happened during the 1998 El Nino. The walls in the region escaped fairly unblemished, and the coral is making a comeback.
The entire area is well known as home to some of the most abundant marine life Bali has to offer, and that could be because all fishing is strictly prohibited. Poaching or damaging the coral carries steep fines, which acts as an effective deterrent to would-be vandals. There are frequent sightings of Manta rays, green sea turtles, and whale sharks, as well as great opportunities to see more common species. There are countless varieties of nudibranchs here, as well as fish in every color, and vibrant gorgonians that act as micro-ecosystems at greater depths.
Diving Conditions
Conditions vary at the sites around Menjangan Island, with some sites being shallow and others featuring canyons and drop offs that extend to at depths between 35 and 40 meters, and sometimes even more. Most sites can be enjoyed by divers of all skill levels. Remember to stay within the boundaries of your experience and training, and you’ll enjoy some incredible dives including walls, a deep wreck, and some incredible macro-life filled muck dives. The water here is known as the clearest and calmest Bali has to offer, so make the most of it!
Here are the most popular highlights this nature preserve has to offer.
Anchor Wreck
This wreck is so called because of the massive anchor you can see from the surface, before you even enter the water. This anchor is stuck fast in the reef here at about six meters, and leads down to the wreck itself, which is said to be that of an early 19th century slave ship that sank while waiting to pick up slaves captured on Bali.
To get down to the wreck, just follow the chain, which leads to a second anchor, then the top of the wreckage at about thirty-three meters. The entire wooden debris field extends to a depth of about fifty meters, so unless you are qualified to make this extremely deep dive, content yourself with peering at it from your position well above.
If you do manage to descend all the way to the wreck itself, you will be rewarded with the sight of schooling yellow snappers and batfish, as well as the glass, copper, and ceramic receptacles and bottles that litter the area around the ship. You will be able to get a fish’s eye view of the metal plates that covered the wooden timbers – and shiver at the thought of what may have taken place on that ship while she was still floating. Return via a slow ascent along the wall, which is teeming with macro life. You will be accompanied by a few varieties of snapper, as well as schooling batfish and the fluttering bannerfish which seem to be everywhere you look here.
The Anchor wreck can be dived on straight air, but nitrox will extend your bottom time significantly, and is offered by local dive operators.
Pos 1 – Eel Garden
Alternately referred to as Pos 1, Post 1, or the Eel garden, this site can be accessed from the jetty on shore, or from a boat that will drop you off into the channel. The area is part slope, part drop off, and part sand, and this is where some of the big pelagics can be seen. Watch for batfish, tuna, and sharks, including bull sharks and whale sharks.
Dolphins can be seen here, as can barracuda and jacks. You can either enjoy the white sandy reef top with its coral blocks and the ghostlike white garden eels, or descend along the wall to as low as forty meters. The wall is completely covered in big, healthy gorgonians and other sea fan varieties, and you can sometimes see ghost pipefish toward the top. Titan and blue-toothed triggerfish, as well as bannerfish, butterfly fish, and large Moorish idols are often seen in the area along the wall, and many divers are lucky enough to share some time with a sea turtle or two.
Pos 2 – The Caves
At Pos 2, you can find underwater caverns and other intriguing structures at the west end, as well as a drop off to the east side of the site. Here, you can find big pelagics including sharks and some very large barracuda that enjoy the shelter the caves provide. The eastern portion of the dive site can be subject to a fairly strong current, however it is completely worth the effort to make the dive to greater depths, since this is where you will see the biggest fish. Schooling jack fish swarm from the depths to the shallows, and big gorgonians are everywhere. Watch for sharks and turtles, and keep an eye out for whale sharks in the distance.
Menjangan Peti
To the east of the Anchor Wreck, lies an easy and purely enchanting coral reef with a slope and a slight dropoff. Here, you will find an abundance of angel fish, anthias, butterfly fish, and beautiful Moorish idols. Maximum depth here is twenty-five meters, but there is plenty to see at fifteen meters or shallower, which makes this site very popular with beginners.
Most people who visit Menjangan Island’s dive sites discover that it can take a few days to see everything, including the Rusa deer, leaf monkeys, long-tailed macaques and wild boars that inhabit the land. If you are coming to Bali, be sure to take this into consideration!