With over 1.07 million international visitors arriving in Indonesia in April 2024 alone, Bali continues to be THE destination for travelers worldwide, drawn to its breathtaking beaches and vibrant marine life. Crystal Bay, located on the beautiful island of Nusa Penida, Bali, is on the top of the list for must visit locations for all tourists but especially ocean lovers! With its crystal-clear waters, stunning rock formations, vibrant coral reefs, and home to the famous Mola Mola, it’s no surprise that Crystal Bay is one of the top five must-visit spots on the island.
How Do You Get to Crystal Bay Nusa Penida?
Already on the island? Crystal Bay Beach is easily accessible by scooter from Toyapakeh Harbor. The journey from the harbor to the bay takes just 15 minutes. If you’re unfamiliar with the area, simply follow the signs pointing to Crystal Bay or hire a local scooter driver.
If you’re looking to get right into the good stuff with a dive or a snorkel trip – we can help. Crystal Divers offer both scuba diving trips and snorkeling adventures to Nusa Penida and takes care of all the logistics. No need to sit on a crowded ferry boat or wait in any long lines; you can enjoy the trip directly to Crystal Bay by boat from Sanur harbor with us. The boat ride is about 50 minutes.
Crystal Bay Beach
If you arrive at Crystal Bay by land you come out to this beautiful white sandy beach. From there you can snorkel right off the beach, but we prefer doing it by boat! The beach is pretty awesome but the real treats are found underwater snorkeling or diving. Sure you might be able to spot some dolphins frolicking in the waters, but just wait there is so much more to discover!
Crystal Bay Snorkeling
Crystal Bay is renowned for its fantastic snorkeling. The bay, along with nearby Gamat Bay, offers some of the best snorkeling spots on Nusa Penida. The vibrant coral reefs and diverse marine life, including turtles and various tropical fish, make it a snorkeling paradise.
If you’re coming from the beach, you can rent snorkeling equipment directly from local beach warungs, making it easy to explore the underwater world. However, it’s important to exercise caution due to the strong currents in certain areas of the bay. Stay close to the moored boats and avoid venturing too far into deeper waters without proper fins.
If you come on a snorkel trip with Crystal Divers, safety is always our number one priority. We take care to ensure you are looked after so you can make sure to have the experience of a lifetime! You’ll be fully equipt with all the gear you need, a guide and lunch on the boat. Can’t complain much when you get to see amazing marine life and eat tasty food. Those two things make us very happy here at Crystal Divers!
What to Bring Snorkeling at Crystal Bay
When snorkeling at Crystal Bay, we provide the essential equipment but it is always nice to bring some extras. A waterproof camera or GoPro is recommended to capture all the fun underwater critters. We also have our own GoPro as well so if you don’t have one we can make sure to snap a couple of memories for you. Don’t forget to bring sunscreen, a rashguard, and a towel with you.
How Much Do Snorkeling Trips Cost?
Snorkeling trips at Crystal Bay can be arranged through local operators or beach warungs. For our latest pricing on trips you can check out our snorkeling trips page.
Diving In Crystal Bay Nusa Penida
Now on to the good stuff. Honestly for divers, Crystal Bay is top notch. This dive site is famous for its rich coral reefs and diverse marine life allowing you so many different experiences at one site. It is a small bay, the front of it is the deep channel between Nusa Penida and Nusa Ceningan. It gets its name from the crystal clear water; visibility can be up to 30m on a good day and temperature ranges from 14-29 c depending on the time of the year.
In the middle of the bay is a small rocky island with a temple at the top. Closer to the white sand beach a sandy bottom starts at around 10 meters and slopes down deeper as you go further out. There are coral reefs on either side of the sandy slope, they start at around 6 meters and get deeper as you swim out from the bay. Moving towards the channel it drops off to a wall that goes down very deep.
The thing that one should know diving here is that the current can be tricky, very unpredictable, strong currents and strong down currents can occur suddenly especially around the drop off near the channel. One should dive here with caution. We will only take Advanced divers and above to this dive site.
Marine Life at Crystal Bay Nusa Penida
When diving at Crystal Bay there is a really special variety of marine life right at your fingertips. Every trip is different but usually you can expect to see turtles, octopuses, scorpion fishes, sea snakes, nudibranchs, and many other tropical fishes. The real stars of the show are below.
Mola Mola Crystal Bay
The Mola Mola or sunfish, is the star attraction at Crystal Bay. From July to October, these enormous fish, which can grow over 3 meters in diameter and weigh more than a ton, rise from the deep to the shallower waters (25-30 meters) to be cleaned by smaller fish in sites called “cleaning stations”. Divers come from all over the world for the chance to see these huge fish. If you have not seen one before they are truly amazing. They are gentle giants that look like huge saucers, well more like the table that the saucer goes on! They are fascinating to see and a huge highlight to Crystal Bay!
Dolphins
In addition to the famous Mola Mola, lucky visitors may spot dolphins at Crystal Bay. These playful creatures have been known to swim near the beach and even join snorkelers and swimmers on occasion.
Manta Rays
With Manta Point being right around the corner there’s no real surprise that you can bump into Manta rays at Crystal Bay. There are not many more epic diving trips then one where you can see a huge Mola Mola swim by, followed by a Manta. Mantas are found gliding gracefully through the waters often looking like they are dancing in the sea. Hopefully on your next dive trip to Crystal Bay you’ll be lucky enough to see them.
Reef Sharks
Though sightings may be less frequent, reef sharks can sometimes be spotted around Crystal Bay’s coral reefs. These shy creatures are generally harmless and offer yet another reason why Crystal Bay is a must-visit spot for divers.
Whale Sharks?
Not so often but for the very few and fortunate one of these majestic beasts may float by. Not a frequent swimmer in Crystal Bay but just last week a Whale Shark was spotted cruising through the dive site and probably making every single divers day!
So listen up. Whether you’re a seasoned diver, an enthusiastic snorkeler, or simply looking to soak up the sun on a pristine beach, Crystal Bay really does offer an unforgettable experience for everyone. This hidden gem in Nusa Penida is truly a diver’s paradise. Ready to explore? We would be happy to be your guide to your trip to Crystal Bay Nusa Penida!
Curious learn about other hot spots in Indonesia, check out our blog on diving in Indonesia.
