Welcome to another Diving Series, this time, I would like to tell you about Nusa Penida, Bali. I am still quite new into the diving world and when I get into it a little bit more frequent I found that in certain sites they have some recommended time to visit and lies in Q3 here comes the season in Nusa Penida, Bali. It is actually the time of the year where you could possibly meet Mola Mola fish. Some reference for you over here from the ministry. So with a little discussion there I was in the month of August getting myself up into the sea.

How to get there

If you are flying like me, you will need to go to Denpasar, Bali Airport afterwards you could go to Sanur to take the boat from Sanur to Nusa Penida. Getting from Denpasar to Sanur is a bit straight forward but getting into a boat may need a bit more works. It wasn’t because it was difficult but it was more towards the availability since there are a lot service provider to choose within the same price range and facilities. It could get a bit confusing to choose which one. For me, I chose based on recommendation and the timing. Within my itinerary I arrived in Bali and stay in Sanur one day before my diving day. hence, I chose the earliest boat available.

I went from Sanur port in a bustling morning. me. again. going on the weekend. I should have expected that. When I came, the first mission was to find the boat service provider booth. There were many providers and I really need to walk by and read one by one. Mine was somehow quite prominent whereas it has long queue. After Queuing up and paying the ticket, I was given a lanyard in which the colour is the coding on when you should board the boat. I was rather confused when the port officer called through speaker. In general the announcement will look like – ” Passenger of <Service provider name> with <Colour> lanyard please board the boat through Gate <number>” for me my lanyard was orange yet they are calling red. Nonetheless I have noticed the timing, the service provider, and people who started to move has the same colour. LOL problem with colour definition or perhaps the colour look under the natural sunlight.

Boarding the boat also has its own story. Well, during that time, there was no physical gate yet, you will find a stair with a number but that was all. and afterwards you will need to dip yourself a bit into the water and it was required of you to put off your footwear. I saw some people already wearing their dress, perhaps a better idea will be to change your cloth when you arrived in Penida as it could get wet in the boarding process. Other than that for the boat seating, the ticket is without a seating number. Based on my experience, it is much better to be at the lower deck back row of the boat yet I know as well from experience people tend to get in the front or at the upper deck. I am not sure about you but being at the back help me in avoiding motion sickness so there I was like literally occupying the whole space for a while since no one wants the back row although in the end they have to since the boat was at its full capacity. It took a while until everyone is fully on board I Departed later than the departure time so I think be mindful when you are planning your trip especially if you want to go diving at the same day as your arrival date.

Arrival in Nusa Penida

Okay, this is another thing that there are multiple ports in Nusa Penida. Please make sure where you will dock. For me when I got off I don’t need to get into the water. There was a passage provided, just need to be careful since it was a bit slippery. Your foot wear plus your luggage will be given at the end of the dock then you are ready to go to explore the island.

Diving preparation

As it was a rather pack and busy day for me, I needed to go directly to the dive center and get myself ready. Thankfully a friend of mine has arranged everything including the picking up. ( If you read this you know I am so grateful of you 😀 ) after arriving the others happen as the usual sequence whereby we need to prepare ourselves and the gear then off we go to the boat.

Diving

In my trip I used a diving boat and went to Blue Corner and Sental. It was a bit blurry for me right now after couple of months writing the experience down the line. haha. I remember the current, how we are drifting away as in we didn’t even need to flap that much since we are following the current. Our guide gave us signal to go near to the reef multiple times within our dives so that we are not brought over too much by the current. For me who have never dived in such current actually it was a bit exciting and frightening at the same time. It was an enjoyable experience though.

As I said in the beginning, It should have been a Mola Mola season yet it might not be my fate yet to see one. It was rather hot on that day and no Mola Mola to be found within my dives yet it doesn’t really diminish the fun or well, it gives me a reason to come back *woops. I still enjoy the coral, the current, and other sea animals. Refresh my boat dive experience too so definitely a good one. How could it not when I ate whole portion of Nasi Padang on the boat in the surface time. In my defense, I need some energy to drift away with the current.

Finishing my dives of the day, we took a rest by the sea for a while. Enjoying the breeze while eating another meal. I was just tad hungry. When everything is finished we are coming back to the accommodation. I had a nice experience throughout the dinner time with the group. It was nice to get in touch with people. always. While writing this I know it was a goodness in life to be grateful about. A good way to end the day.. or not ’cause I had a concall afterwards.

Going Back to Sanur

The next day was the time for me to go back to Sanur. Indeed it was rather a short visit but Life happens. I booked the boat from Nusa Penida to Sanur yet my booking was not there. Thankfully, I could still get my ticket directly at the port. More or less it has the same sequence as going to Nusa Penida. Take your foot wear off, get your luggage onto the boat and pick your seat. Me. landed on the back row as usual. This time I experienced a bit of sea sickness. I blamed my appetite knowing that I ate too much too close for the ride. Yet, when it comes to the time of docking in Sanur area, I was able to function or more towards being forced to function. We had to dip a bit deep into the water above my ankle. I was lucky there was nothing in my pocket. The situation made me forget my motion sickness though I have been able to be fully awake.

Once we got into the shore, Here comes another exercise. Bringing our luggage to the point where our car could pick us up. ( so I guess nature telling me to eat more in the morning because of this ) I used to have people helping me around to carry all my luggage and gear. Now, I know better on how heavy it is. So, yes, if you ( yes you who happened to help me once, twice, or many other times ) THANK YOU! It was quite fun in its own way. A reminder to keep my regime and a test of stamina. Fortunately, my friend and i were able to make it. YAY for US!

When we arrived at the car pickup point. This is where I had to part ways with my friend since we are going into different journey. It was fun but good things come to an end too. So here we are saying goodbye with a hope to have more diving experience in the future!

Wish you were there drifting away with us!

Cheers!

Triana Mustika Rukmi