Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan drift diving

Drift Diving Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan

The dive sites around Nusa Penida (and sister islands Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Cenigan) are well-known for great drift diving. There are lots of different dive sites, so you and your dive guides will be able to find one with suitable conditions depending on your diving experience. Some of the coral reefs are several kilometers long and you can dive the whole length in a series of dives, current permitting.

Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan are 45 minutes from Bali mainland by fast speedboat from Sanur.

Nusa Penida diving packages

Most of our Bali diving packages include trips to Nusa Penida, because that's where you find some of the best diving in Bali. We always schedule Tulamben diving at the start of your diving package and Nusa Penida at the end. This lets you warm up by diving the more gentle dive sites of Tulamben before diving in the Nusa Penida currents.

The strongest currents in Bali are found at Candi Dasa which is why we don't include these dive sites in most of our packages. If experienced divers want to dive Candi Dasa we can make a Custom dive package

Experienced drift divers

Divers with drift diving experience will know what to expect, and will enjoy the long dives along healthy coral reefs with masses of fish. Some Nusa Penida dive sites are suitable only for experienced divers, and offer some very exciting diving.

Divers with little experience in strong currents

Our dive guide will give a clear briefing, and stay with you underwater. We also offer PADI Drift Dive Specialty course for a more thorough introduction to drift diving

Why drift dive?

It’s fun!

Less effort, less need to kick

See more of the reef

Drift diving tips

Avoid buddy separation. Enter the water at the same time as your buddy and dive guide, then descend together. Keep them nearby throughout the dive.

Stick close to the reef as you drift along with the current. The dive site profiles at Nusa Penida are good for long gentle ascents along the reef from the deepest part of the dive.

Stay relaxed, and face the direction of travel. At the Nusa Penida dive sites most dives run one direction (though the currents can change mid-dive). You enter the water from our speedboat, and this follows as you dive and is waiting when you surface. Signal to other divers before surfacing.

Surface together with our dive guides, who carry surface signaling devices for a safer ascent and to signal to the boat

If you do need to swim against the current for some of the dive, try to swim along the bottom where the current is less strong. If you get too far ahead of your group or guide you can try to swim back if it is a gentle current, or wait behind a rock or coral head if the current is too strong to swim against.

Let the fish show you the direction and strength of the current. The fish want to stay where they are, so they always swim against the current. When only small fish are swimming against the current, then the current is weak. When big fish need to swim hard to maintain position you know the current is stronger.

Nusa Penida dive conditions

Nusa Penida currents are difficult to predict. The days around full and new moons usually have stronger currents (though this is not always the case). Take a look at the 2007 dates of full and new moons. Tidal movements have the greatest affect on currents, but these vary day to day.

Currents at surface and at depth around Nusa Penida sometimes run in opposite directions, so divers with inflatable surface signaling devices (sausages) need to time deployment carefully to avoid getting pulled away from other divers.