MENJANGAN ISLAND DIVE SITE DESCRIPTION
| Difficulty: | Easy to Moderate |
| Max. depth: | 40m / 130ft |
| Access from Sanur: | 3 hrs by car, plus 30 min. by boat |
Menjangan Island and the surrounding dive sites are located in the North East corner of Bali, a long way from Sanur. Menjangan Island and the adjacent areas of Bali are situated in Bali's only National Park (Taman Nasional Bali Barat) and are therefore legally protected, both on the surface and underwater. In addition to scuba diving, bird watching is a popular activity within the sanctuary of the national park.
Our Superior class of accommodation in this area incorporates natural hot spring pools along with infinity pools and sunset views over the river estuary and surrounding Mangrove forest. Many birds and beautiful flowers can be seen all around.
There are around ten different dive sites around Menjangan Island, almost all of them vertical walls with good coral growth. The fish populations are healthy and varied, with sharks and turtles commonly seen too. There is an impressive colony of Garden Eels. The bright sand and usually clear visibility add to the attraction of these impressive wall dives.
There are large numbers and a variety of species of Gorgonion fans, sponges and brightly coloured soft corals. Morays can be seen hiding in the nooks and crannies of these walls. Menjangan should be on the itinerary of macro photographers too, with resident pipefish and seahorses two of the many attractions.
POS I and POS II are two of the best sites, both covering (different) areas of the wall which are especially rich in marine life and corals. Depending on conditions these dives are often gentle drifts. You can find varieties of Scorpionfish and lionfish here and sometimes huge schools of Red toothed triggerfish and Longfin bannerfish. The shallows offer an incredible number and variety of reef fishes, making Menjangan Island an ideal site for snorkelers and swimmers. Lunch can be taken on a white sandy beach, conditions permitting.
Anchor / Anker wreck (Kapal Budak) is the broken wreck of wooden ship, sunk sometime in the 19th century. It appears more as piles of broken wood than a traditional shipwreck, unlike Tulamben where the USS Liberty is still basically intact. The name is taken from the anchor which guides divers down to the deeper parts of the wreck. The wreck lies in the sand at the bottom of a coral slope. Visibility is often good at this depth here and Whitetip reef sharks are commonly seen. This dive is deeper than usual, with the site running well past 50 meter. The wreck can be easily enjoyed from 35 meter however, for divers with suitable certification & experience. Divers taking advantage of our free Nitrox will be able to enjoy extended stays at this depth compared to divers breathing air. After reaching bottom time limits divers slowly drift up the healthy and brightly coloured coral slope to enjoy a safety stop surrounded by bright corals and fishes.
There are a number of other dive sites around Menjangan Island and your guide will choose which particular site to dive based on sea conditions and discussion with divers.
