Dive Curated
Hawksbill turtle while diving in Nusa Penida & Lembongan
Her majesty · CC BY 2.0 · source

Guides · Price overview

Manta Point, Nusa Penida: What the Dive Actually Costs and Requires

No operator we track sells "Manta Point" as its own line item. It's one of the sites on the standard 2-dive day trip, alongside Manta Bay and, in mola mola season, Crystal Bay. So the real comparison is the day-trip price itself: IDR 1,600,000-1,950,000 for 2 dives across our tracked island-based operators (Octopus Dive Penida, Reeflex Divers, Scuba Junkie Penida), all of whom name Manta Point or Manta Bay on their itinerary. The bigger gate isn't price, though; it's dive count. Every one of these operators requires 15-20 logged dives for this trip, not just an Open Water card.

Manta Point isn't a separate product. It's a stop on the standard 2-dive day trip. Here's what that trip costs by operator, and the dive-count minimum most shops actually enforce.

Prices shown in

  1. Coral reef
    joakant · Pixabay Content License · source

    Indonesia / Bali

    Nusa Penida & Lembongan

    IntermediateBudget

    Open Water course from IDR 6,225,000 · Day trip from IDR 500,000

    A 2-dive day trip with Manta Point/Manta Bay on the itinerary runs IDR 1,600,000 (Octopus Dive Penida) to IDR 1,950,000 (Scuba Junkie Penida), with Reeflex Divers in between at IDR 1,850,000. All three require Open Water certification plus 15-20 logged dives, not Open Water alone. Nusa Penida's currents are rated strong at every one of these operators, year-round, not just in mola season. Crystal Bay for mola mola (July-September) adds cold thermoclines in the low 20s Celsius on top of the current.

Before you book

Coral reef
MonicaVolpin · Pixabay Content License · source

Nusa Penida & Lembongan

Season

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Also good: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.

Getting there

  • Fast boat from Sanur (Bali) to Nusa Lembongan or Nusa Penida, 30–45 min, multiple operators daily ($15–25 each way).
  • Most dive shops pick up from the pier.
  • Many divers day-trip from Bali; others stay 2–5 nights on the islands.

Minimum stay

2 nights (or day-trip from Bali)

Good for your first trip if

Open Water sufficient for Lembongan and gentler Penida sites. Advanced OW recommended for Crystal Bay mola dives (cold water, surge, depth). Nearest hyperbaric chamber is in Bali (Sanglah Hospital, ~1 hr by fast boat + transfer).

Know before you go

  • Cold upwellings at Penida's open-ocean sites catch divers off guard, watch your depth at Crystal Bay; current can push you deep fast.
  • Nearest recompression chamber is Sanglah Hospital, Denpasar, Bali (~1 hr total transfer).
  • Most dive shops carry emergency oxygen.

Top dive sites

Top sites in Nusa Penida & Lembongan

grouper underwater
1790462 · Pixabay Content License · source

Crystal Bay

Advanced only

Depth5–40 m

Penida's signature mola mola site, a cleaning station reached through cold upwelling water. Surge and depth demand experience.

  • mola mola (sunfish)
  • cold upwelling
  • cleaning station
  • reef fish
sea turtle underwater
Pexels · Pixabay Content License · source

Manta Point

Intermediate

Depth5–25 m

Rocky south-coast outcrop with a near-year-round manta feeding aggregation. Drift with multiple rays in strong current, effortless once you relax into it.

  • reef mantas
  • oceanic mantas
  • feeding behaviour
  • current drift

Common questions

How much does diving Manta Point at Nusa Penida cost?

It's included in the standard 2-dive day trip, not priced separately. That trip runs IDR 1,600,000-1,950,000 across our tracked operators (Octopus Dive Penida, Reeflex Divers, Scuba Junkie Penida), all of which name Manta Point or Manta Bay as a site on the itinerary; exact site selection depends on the day's conditions.

Is Open Water certification enough to dive Manta Point?

On paper, yes: minimum certification is Open Water at every operator we track. In practice, all three require 15-20 logged dives as well, well above a fresh Open Water card's 4-5. Nusa Penida's currents are rated strong year-round at every operator, and several note cold, unpredictable upwellings even outside mola season. Tell the shop your real dive count; the honest ones plan the day around it rather than around the certification card alone.

When is the best time to see mola mola at Nusa Penida?

July-September, at Crystal Bay specifically. That's the window named consistently across our tracked operators. Outside that window, Crystal Bay isn't part of the standard rotation and the day trip runs Manta Point/Manta Bay plus northern reef sites instead.

Are the currents at Nusa Penida dangerous?

Every operator we track rates conditions "strong" as a matter of course, not as a seasonal exception, and several describe them as cold and unpredictable at depth. That's the reason behind the 15-20 dive minimums above. This isn't beginner drift diving. We report what operators disclose about their own conditions; we don't rate operators as safe or unsafe ourselves.

How this guide was built

Every fact above is pulled live from the same destination and operator records used on Dive Curated's destination pages. It can never drift out of sync with what those pages say.

Beginner-friendly
Rated on the destination's own current strength, depth range, and visibility.
Budget tier
Verified accommodation, food, and diving costs; not marketing claims.
Price
Lowest tracked operator listing at time of publish. Check the destination page for current pricing.