A dozen miles off the coast of Pemuteran, only accessible by sea on guided tours, Menjangan Island contains a nice coral reef in a paradisiacal setting. On the reef drop-off you will find angelfish, clownfish and thick shoals of chromis moving above a well preserved coral cover. Pulau Menjangan is a snorkeling spot not to be missed in Bali.
Pulau Menjangan is a small unspoilt island accessible only by boat. It is part of the Bali Barat National Park, and it is forbidden to spend the night there. The easiest option for visiting this spot is to go on a full-day tour, on offer from many companies everywhere in Bali. Most tours leave from Pemuteran, to the north of the island (from there, it takes an hour by boat to reach Pulau Menjangan). The price is about $80 per person for a day tour, including visits to several snorkeling spots and a lunch break.
You enter the water either from the beach or from the guide’s boat. In the second case, follow the guide’s instructions.
The spot to explore covers a wide area between the beach and the reef drop-off, about 150 to 200 yards apart. From the beach, you will cross a few dozen yards of sandy sea bed and rock (↕3-6ft/1-2 m), then sea bed covered with soft coral (↕3-10ft/1-3 m) as far as the reef drop-off.
Although there are interesting things to see in the reef flat (batfish, giant clams and blue starfish living in the rocky crevices), the spectacle takes on another dimension when you get closer to the reef drop-off. Here, the sea bed is spectacular: thick shoals of green chromis and sergeant majors move around the coral beds, while parrotfish, butterflyfish and Java spinefoot, with spectacular colors, come and go on the reef drop-off. This spot is particularly rich in soft coral (sarcophyton, xenia…). Several species of angelfish, including sixbar angelfish and royal angelfish are easy to see. Try to find a sea anemone between the rocks: most of them contain ocellaris clownfish, better known to children as “Nemo”. In the deep blue of the reef drop-off, you may also have the chance to see a green sea turtle or hawksbill sea turtle, although they are shy here.
Pulau Menjangan, as all Bali coral reefs, tend to decline quickly in places. The reef drop-off, which was exceptionally well preserved a few years ago, has now broken or dead coral in some areas.
This is one of the most popular spots near Bali. A large number of boats and guided tours stop here. Watch out for other people when you are in the water.
Pulau Menjangan is a natural site. There are no hotels or restaurants, but most tours include meals. Ask your tour guide for details, and at least take along a snack and something to drink.
Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
These spots are accessible to anyone with basic snorkeling skills, and feeling comfortable in the water and with his snorkeling gear. You will enter the water from the shore (beach, pontoon, ladder, rocks) or from a boat. The water height in the sea entrance area is reasonable, but you will not necessarily be within your depth. Moderate currents can occur in the area, even when the sea conditions are good. The distance to swim to reach the most interesting snorkeling areas of the spot does not exceed 200 meters. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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