Photo: Rilando June Lamadjido, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Manta Bay (Secret Manta)

Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia

Beginner
No current
Best All year

Manta Bay is a beginner dive site in Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia. Dives run from 5 to 25 m, with little or no current. The best months are All year. Marine life here includes mola-mola, wobbegong shark and nudibranch. 12 dive shops on Scubalo run trips here.

Updated 2 November 2026

Conditions at Manta Bay

Max depth: 25 m
Depth range: 5–25 m
Current: None
Level: Beginner

Depth profile

Safety

Surge: Swell from the south coast causes surge and a choppy surface; boats only go when the forecast allows.
Cold: Thermoclines in the cold season; wear a 5 mm suit and layers.
Mantas: Keep to the manta code of conduct.

About Manta Bay

Manta Bay is a shallow feeding area for reef mantas under the cliffs of Nusa Penida's south-west coast. Mantas come close to the surface, so divers and snorkellers share it, over sand and coral-covered ridges at 5 to 25 m.

Manta Bay is a large, shallow bay under the cliffs on Nusa Penida's south-west coast, below Angel's Billabong, and closer to Nusa Lembongan than Manta Point. Big Fish Diving says it found the site in 2010.

Reef mantas feed here, often near the surface, so it works for snorkellers as well as divers. The bottom slopes gently over sand and flat ridges encrusted with coral, with some big bommies, gullies and swim-throughs. The mantas tend to be smaller than at Manta Point but more numerous, and World Diving sees juveniles here in season.

The bay is open to Indian Ocean swell, so it is only dived when the forecast allows. Because it is nearer than Manta Point, it gets busy with snorkel boats. In the cold season the water drops to 18 to 25°C, with thermoclines.