Our car transfer from Ubud to Samur on the coast opposite Nusa Lembongan was smooth and easy. The driver dropped us off at the terminal in plenty of time for our ferry. Don’t think huge Brittany ferry though, this was a small speedboat that anchored on the beach at Nusa Lembongan from where we splashed through the surf and staggered across the sand carrying our bags!

Our hotel, the Castaway Resort, was a short walk from the beach although we gladly accepted a ride on a buggy that dropped us off outside. Entering through a wooden doorway in a high white wall we found a swimming pool encircled by eight semi-detached rooms, basic but very pleasant. We still had flowers and towel art on the bed though. Debbie was very quick to get in the pool and top up her suntan on the poolside loungers, while Steve settled down in the shade on our private terrace. This was also where our breakfast was served each morning.

Life settled into a very relaxed routine of getting up, breakfast on the terrace, wandering to the dive school just down the road, diving and then choosing a warung to eat at in the evening. We soon got to know the other guests in the hotel and with a key to the doorway in the wall we were able to come and go as we pleased.

Nusa Lembongan is one of three islands in a cluster. Next to it and connected by a bridge is the smaller island of Nusa Geningan and beyond that the much larger Nusa Penida. The dive sites are around these three islands and the ones chosen for each dive depend on the prevailing currents at the time.

Manta rays can be identified by the unique pattern of spots that each has on its underside. Of course, to do that you need to get under the manta ray facing upwards so we didn’t succeed in identifying any.

We decided not to dive on the last day and instead hire a scooter and tour Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Geningan. Finding our way around was a bit hit and miss but they are small islands with few roads so we didn’t get lost.

Devil’s Tear is a particularly memorable viewpoint. It is a cave/crevice between the rocks where the waves hit hard and spray up. There is a safety barrier to keep tourists away from the edge but there are always some who ignore the warning signs and want to get closer for the perfect Instagram shot.

Two couples stepped through the barrier and were having fun taking photos of each other when the inevitable happened and they were hit broadside by a huge wave. They were lucky not to be swept off the cliff but as it was they were soaked and lost their sandals. Pure comedy that Steve got on video!

Dive Logs

Date	Location	Notes
19/4/23 683	Sampalan, Nusa Penida	First dive, 7kg was too heavy. Turtles and stuff
19/4/23 684	SD, Nusa Penida	Opposite the elementary school (SD). Loads of fish including clown and titan triggerfish, banded sea snake, turtles, a grouper at a cleaning station. Dropped weight to 7kg
20/4/23 685	Manta Point, Nusa Penida	The mantas did not disappoint. Saw five or six circling the cleaning station. One came close enough to get good video. Huge oceanic manta and several smaller reef mantas.
20/4/23 686	Crystal Bay, Nusa Penida	This is a rocky corner at the end of the strait between N. Geningan and N. Penida where the cold water current hits the warm water in the bay. Massive thermoclines with 28°C and 20°C currents mix. We were hoping to see molo molo but none were around.
21/4/23 687	Forgot to write this one up!
21/4/23 688	Mangroves, between N. Geningan and N. Penida	Strong currents taking us in all directions!
22/4/23 689	Ceningan, between N. Geningan and N. Penida	Drift along the reef
22/4/23 690	Toyapakeh, N. Penida	North west corner of N. Penida. Busy snorkeling area but not so crowded at 25m. Excellent staghorn corals with some broken up areas so looking for bottom dwellers. Saw a moray, scorpion fish and boxfish.
23/4/23 691	Manta Point, Nusa Penida	Lovely relaxed dive with loads of mantas. Got some great footage. Also plenty of blue spotted stingray in the sand.
23/4/23 692	Crystal Bay, Nusa Penida	More challenging because we were swimming into the current the whole dive. No cold water or thermoclines, unlike last time, but still no mole mole. Saw a large lionfish but more a dive to get through than enjoy!