Crystal Bay lies on the western coast of Nusa Penida, a gorgeous island off the east coast of Bali. Nusa Penida is home to some of the most beautiful scenery I've seen, and Crystal Bay is no exception!
How to Get to Crystal Bay
As the quality of the roads on western Nusa Penida are really quite awful, I don't recommend riding a scooter here and instead hiring a driver for the day to take you to all the different spots you'd like to visit. Crystal Bay was our first stop with our driver - I definitely recommend arriving early in the morning as it only gets busier!
Snorkeling at Crystal Bay
At Crystal Bay, you can snorkel to your heart's content in some of the clearest water I've swam in spotting turtles, corals and plenty of brightly coloured fish! You can rent snorkels for 50,000 IDR ($4.70 CAD) on the beach if you don't have your own and fins for another 50,000 IDR.
Snorkeling with Manta Rays in Manta Bay
From Crystal Bay, you can go on a 1-hour boat trip (10 mins each way plus 40 mins swimming) to visit Manta Bay where you can swim with Manta Rays! This was probably one of the most surreal experiences of my life. I wish I had a GoPro so I could have captured some underwater images of these stunning creatures - they were up to 4 metres wide!
We spent 200,000 IDR ($18.70 CAD) per person for the trip and saw at least 6 unique manta rays. Their swimming was precise and gorgeous and they came so close to us. It was honestly wonderful.
Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.