Find the bay

Manta Point Nusa Penida: where it sits and how to snorkel it

In one breath

Manta Point on Nusa Penida lies on the southern side of the island and is a cleaning and courtship station used mainly by adult reef mantas, about 12 km from Manta Bay.

Place and season

  • Mantas are present year-round2
  • Courtship peaks in May2
  • Our session lists Manta Bay first and meets mantas about 30% of the time

11 places to find

From Sanur to Manta Bay, Crystal Bay, Gamat Bay and Manta Point

Choose a bay, then press a pin or a name for its story and a Google Maps link.

Close map of the south coast of Nusa Penida with the Manta Point sea site and two marked cliff viewpoints

  1. OpenStreetMap marks a cliff viewpoint just north of the Manta Point sea site.

    Google Maps

  2. Mantas are present here year-round, with courtship matching the annual peak in sightings in May.

    Google Maps

  3. OpenStreetMap marks a second viewpoint named for Manta Point about 2.7 km to the east.

    Google Maps

Map imagery and data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Manta Point is the south-coast cleaning station where adult reef mantas gather, and it is a different place from Manta Bay. Here is how the two differ, which listings visit which, and how to behave in the water.

Editorial team, nusapenidasnorkeling.quest · Updated November 3, 2026 · Reading time about 7 min

Begin with this

  • LocationIndonesia.Travel puts Manta Point on the southern side of Nusa Penida.1
  • The place itselfA cleaning and courtship station used mainly by adult reef mantas.2
  • Not Manta BayThe feeding site for males and juveniles lies about 12 km away.3
  • SightingsMantas are present year-round, with courtship peaking in May.2
  • Our sessionIt lists Manta Bay first and says mantas turn up about 30% of the time.

Two manta sites, not one

Nusa Penida is a small island 18 km south-east of Bali.4 Around it sit two shallow sites that people lump together as the manta spots, and a search for manta point nusa penida usually wants just one of them. Reef mantas stay in the Marine Protected Area all year, which has made snorkeling and diving there a hotspot.5 The two places are Manta Bay and Manta Point, about 12 km apart, and Indonesia.Travel puts Manta Point on the southern side of the island.2,1

A photo-identification study logged 624 reef mantas in 5,913 sightings over six years.6 Sightings were split almost evenly, 3,029 at Manta Bay and 3,058 at Manta Point.7 By that count the two sites are close to equal. A lead scientist on the work said the resighting rates of individual mantas in this protected area are higher than anywhere else in the world.8

Both bays are shallow, 7 to 25 m deep, fringed by steep rocky cliffs and deep water.9 That shape matters to a snorkeler less than the name on the booking page does. The island-based session we sell lists Manta Bay as its first stop, not Manta Point, and the sections below explain what that means for what you can expect.

Two sites side by side

Manta Bay and Manta Point compared on the study's numbers

Point of comparisonManta Bay siteManta Point site
Main use by the mantasA feeding ground, possibly a nursery.2A cleaning and courtship station.2
Who is seen mostImmature males, with 64 percent of rays male.10Mature females, 48 percent of sightings.10
Sightings logged in six years3,02973,0587
How deep the water is7 to 25 m97 to 25 m9
Seasonal bumpSlightly higher in February to April and July.11About twice as many sightings in May.11
Where the listings goNamed in 5 of the 7 listings compared.Named in 4 of the 7 listings compared.

Study figures cover January 2012 to April 2018; listing names come from the seven GetYourGuide listings we compared.7

What the mantas do at Manta Point

Manta Point is a cleaning and courtship station used mainly by adults.2 A cleaning station is a patch of reef where small fish pick parasites and dead skin off a manta.5 Mature males and females seem to prefer this site over Manta Bay, and social activity and courtship are seen here, with the mating season peaking in May.3 In the study's count, mature females were the most frequent sightings here, at 48 percent.10

Manta Point recorded about twice as many sightings in May as in other months, while Manta Bay only edged up from February to April and again in July.11 Reef mantas grow up to 5 m across.5 In the same study, 44 percent of the individual rays moved between the two sites, so some animals are regulars at both bays.12

None of this makes a sighting a promise. The animals are wild and busy with their own routine. The listing for our session says manta rays are met about 30% of the time on average and are not guaranteed, and that if Manta Bay cannot be entered because of weather or sea conditions a safe alternative snorkeling site is visited. A page that promised a manta would be wrong on its face.

Hours spent snorkeling

Hours of snorkeling each listing states

  • Island session, 3 stopsRoughly 2 hours
  • From Sanur, 3 stopsRoughly 2 hours
  • Manta Point sessionRoughly 3 hours

Each bar is the total snorkeling time the listing's own good-to-know list gives; transfers and the optional land tour are extra.

Which bay your listing really visits

Read the stop list before you read the title. The island-based session sold on this site lists Manta Bay, Gamat Bay and The Wall, with Crystal Bay as an optional alternative to The Wall, about 2 hours of snorkeling in total and 40 minutes at each stop. A different GetYourGuide listing is built around Manta Point itself: it gives Manta Point and Gamat Bay 1.5 hours apiece, adds an optional 20-minute snorkel at The Wall, and totals about 3 hours of snorkeling.

Two more listings are worth knowing. One starts from Lembongan and gives Manta Point 45 minutes, then Gamat Bay and Mangrove Point 30 minutes each. Another is a fast-boat day from Sanur, shared with a maximum of 13 guests on board, that names Manta Bay, Manta Point or Secret Bay depending on sea and weather conditions. In every case the stop list, not the headline, tells you which of the two sites you will be at, and each listing carries a weather caveat.

If your heart is set on Nusa Penida Manta Point, the south-coast cleaning station, the Manta Point listing is the closer match. If you want three stops in one session at the lowest starting price, the island-based session is. It starts from $17 against from $26 for the Manta Point listing.

Pick your manta day

Which listing fits what you want from the rays?

Match the stop list to the thing you came for, then check the weather note in the listing.

  • If I want Manta Point by name

    Choose the Manta Point listing

    Manta Point and Gamat Bay get 1.5 hours apiece, for about 3 hours of snorkeling.

  • If Cheapest start is my priority

    Choose the island session

    It starts from $17 and lists three stops with about 2 hours of snorkeling.

  • If I want the mating-season peak

    Aim for May at Manta Point

    Manta Point logged about twice as many sightings in May, though no listing promises a ray.11

  • If I would like fewer people aboard

    Ask about the group size first

    One fast-boat listing caps its shared tour at 13 guests on board, and the Coral Triangle Center favors small tours.13

  • If I am a shaky swimmer

    Read the safety page before booking

    The listing requires confident swimmers who are comfortable in open ocean conditions.

Three ways to meet the bays

Island session, Manta Point session or a fast-boat day from Sanur

Lowest start price

Three stops from the island

Manta Bay first

  • SnorkelingRoughly 2 hours
  • Pricefrom $17
  • Rating4.68
Compare the three sessions

Closest to the search

Manta Point and Gamat Bay

Manta Point first

  • SnorkelingRoughly 3 hours
  • Pricefrom $26
  • Rating4.64
Compare the three sessions

Full-day outing

Fast boat from Sanur

Max 13 on board

  • How long the outing runs9 to 10 hours on the go
  • Pricefrom $90
  • Rating4.91
Compare the three sessions

Snorkeling Manta Point: the practical picture

Snorkeling at Manta Point in Nusa Penida is a boat trip first and a swim second, so plan the day around the boat, not the beach. The run to Manta Point is by boat, and one listing warns that it may pass through open sea with waves, so guests may get splashed. The listing for our session adds that roads on Nusa Penida are narrow and bumpy and that the sea may be choppy, and it advises eating before the tour and taking seasickness medication if needed.

Swimming level matters. Our listing says guests must be confident swimmers and comfortable in open ocean conditions. The Manta Point boat listing asks for a basic swimming level. One fast-boat listing strongly recommends a life jacket at all times on board and when entering the water. If you are unsure of yourself, wear the jacket and tell the guide before the boat leaves.

A GoPro film of your session arrives by email as a link 8 to 12 hours after the activity, per the listing. The film is the proof of what you saw: a manta in the water is over in moments, and footage lets you slow it down afterwards. Meet your team at the island meeting point named in the listing, with the voucher ready.

The session as the listing sets it out

From the meeting point to the GoPro link

  1. When you arrive

    Meet at the island meeting point

    The listing asks you to meet the team at Wonderland Manta Penida under the GetYourGuide sign with your voucher ready.

  2. Opening stop

    Manta Bay, 40 minutes

    The itinerary gives Manta Bay 40 minutes, and the listing warns that mantas are met about 30% of the time on average.

  3. If the sea says no

    A safe alternative site

    When Manta Bay cannot be entered because of weather or sea conditions, the listing says a safe alternative snorkeling site is visited.

  4. Stop two

    Gamat Bay, 40 minutes

    The itinerary lists Gamat Bay next, also at 40 minutes.

  5. Third slot

    The Wall, or Crystal Bay

    The itinerary lists The Wall at 40 minutes, with Crystal Bay or SD Point offered as optional alternatives; about 2 hours of snorkeling in all.

  6. 8 to 12 hours later

    The GoPro link arrives

    The footage link is emailed to the booking address 8 to 12 hours after the activity.

Behaving around a manta

The Manta Trust code, as the Marine Megafauna Foundation sets it out, is short: keep at least 3 m away, approach from the side, stay passive, and never chase, touch or dive down in front of a manta.19 The Coral Triangle Center's codes for Nusa Penida add that you should swim slowly, not block the animal's route, not enter a manta cleaning station, never use flash photography and report anyone who breaks the rules.20

Distance is not only etiquette. In a Maldives study of snorkelers, mantas within 3 m showed avoidance in 31% of interactions, and at 4 to 5 m that fell to 3.4%.21 That is another country and another site, so read it as a rule of thumb for how mantas respond, not as a measurement taken at Nusa Penida. At a cleaning station the advice is to stay low, still and off the reef.22

The animal itself is not the danger. Manta rays filter zooplankton, have no venomous barb and do not bite people.23 The risk runs the other way: a research photo caption from Manta Bay shows a male reef manta with snorkelers swimming behind it, and the researchers call the scene busy with snorkelers and boats.24 A guide who briefs you before the entry and keeps the group together is doing the job well.

Video

Snorkeling with manta rays at Nusa Penida

Liga And Peter on YouTube · The video stays still until you press play.

Manta Bay is a feeding ground used mainly by males and juveniles, and may be a nursery; Manta Point is a cleaning and courtship station used mainly by adults
Marine Megafauna Foundation2

Water manners and boat basics

Packing and conduct for the manta stop

Once you are swimming4

  • Stay at least 3 m from every manta
  • Approach from the side and stay passive
  • Never chase, touch or dive down in front of one
  • Skip flash photography and stay low at a cleaning station

Aboard the speedboat4

  • Eat beforehand and ask about seasickness tablets
  • Put the life jacket on and keep it on
  • Keep your voucher ready at the meeting point
  • Book with the email that should receive the GoPro link

Checks at booking4

  • Read which bay the stop list names
  • Ask how many guests share the boat
  • Choose free cancellation in case the sea closes a site
  • Confirm the start time on your date

Crowds, rules and what protects the site

Nusa Penida attracted more than 200,000 tourists a year at the time of the 2019 study, and of the 11 main dive spots Manta Bay and Manta Point were used most by tour operators.25 The average annual number of boats at the two sites rose 60% between 2012 and that study.26 Large diving groups and engine noise can cause chronic stress to the animals.27

The rules have been soft. Manta rays are protected in Indonesia, yet when the study was written the number of boats allowed into manta habitat was unlimited and codes of conduct were voluntary.28 All fishing is officially prohibited at both sites.29 The researchers proposed limiting vessels, making the codes mandatory and considering a seasonal closure of Manta Point during the mating period.30 Those were proposals in the 2019 study, so check current rules locally.28 The International Maritime Organization has since designated the island's waters a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area.31

What you can do is choose small groups. The Coral Triangle Center advises booking providers that run small tours and respect the protected-area rules, and it counts eight Green Fins certified operators in Bali Province.13 Ask your operator which code it follows, and enter the water with the group, not ahead of it. Sightings depend on sea and weather conditions, so a flexible day beats a hopeful one.

FAQ

Short questions, plain replies.

Where is Manta Point on Nusa Penida?
On the southern side of the island.

Indonesia.Travel places it there; Manta Bay, the other manta site, is about 12 km away.1,2

Is Manta Point the same as Manta Bay?
No, they are two separate sites.

Manta Bay is mostly a feeding ground for males and juveniles; Manta Point is a cleaning and courtship station used mainly by adults.2

How deep is the water at Manta Point?
Between 7 and 25 m.

The study gives that depth range for both Manta Bay and Manta Point, which are fringed by steep rocky cliffs.9

Can you see manta rays at Nusa Penida all year?
Yes, they are present year-round.

Sightings at Manta Point were about twice as frequent in May as in other months.5,11

Are mantas guaranteed on a snorkeling tour?
No promise exists.

The listing for our session puts the average at about 30% of the time and says sightings depend on weather and sea conditions.

Can you touch or feed a manta ray?
No, keep at least 3 m away.

The code says approach from the side, stay passive and never chase or touch, and the local codes also bar feeding and flash.19,20

Is snorkeling with manta rays dangerous?
The animal is not the danger.

Mantas have no venomous barb and do not bite; the listing still requires confident swimmers because of open ocean conditions.23

Which listing visits Manta Point itself?
The one that lists it as a stop.

A 1,502-review listing names Manta Point and Gamat Bay with about 3 hours of snorkeling.

Sources

  1. Indonesia.Travel (Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia) · Snorkeling Nusa Penida ↩
  2. Marine Megafauna Foundation · Swimming with Manta Rays: Where, When, and How to Do It Responsibly ↩
  3. Marine Megafauna Foundation · Nusa Penida manta ray nursery: Tourists and fishers key to survival ↩
  4. Marine Megafauna Foundation · Nusa Penida manta ray nursery: Tourists and fishers key to survival ↩
  5. Marine Megafauna Foundation · Nusa Penida manta ray nursery: Tourists and fishers key to survival ↩
  6. Marine Megafauna Foundation · Nusa Penida manta ray nursery: Tourists and fishers key to survival ↩
  7. Frontiers in Marine Science (peer-reviewed; authors include the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Indonesia) · Contrasting Habitat Use and Population Dynamics of Reef Manta Rays Within the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area, Indonesia ↩
  8. Marine Megafauna Foundation · Nusa Penida manta ray nursery: Tourists and fishers key to survival ↩
  9. Frontiers in Marine Science (peer-reviewed; authors include the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Indonesia) · Contrasting Habitat Use and Population Dynamics of Reef Manta Rays Within the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area, Indonesia ↩
  10. Frontiers in Marine Science (peer-reviewed; authors include the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Indonesia) · Contrasting Habitat Use and Population Dynamics of Reef Manta Rays Within the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area, Indonesia ↩
  11. Frontiers in Marine Science (peer-reviewed; authors include the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Indonesia) · Contrasting Habitat Use and Population Dynamics of Reef Manta Rays Within the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area, Indonesia ↩
  12. Frontiers in Marine Science (peer-reviewed; authors include the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Indonesia) · Contrasting Habitat Use and Population Dynamics of Reef Manta Rays Within the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area, Indonesia ↩
  13. Coral Triangle Center · New Protections Mean Bali's Underwater Tourist Adventures Will Be Better Controlled ↩
  14. Love Bali (Bali Provincial Government) · Pantai Segara Penida (Crystal Bay)
  15. Love Bali (Bali Provincial Government) · Pantai Gamat (Gamat Bay)
  16. Love Bali (Bali Provincial Government) · Pantai Gamat (Gamat Bay)
  17. Indonesia.Travel (Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia) · Snorkeling Nusa Penida
  18. Love Bali (Bali Provincial Government) · Pantai Segara Penida (Crystal Bay)
  19. Marine Megafauna Foundation · Swimming with Manta Rays: Where, When, and How to Do It Responsibly ↩
  20. Coral Triangle Center · New Protections Mean Bali's Underwater Tourist Adventures Will Be Better Controlled ↩
  21. Marine Megafauna Foundation · Swimming with Manta Rays: Where, When, and How to Do It Responsibly ↩
  22. Marine Megafauna Foundation · Swimming with Manta Rays: Where, When, and How to Do It Responsibly ↩
  23. Marine Megafauna Foundation · Swimming with Manta Rays: Where, When, and How to Do It Responsibly ↩
  24. The Rufford Foundation · Conservation of Threatened Manta Rays in a Key Reproductive Habitat - Nusa Penida MPA, Indonesia ↩
  25. Marine Megafauna Foundation · Nusa Penida manta ray nursery: Tourists and fishers key to survival ↩
  26. Marine Megafauna Foundation · Nusa Penida manta ray nursery: Tourists and fishers key to survival ↩
  27. Marine Megafauna Foundation · Nusa Penida manta ray nursery: Tourists and fishers key to survival ↩
  28. Marine Megafauna Foundation · Nusa Penida manta ray nursery: Tourists and fishers key to survival ↩
  29. Marine Megafauna Foundation · Nusa Penida manta ray nursery: Tourists and fishers key to survival ↩
  30. Marine Megafauna Foundation · Nusa Penida manta ray nursery: Tourists and fishers key to survival ↩
  31. Coral Triangle Center · New Protections Mean Bali's Underwater Tourist Adventures Will Be Better Controlled ↩

Keep reading

More guides to snorkeling at Nusa Penida

GuideCrystal Bay, Nusa PenidaGuideNusa Penida snorkeling spotsGuideManta ray season at Nusa PenidaGuideSnorkeling or diving at Nusa Penida

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