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The island around 1,5 kilometers long and 500 meters wide island is situated in the northwest of Bali and is part of the Bali Barat National Park. This park is actually quite large, it encompasses much of Bali 's western end and is also worth a visit. You will find forests, savanna, mangroves and the rich marine habitats of the Java Sea. Here also lives the endemic Bali starling (Leucopsar rothschildi) a beautiful and nearly extinct bird with white plumage and a mask of turquoise (only about 12 individuals still live in the wild, others can be seen in the bird parks in Bali) lives here. You can also see rusa (deers), wild boars, long-tailed macaques and leaf monkeys. |
The dive trips start from the Labuhan Lalang, from where it is about a 30 minutes with boat ride to the Menjangan island. Dives range around 20 to 30 meters, mostly wall diving. The waters are clear and calm with a rich variety of fish and since there seldom is that much current, also a good place for beginners. Fixed moorings are build at the dive sites. Lunch is usually taken on a small beach near Pos I or the temple.
.: EEL GARDEN
This dive site is named after a large colony of garden eels and lies on the western point of Menjangan. It is also called Pos I for the nearby guard post of the park service. The dive starts on a nice wall about 40 meters with a lot of beautiful gorgonian's and other sea fans. Then you continue your dive over the top of the reef to a stretch of white sand. Take your time to observe the white garden eels. There are several large blocks of coral which are cleaner stations with cleaner shrimps a plenty beneath them.
.: ANCHOR WRECK (Kapal Budak)
This sites also called the Anker, is an old wooden ship wreck which sits on the western tip of Menjangan at 40 meter. The name comes from a heavily encrusted anchor, which sits at about 6 meter on the top of the reef nearby. There is a second anchor closer to the wreck at about 30 meter. The wreck lies on a fairly steep slope in bits and pieces, the bow towards the shore around 30 meter, the stern at about 46 meters depth. There are some pieces even further down around 50 meters. The ship is small perhaps 30 meters long. The ship might be sailor boat, probably from the 19th century. There are glass and ceramic bottles in cooper receptacles, that might have contained palm whisky or arak. You will see a large humpback parrotfish.
.: UNDERWATER CAVES
These caves lies west of Pos II at about 18 meters. Many yellow frogfish on a sponge, gray and green Notodoris nudibranch about 10 cm and also a banded snake eel. The bat cave no the top, and down of it's quite a lot of nice grottoes and crevasses, nooks and crannies with gorgonians and sponges all over Menjangan.
The drop off east of Pos II
This sites the most wall dive, you will see batfish, a juvenile still with its edge a fiery orange and some scorpionfishes and large angelfishes. An interesting sight with small dwarf hawkfish on a huge sponge. In the right season you can supposedly also see mantas and sharks.
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