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planning your nusa penida trip

Thank you for considering Scuba Junkie Penida for your next diving holiday! We know that planning your trip can leave you with endless checklists and lots of questions, so we've prepared this section for you to highlight some important things to know before you go to help you out.
If you need to ask something that you don't see here, then feel free to send us an email and one of our friendly team will get back to you as soon as possible and you'll be diving with us in no time!
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planning nusa penida trip

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Terms & Conditions

TERMS & CONDITIONS:

  1. 25% deposit payments and any payments made in advance of arrival are non-refundable.
  2. Deposits are non-refundable but can be credited towards an alternative booking within 12 months of the original start date subject to informing us 14 days in advance of arrival with our worry free guarantee.
  3. No refunds are not available in case of illness, missed dive trips, skipped land tours or shortening of your stay, please ensure that you have valid travel insurance that covers this eventuality. If we are forced to cancel any part of your stay or dives due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances then a refund or credit towards a future holiday will be offered.

 

BALANCE PAYMENTS

The balance options are:

  1. Cash (we are only able to accept IDR)
  2. Transfer to our Indonesian account (we recommend using Wise for the best rates). If you choose this option, WE request that you send it in the month of your stay.
  3. Card payments are currently processed via Tab and are subject to a 4% service charge but you can choose the currency your card is charged with (your home currency is auto selected but it can be customized).

 

ATM’S & MONEY EXCHANGE ON PENIDA

Money exchange facilities in Nusa Penida are limited.  There are three ATM's on the island within walking distance which accept non-Indonesian cards, but these can be out of cash at weekends or during peak times.  Indonesian ATM's dispense either Rp 50,000 or Rp 100,000 and can give a maximum of 25 notes per time up to a maximum of Rp 10,000,000 (10 million) per day (but this amount may be limited by your card provider or bank).  

We advise you to bring cash with you to Nusa Penida.  Safe boxes are available for cash and valuables.

 

 

Getting here

Scuba Junkie Penida is located on Nusa Penida island, which is just 20km off of mainland Bali, Indonesia.  Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport (DPS) is our nearest international airport.

From Bali airport we can help to arrange the onward travel for you to get to the island - It's a 30-40 minute taxi ride followed by a 30-40 minute fast boat ride, and once you reach Nusa Penida we are just two minutes away from the harbour.

Check out the full options and recommended flight times on our Getting here section.

What to bring

No Single Use Plastics - We are proud to have environmental policies in place to reduce our impact on the planet, and one of the ways that we can all help in this area is to avoid single use plastics.  Bring a refillable water bottle so that you can refill at reception and on the dive boat. There are also many other drinking water refill stations on the island.

Say no to plastic straws - Again, most cafes and restaurants provide non-plastic alternatives.  Bringing a reusable shopping bag will be a big help so that you can say no to plastic bags whenever you go to the shops.

Reef Safe Sunscreen - It's hot on Nusa Penida all year round and our dive operations have strict guidelines to minimise damage to coral and marine ecosystems. To further minimise adverse impact to coral reefs, please use reef safe sunscreen before diving. Sunscreens with Oxybenzone, Octinoxate, Nano Zinc Oxide and Nano Titamium Dioxide can harm corals – avoid using sunscreen with these ingredients while diving. Even better, bring a long-sleeve rash vest, sunglasses and a hat with you.

Dry Bag - Although our boats have a large canopy, it is open at the front and the sides so we recommend using a dry bag on the boat to keep your items dry!  All you need to bring on the boat is a sarong or towel, some sunscreen, your phone or camera and maybe an extra memory card for your underwater pics! Using a dry bag will be your best bet to keep all of this dry.

Proof of Certification - Bring your proof of certification with you as you will need to show this on arrival.  This can be the actual card or you can show it in the app from your certification agency.  You may also wish to email us this in advance.  For PADI divers who have lost their cert cards, we can look you up online.  Don't forget to bring your logbook along to log all of the amazing marine life you'll see on the dives with us.

Medication - If you regularly take prescription medication then we recommend that you bring enough for your whole stay with us.  There are pharmacies and even two hospitals on Penida, but the same medications or doses may not be available here.

Insurance - We strongly recommend that all guests have travel and dive insurance to cover you throughout your stay (covering accidents, travel cancellation, medical and baggage).  We offer DAN short terms policies for diving starting at 1 day up to 30 days. 

Cash - The currency in Indonesia is the IDR (Indonesian Rupiah), often shortened to Rp.  Nusa Penida has limited ATM and money exchange facilities, and not everywhere accepts credit or debit cards.  ATM's on the island can often be offline or out of cash, so we advise to exchange money on mainland Bali or bring IDR with you from home.

Clothing - Nusa Penida is warm all year round, so cool, light clothing is best.  You may wish to pack a light rain jacket in case of the odd tropical shower, or to wear on the way back from diving.  Sturdy shoes such as trainers / sneakers are a good idea if you want to explore some of the more adventurous spots on the island.

What Can Be Bought Here - Mosquito repellent, soap, shower gel, conditioner, deodorant, razors, toothpaste etc can all be bought easily on the island if you need to lighten your luggage for flights!

Planning Your Activities With Us

Refresher - If you haven't dived in six months or longer then we offer a free refresher as part of your first dive with us.

PADI Courses - Students for all PADI courses or programs need to sign the PADI Medical Statement.  If you have any YES answers then this form needs to be signed by your doctor or physician to approve you for diving activities.  If all answers on the form are NO then you do not need to do anything before you arrive (you will sign your form when you start the course).  The clinic and hospitals on Nusa Penida are not able to provide the medical statement clearance, so this must be done before arriving on the island.

Day trip Schedules 

07:45 - Meet at the dive centre / reception

08:00 - Depart for diving - We will stay out on the boat for all 3 dives and have surface interval snacks and lunch on board

13:30-15:00 - Return to the resort after 3 dives (arrival time depends on the dive sites that we visit)

Occasionally, if we have a very low tide in the morning we may adjust the departure time, but we will notify you of this the day before.

Day Trips From Mainland Bali - (Currently not available) If you are not staying on Nusa Penida but would like to dive with us then it's possible to arrange a day trip from mainland Bali and do two dives.  We will need to check the tides for you to make sure that we can accommodate the later departure time, but it general the schedule would look like this:

07:00/07:30* - Take a fast boat from Sanur to Banjar Nyuh on Nusa Penida

On arrival - We will collect you at the harbour and bring you to the resort, sign paperwork and check gear sizes

09:30 - Departure for 2 dives

14:30-15:30 - Return from the dive trip, complete logbooks

16:00/16:30 - Drop off to Banjar Nyuh harbour

16:30/17:00* - Fast boat depart for Sanur

*Departure times depends on the fast boat company's schedule at the time

There is an outdoor shower & changing room at the dive centre for after your trip. We recommend being ready for diving before you depart from Sanur - i.e Have your swimsuit on under your clothes and have any personal equipment that you bring with you easily accessible.

No Fly Time - With the minimum 18 hours no fly time as recommended by PADI & DAN, the earliest you can fly after your diving day is 9am the next day.  If you will be departing Nusa Penida on this day please check out Getting Here section for recommended flight times.

Meals - Your diving day will include a light snack and lunch on the boat, plus water refills, tea & coffee on board and at the dive centre.  Let us know in advance if you have any dietary requirements.  Vegetarian and vegan meals are easy to arrange and we don't need much advance notice for this, but other requests may be a little more difficult to organise due to our remote location, so as much notice as possible is appreciated.

No Decompression Limits

All dives are no-decompression dives.  We ask all divers with their own computer to inform their dive guide when they reach 10 minutes of no-decompression time remaining so that the group can stay safely within the limits.  Divers without their own dive computer are asked to stay at the same level as, or slightly shallower than their dive guide.  If you do go over your NDL, please inform your dive guide immediately so that they can arrange for the prolonged safety stop for your computer to clear before surfacing. Please note that you will not be permitted to dive for the rest of the day.  If your computer goes into error mode then you will need to wait 24 hours before resuming dive activities with us, or longer if your computer is not yet clear.  In these cases there will be no refunds for any missed dives.

Valuables

There is no need to bring valuables / cash on the dive boat.  There is no guarantee that they will stay dry on our speedboat and there is nowhere to spend any money!  Please use the safe or locker in your room if you are staying with us or feel free to leave valuables with the management at reception.

Weather, waves & seasons

Seasons - In Nusa Penida we have two very distinct seasons in terms of the water temperature…

Late June to late October / early November:  This is the cold season.  Please note that water temperatures around Nusa Penida  during these months can be changeable and colder.  At the Southern sites we can expect temperatures from 18-25 degrees, on the North and East sites we expect temperatures from 22-26 degrees, but there is always the potential for thermoclines!

We recommend wearing a 5mm long wetsuit, these are what we have as standard as our rental suits.  If you feel the cold easily then it is recommended to bring extra layers such as a hood, thermal rash guard or hooded vest (chicken vest). Gloves are not permitted.

The good thing about the cold season is the high chance to see molas (aka sunfish / moonfish), plus we have wobbegong sharks in the cold season and more sightings of thresher sharks :)

Visibility is usually excellent at this time also on the North and Channel, higher than normal as the thermoclines make it very clear.

November to June:  This is our warm season, so temperatures would be more like you are used to in the tropics - 25-30 degrees :)

Manta rays are seen all year round here with the months of peak activity (and best conditions on the South side) being from January to May.  The manta sites tend to have the clearest water from January to May, and at other times of the year the average visibility is around 10m on the South and 15-30m everywhere else.

Low season here is November through to March, so the island and dive sites would be quieter during these months.

The cold water season is a popular time as everyone is looking for the molas ;) Peak mola season is August to October.

Waves - January & February and July & August may be wavier than other times of the year.  Throughout all months of the year we consult the predictions for swell, tides, wind and weather for planning our trips to the South of Penida (the manta sites).  These predictions are most accurate one week in advance, and we will not make trips to the South side of the conditions are not suitable.  We do aim to get everybody to the manta sites during your stay as long as the conditions allow.

Weather - Nusa Penida is hot all year round!  During the colder water season the weather is drier (less humid and less rain), and tempertures in the evenings are cooler.  During the warm water season, we have more humid weather and the evening temperatures are warmer.  Rainy season is December to late February, but we do not experience a monsoon and the diving is still fantastic during these months.

Dive sites

Here are the dive sites that we visit around the nusa islands of Penida, Ceningan and Lembongan:

South of Penida: Manta Point, East Manta Point, Labyrinth, Manta Bay

The Channel: Crystal Bay, Gamat Bay, Ceningan Wall, Toyapekeh

North of Penida & Lembongan: Buyuk, PMG, Sental, Ped, SD Point, Mangroves, Blue Corner, Lembongan Bay

East of Penida: Semaya, Suana, Karang Sari, Batu Nunggul, Batu Mulapan

Blue Corner Dive Site - Dive computers are mandatory for all divers at this dive site, minimum AOW certification with 50+ logged dives, check dive required.

We plan our dive sites day by day based on the weather, swell, tides and wind and will choose the best sites based on the conditions.  For those of you staying longer we will endeavour to give you as much variety as possible.

If you have any requests for certain dive sites or a particular dive guide please let us know when you enquire so that we can make a note.  Requests can't be guaranteed but we will do our best to accommodate them.

Dive computer rental

We have Suunto Zoop dive computers available for rent at the dive centre.  It's recommended, but not mandatory to dive with a computer - Your dive guide will always have one if you do not.  All students on PADI courses are provided with a dive computer (no need to rent one).

Prices for rental are:

Dive computer 1 day Rp 150,000

2 days Rp 300,000

3 days Rp 400,000

Each day after 3 days + Rp 70,000/day

We have limited computers available so we recommend reserving one in advance.

Rental equipment

BCD's - Our BCD's are custom made in Italy.  They are rugged, have pockets and D-rings for your accessories. All rental BCD's have an SMB and a whistle in the pocket.

Regulators - We use Scubapro and Mares regulators with a yoke (International) fitting.

Wetsuits - We provide 5mm long suits to accommodate for Nusa Penida's temperature range.

Boots & Fins - We provide Mares open-heel fins with booties.  Boot sizes are from EU 36 - EU 46 and fins are from XS to XL.  We have some children's fins available but please check sizes with us during the booking process if you will need these.

Masks - We provide a range of mask styles including midi / narrow masks.  We do not provide or sell prescription masks.

Tanks - We provide 12L aluminium tanks with a yoke (International) fitting.  All tanks can have the insert removed to be used with DIN regulators (no adaptor needed).  15L tanks are available on request, we have a limited number so please mention in your enquiry if you need them. 15L tanks are charged at Rp 75,000 per tank.

Packages & our resort

What's Included

Our dive & stay packages include: 

  • Accommodation with daily breakfast
  • Refill drinking water, tea & coffee at reception 24/7
  • A light snack & lunch on diving days
  • Dive equipment (not including dive computer)
  • Guided boat dives with a PADI professional
  • PADI manuals & materials for course students
  • One half-day island tour (visiting Kelingking, Angel's Billabong & Broken Beach only)
  • 10% Government tax

Our packages do not include:

  • Transfers to or from Nusa Penida island
  • Airport transfers
  • Meals other than those stated above
  • Nusa islands tourism levy (Rp 25,000 per person, paid at the harbour)
  • Nusa islands marine conservation fee (Rp 100,000 per boat diving day) - CASH ONLY.

Dietary Requirements 

Let us know in advance if you have any dietary requirements.  Vegetarian and vegan meals are easy to arrange and we don't need much advance notice for this, but other requests may be a little more difficult to organise due to our remote location, so as much notice as possible is appreciated.

Security 

We have CCTV in the common areas of the resort 24h.  The island is generally very safe, many locals do not lock their doors and often eave their keys in their scooters!  Nusa Penida is a safe area for solo female travelers.  Our en-suite rooms have a mini safe for valuables and the dorms have individual lockers.

Wi-Fi & Staying Connected

The resort has fibre optic Wi-Fi throughout.  Occasionally, due to our remote location we can lose signal, but this is usually quickly resolved. 

The best mobile network for our area on the island is Telkomsel and we have 4G coverage most of the time, in other areas of the island XL is better. Some areas of the island have very little or no mobile network coverage. 

If you plan to buy a local SIM card, this can be done on the island or on Bali mainland, and top-up credit (called "pulsa") can be bought easily on the island. Data packages are affordable with a Rp 100,000 voucher typically getting your around 15GB of data.  All SIM cards need to be registered at the time of purchase. A new regulation in 2020 means that all imported phones must be registered with their IMEI number on arrival into Indonesia (at customs) before being used with an Indonesia SIM card, and if the device is valued at USD 500 or over then you must pay import taxes on it!  Bear this in mind before you buy a SIM card.  You can still use all of your messaging apps without a local SIM card any time you're in wi-fi.

Power

Plug sockets in Indonesia have two round pins (the same as most of Europe) and voltage is 230V.  Bring an adaptor / converter if your electrical devices have different plugs.

Shops & Facilities On Nusa Penida

In our local area there are mini marts, a petrol station, pharmacies, a clinic and a hospital, laundry, the local food market and ATM's all within walking distance. Banjar Nyuh harbour is also very close by.

Check Out Day 

  • If not diving - Check out time is 11am
  • If diving - Please check out before diving and leave your luggage at reception.  The resort has outdoor showers & a changing room for after diving.

Please book your fast boat transfers with reception at least one day before.

If you are diving on your check out day then you would need the 4pm or 5pm fast boat transfer from Nusa Penida, earlier boats are not suitable.

Nyepi & Nyepi Laut

On the Balinese holiday of Nyepi (the silent day) we are completely closed.  This falls on a different date each year according to the Balinese calendar but is usually in March.  Read here for more information and contact us to check if Nyepi falls within your planned dates.

Nyepi Laut is a sea silence day, our resort remains open but we cannot go diving on this day and you cannot transfer between Nusa Penida and Bali mainland.  This holiday falls on a different date each year according to the Balinese calendar, but is usually in September or October.  Please read here for more information and contact us to check if this holidays falls within your planned dates.

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