Diving with Mola Mola in Bali

Although its beaches make it one of the top travel destinations in Southeast Asia, Bali has a special attraction for divers. The island shares the same crystal clear waters, rainbow of colors and diverse sea life of the other scuba destinations in the region, but with the added plus of having reliable dive sites for close encounters with the elusive ocean sunfish, or mola mola. The local currents and stark thermoclines that define the east coast of Bali create an environment ideal for the mola mola, ensuring they return to Bali year after year.
The mola mola enjoys a special reputation among fish-loving scuba divers due to its status both as an elusive giant and as the biggest bony fish in the ocean. Although the whale shark is the biggest fish known to science, like most sharks it has a mostly cartilage skeleton. That of the mola mola is mostly of bone, and ocean sunfish measuring 10.75 feet and weighing up to 2.5 tons have been observed. Another feature adding to the mola mola's allure is its odd appearance, with its oval shape and out-sized dorsal and ventral fins. The mola mola is migratory, and appears around Bali in large numbers between July to October. However, some mola mola may be found in Balinese waters year around.

Mola Mola Dive Sites
Although the mola mola might be seen almost anywhere in Balinese waters, the environment is most favorable only in a few areas. The most famous of these are Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan, a pair of islands located about 12 miles off Bali's southeastern coast. Nusa Penida's Crystal Bay is well-known for its mola mola sightings. Gili Mimpang and Gili Tepekong, two sets of small rocky islands just a few minutes off the east-central coast of Bali, are also noted for attracting mola mola.

Diving Considerations
Divers in search of mola mola are best off choosing one location, such as Amed or Pardang Bai, and diving the mola mola sites available from there repeatedly in hope of maximizing their chances of a close encounter with the big fish. Lucky divers may have multiple encounters.

The alternative to this strategy is the dive safari. Many Balinese dive shops, such as Absolute Scuba and Water Worxx, offer what are called "dive safaris." These are usually all-inclusive tour packages ferrying vacationing divers all over the island. Safaris enable divers to enjoy a wide sample of dive sites around the island. However, a dive safari's itinerary usually means spending only a single day diving in a particular area for a two- or three-dive trip. A diver on a dive safari might visit all four prime mola mola areas, but if no mola mola is seen that diver must move on to the next location in the safari.