Some of the most iconic critters in Indonesia only come out after the sun has set. Many of our favourite species are strictly nocturnal. Others can be seen in daylight, but their most interesting behaviour — hunting, mating, courtship — only happens at night.
We run night dives at our centres in Bali and North Sulawesi. Here is what each one offers after dark.
Night diving in Lembeh
Night dives are some of the best dives we have in Lembeh. Our regular night sites are Jahir and Aer Prang on black sand, and Serena West and Nudi Falls on white sand and rubble.
The amount of octopus and squid goes up hugely at night. Bobtail squid are only seen after dark. Harlequin shrimp and boxer crabs at Serena West are a frequent find, and both make excellent photographic subjects.
The boat leaves Two Fish Lembeh at 5:30pm for a 60 minute dive, back around 7pm in good time for dinner.
You can also night dive the house reef, where we have found common seahorses, long-arm octopus and even Lembeh seadragons.
Night diving in Bunaken (Manado)
Our Bunaken night dives are usually at Lekuan 3 or Muka. Bobtail squid, cuttlefish and several octopus species are regulars, along with the occasional Spanish dancer. Around the new moon we get good bioluminescence. Sleeping turtles and the occasional shark keep it interesting.
Parrotfish are worth looking for once they have bedded down — they sleep inside a protective bubble of their own saliva, which is a strange thing to find in a torch beam.
We can run night dives every night. The boat departs between 5:30pm and 5:45pm depending on the site, for a 60 minute dive, back in time for dinner.
Night diving in Amed, Bali
Amed’s dive sites have a lot to offer after dark, and most night dives here begin just as the sun sets. You can choose muck, coral, or a wreck.
The Two Fish Amed house reef is a few steps from the dive centre, which makes it easy to reach at night. On this muck dive you have a high chance of long-arm and coconut octopus, and we have mimic octopus that sometimes put on a show. Ghost pipefish, frogfish, wasp fish and many kinds of crab and shrimp come out to hunt. If you can see past the camouflage, decorator crabs give themselves away by their glowing eyes.
The USAT Liberty wreck at night is a completely different experience from the day dive. Expect plenty of life — the resident school of bumphead parrotfish, large marble groupers, and octopus, eels, crabs and shrimp out hunting.
Jemeluk Bay gives perfect shelter for a night dive. The sloping reef and wall hold life day or night, and the silhouette of the wall with its massive gorgonians is worth the dive on its own. The bay is also home to underwater statues that make a striking backdrop and a good hiding place for critters — scorpionfish, boxer shrimp and Spanish dancers. In the shallow reef and sandy slope you can find eels, stingrays, octopus and sometimes seahorses.
Night diving in Nusa Penida
Most people dive Nusa Penida for the big stuff in daylight — mantas, mola mola in season, the drift along the walls. Staying on the island changes what is possible, because you are not tied to a fast boat back to Sanur at the end of the day.
Night diving here means Crystal Bay — that one site, not the whole island. Penida is open water and current-driven, so it is a conditions call made on the day rather than a fixed nightly departure: if the water is right, we go.
Two things to know before you build a trip around it. It runs with a minimum of four divers, and it is for experienced divers only — a night dive in current is not the place to be finding your feet.
Ask when you book, or when you arrive. If the conditions are against it or the numbers are not there, Amed is two hours away and dives every night of the year.
Mandarin fish dives
Mandarin fish get a blog of their own, because they deserve one. We run mandarin fish dives at Two Fish Lembeh and Two Fish Bunaken, at sunset, timed around their mating ritual.
Thinking about adding a night dive to your trip?
Tell us where you are heading and when, and we will tell you what is likely to be out after dark. Our current offers include free night dives on multi-location safaris and 2-centre combos.
