This guide covers four starting points for a day on the sea in Bali: the fast-boat port of Sanur for the mantas of Nusa Penida and Lembongan, the surf beaches from Kuta to Balangan, the rocky shore of Tulamben for the Liberty wreck, and the Tanjung Benoa peninsula for jet skis and parasailing. The lowest entry price below is IDR 200,000 (≈ $12) per person for 2 hours on a shared boat to Manta Bay, if you are already on Nusa Penida. A 2-hour group surf lesson in Seminyak is IDR 300,000 (≈ $18), a parasailing round IDR 400,000 (≈ $24), a jet ski IDR 450,000 (≈ $26) for 15 minutes, a first dive at Tulamben IDR 650,000 (≈ $38), and a day of 3 dives off Nusa Penida for certified divers IDR 3,450,000 (≈ $203). Below is the map of that market: who starts where, what sits outside the price and when the sea works in your favour.
- The entry price in each of the five activities, and the unit the operator prints it in
- Mantas: a day from Sanur, or a short trip if you sleep on the islands
- Surf lessons on four beaches, group or private
- Two kinds of diving: a shore entry to a wreck, or a boat day in the current
- Tanjung Benoa, the season, and what to settle before paying
Important
In Bali the surcharge that catches people out is the transfer, not a park fee. The day trips from the mainland that include hotel pickup collect you free only from part of the south, and several operators say that pickups from Ubud, Canggu or Uluwatu cost extra without printing the amount. Ask for the figure for your hotel before you compare two prices.
What people do on the sea in Bali, and what a day costs
Across these five activities, the unit matters as much as the figure. Boat days, surf lessons, diving and parasailing are priced per person. The jet ski is priced per machine for 15 minutes, whether one or two people ride it. That is why IDR 450,000 (≈ $26) for a jet ski and IDR 650,000 (≈ $38) for a dive are not two steps of one ladder but two different kinds of purchase.
| Activity | From | Unit | Who holds this price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boat days and snorkelling | IDR 200,000 (≈ $12) | per person, 2 hours on a shared boat, from Nusa Penida | Manta Snorkeling Penida, Banjar Nyuh harbour |
| Surfing | IDR 300,000 (≈ $18) | per person, 2-hour group lesson, 1 instructor for 3 | Da Waves Surf, Double Six, Seminyak |
| Parasailing | IDR 400,000 (≈ $24) | per person, one round in the air | Mekar Sari Watersport, Tanjung Benoa |
| Jet skis | IDR 450,000 (≈ $26) | per jet ski, 15 minutes with an instructor | Bali Jetpacks, Tanjung Benoa |
| Diving | IDR 650,000 (≈ $38) | per person, 1 beginner dive, equipment included | Let’s Dive Tulamben, Tulamben |
Mantas from Bali: a day with the fast boat from Sanur
If you stay on mainland Bali, the mantas are a day trip across the Badung Strait. The simplest version is a manta snorkelling day to Lembongan with Lembongan Trip at IDR 1,200,000 (≈ $71) per adult, with hotel pickup, the fast boat and lunch included. Pickup is between 7:00 and 8:00, the boat leaves New Sanur Port at 9:15 and the crossing takes 35 minutes. You snorkel 3 spots, starting at Manta Bay, then eat an Indonesian lunch and ride through the Lembongan mangroves in a traditional boat for 30 minutes before the 16:00 boat back.
Children aged 4 to 12 pay IDR 875,000 (≈ $51), and the minimum is 2 people. Pickup is free from Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Petitenget, Jimbaran, Nusa Dua, Sanur and Denpasar; Ubud, Canggu, Padang Bai, Balangan, Bingin, Uluwatu and Tanah Lot carry a surcharge the operator calls small and does not print. If Manta Bay is empty, the boat moves to Manta Point at no extra cost when the weather allows.
The private version adds the cliffs of Nusa Penida. A private snorkelling and island day on Nusa Penida with Kinara Nusatour costs IDR 1,100,000 (≈ $65) per person in a group of 5 or more. The price rises as the group shrinks: IDR 1,200,000 (≈ $71) each for 4, IDR 1,450,000 (≈ $85) for 3 and IDR 1,800,000 (≈ $106) for 2. The morning is 2.5 to 3 hours on your own boat at Manta Bay, Gamat Bay and Wall Bay, the afternoon a car with driver to Kelingking, Paluang Cliff and Broken Beach. The island entry fee is included; lunch appears in the schedule at 12:00 but not in the list of inclusions, so ask.
If you sleep on Lembongan or Nusa Penida
From the islands the manta trip shrinks to a morning or less, and the price falls with it. The cheapest of the three island trips below is 2 hours on a shared boat to Manta Bay with Manta Snorkeling Penida at IDR 200,000 (≈ $12) per person from its office at Banjar Nyuh harbour, with guide, gear, water and the marine park fee included. Departures are at 9:30 and 14:00, the boat reaches Manta Bay in about 25 minutes, and 2 or 3 reef stops follow. The same trip with the fast boat from Sanur costs IDR 400,000 (≈ $24), and on that option you pay the island entry fee yourself on arrival.
Ceningan Paradise Adventures goes to Manta Point instead, for IDR 1,550,000 (≈ $91) per person with a minimum of 2 guests, from the Yellow Bridge between Lembongan and Ceningan. The operator calls Manta Point a cleaning station with the best chance of sightings, especially in the morning, about 45 minutes by boat, while Manta Bay, a feeding area 15 minutes away, has less consistent sightings. It names the trip “98% Guarantee”, and its own notes say wildlife can never be guaranteed 100%.
For a whole island day, snorkelling, mangroves and a car tour of Lembongan with Lembongan Island Tour costs IDR 600,000 (≈ $35) per person if you start on the island. The same day from Sanur with the fast boat is IDR 900,000 (≈ $53). The operator gives the return boat at 14:30 while its island tour runs until 15:30; ask which applies before you book the Bali version.
A catamaran or a sunset: the sea without a mask
Two boat days are about the boat as much as the water. The Utopia morning cruise from Lembongan costs IDR 1,600,000 (≈ $94) per person for 5 hours on an 18-metre catamaran with at most 20 guests. Breakfast and lunch buffets, snorkelling at Mangrove Point and SD Point, paddleboards, floating beanbags and jumps from the roof are in the price; bar drinks are not. The operator’s pages disagree on the return time, 13:30 on the tour page and about 14:30 in the FAQ.
On the mainland, the Shivanna sunset cocktail cruise from Benoa Harbour costs IDR 930,300 (≈ $55) per person on the General Admission ticket. Registration is at 16:00, the yacht anchors off the Nusa Dua coast for the sunset, DJs play, canapés come at 19:30 and you are back at 20:00. Premium Admission at IDR 1,240,000 (≈ $73) adds drinks, and VIP tables are sold whole: IDR 7,207,500 (≈ $424) for 4, IDR 12,090,000 (≈ $711) for 8 and IDR 19,685,000 (≈ $1,158) for 12. Transport to the harbour is not included.
Surfing: Kuta, Double Six, Batu Bolong and Balangan
The four schools below all sell a lesson of about 2 hours, and the difference is how many students share an instructor. The lowest price of the four is the Da Waves group beginner class on Double Six beach in Seminyak at IDR 300,000 (≈ $18) per person, 1 instructor for 3 students, with surf photos, a towel and a locker included. Froggy Surf School near Uluwatu charges IDR 400,000 (≈ $24) per person for the same 1-to-3 ratio, with a wetsuit, sunscreen and coffee; its website says Balangan beach, while Google Maps marks it by Bingin.
On Kuta beach, Bali Surf Class sells a 1-day class for IDR 425,000 (≈ $25) for a single student and publishes the lesson plan minute by minute: 20 minutes of safety and theory, 15 on the sand, 45 in the water, a 15-minute break, 45 more in the water, 10 to pack up. In Canggu, Surf With Aldo gives a private lesson at Batu Bolong for IDR 450,000 (≈ $26) per person, with the start time set by the tide and confirmed 2 to 3 days ahead.
Diving: a wreck from the shore, or mantas from a boat
These two dive days have almost nothing in common. A beginner dive at the Liberty wreck with Let’s Dive Tulamben costs IDR 650,000 (≈ $38) per person, needs no certificate, and you walk in from the beach with your own dive master. The USAT Liberty, a US army cargo ship from 1918, was torpedoed in 1942, left on the shore at Tulamben and pushed into the sea by the 1963 eruption of Mount Agung; today its 120-metre hull lies from 3 m to about 30 m deep, 25 m off the beach. Two dives in a day cost IDR 1,200,000 (≈ $71), three IDR 1,600,000 (≈ $94).
The other day is for certified divers only. A Nusa Penida dive trip from Sanur with Bali Fun Diving costs IDR 3,450,000 (≈ $203) per person for 3 dives, with equipment, boat and lunch, from a minimum of 2 divers. The operator recommends Advanced Open Water because of the currents, warns that the crossing is rarely flat, and says the swell decides on the day whether you can jump in at Manta Point.
Tanjung Benoa: jet skis and parasailing on one street
Tanjung Benoa is the peninsula north of Nusa Dua, and both bases below stand on the same street, Jl. Pratama. A jet ski with Bali Jetpacks costs IDR 450,000 (≈ $26) per jet ski for 15 minutes with an instructor sitting behind you while you steer. Self-drive from 16 is IDR 600,000 (≈ $35), and a couple ride for 2 up to 140 kg together is IDR 750,000 (≈ $44). No licence is needed, and damage to the jet ski on self-drive is paid by the guest.
Parasailing with Mekar Sari Watersport is sold as one round in the air for IDR 400,000 (≈ $24) per person, with safety gear, insurance, a towel and a locker. The operator publishes neither the height nor how many minutes the round lasts, nor any age or weight limit.
Where the day starts: Sanur, the islands, Benoa, Tulamben
Sanur is the island gateway: the fast boats to Lembongan and Nusa Penida leave from its port, and Bali Fun Diving’s centre is 5 minutes from the harbour. On Lembongan, Utopia checks in at Jungutbatu and Ceningan Paradise starts from the Yellow Bridge to Ceningan; on Nusa Penida the manta boats leave from Banjar Nyuh harbour. Benoa Harbour is the start of the sunset cruise, and the jet skis and parasails wait on the Tanjung Benoa peninsula.
The surf beaches are spread along the south-west coast: Kuta, Double Six in Seminyak, Batu Bolong in Canggu and Balangan near Uluwatu. Tulamben is the outlier, a village on the north-east coast; Let’s Dive Tulamben’s beginner page prices pickup only within Tulamben and from Amed, at IDR 50,000 (≈ $3) each way, so ask how you get there from the south.
The season: what the operators say
For surfing, Surf With Aldo writes that Bali’s dry season, roughly April to October, is known for consistent swell and favourable winds along the west coast, and adds that the other months are not automatically bad; the school picks each lesson time by the tide rather than the calendar. For mantas, Manta Snorkeling Penida calls the season year-round, and Bali Fun Diving says the same of Manta Point.
The mola-mola is seasonal: Bali Fun Diving gives July to October, best in September and October, on one page and August to October at Crystal Bay on another, and says the water is colder in those months, 16–21°C. The same centre is frank that the crossing of the Badung Strait is rarely flat. On Nusa Penida, Manta Bay sits in a sheltered corner of the north-west coast, which is why, in its operator’s words, it still runs when swell closes the south coast.
Six things to settle before paying
- Which manta site the boat goes to, Manta Bay or Manta Point, and what happens if there are no mantas.
- Whether your hotel is in the free pickup zone, and the exact surcharge if not.
- Whether the island entry fee is in the ticket or paid on arrival.
- Whether lunch is included when it appears only in the schedule.
- The return time, where the operator’s pages give two.
- The cancellation terms: Manta Snorkeling Penida refunds in full up to 24 hours before, Bali Fun Diving keeps 50% for cancelling 4 to 8 days before and 100% under 3 days, and several operators publish none.
