Pura Mas Gading

Identity and location

Emperor Divers describes Pura Mas Gading (PMG) as a drift dive on Nusa Penida's north coast, named after a small offshore temple on a rocky outcrop. Scubago places it between the Buyuk and Sental dive sites and says it is marked by a small temple in the shallows. Scuba Junkie Penida lists PMG among five north-coast sites with Sekolah Dasar, Ped, Sental and Buyuk, and explains that the north coast is essentially one long sloping reef whose site names refer to reference points on land at the start of each dive. Tamarind Divers combines the two in a single entry, Buyuk Point / Pura Mas, and says the reef slopes more steeply as one travels east from Pura Mas.

The dive

Emperor Divers describes a gently sloping reef covered in healthy hard and soft corals, suitable for all experience levels in mild currents, with abundant reef life, turtles and occasional reef sharks. Scubago describes it as usually a gentle drift on a gentle slope with plenty of soft corals and fish, and as a common place to see mola cleaning at the right time of year. Dive Concepts Bali calls the site superb between 5 and 20 metres, with more experienced divers going to 30 to 40 metres to look for mola. It reports the pufferfish family including giant puffers, angelfish, scorpionfish, boxfish, clownfish, batfish, nudibranchs and mantis shrimp, with turtles and whitetip reef sharks from time to time. Emperor Divers adds that ocean sunfish may be seen during the mola season.

Tide and current

Dive Concepts Bali says it prefers to dive the site on a rising tide so that the current stays light for beginner divers, and that a falling tide gives drift-dive lovers what they want. It calls the site one for everybody when dived at the right tide time, when the current is weak or absent. Scuba Junkie Penida says north-coast currents vary from non-existent to a fast drift that sometimes carries divers past more than one site, and gives usual north-coast visibility as 15 to 30 metres.