Gamat Bay

Overview

Emperor Divers describes Gamat Bay as one of the smallest dive sites around the islands, with shallow depths that give a chance to escape the strong currents. Scuba Junkie Penida places it a little further down the channel from Crystal Bay and describes a sheltered shallow area that gives way to a deeper slope at the edge of the channel. Bali Aqua Penida groups it with Toyapakeh and Ceningan Wall as the three well-known sites of central Nusa Penida, between the north and west coasts. PADI's page for the site describes a large and shallow coral plateau between two rocky points, extended at the end of the bay by a 40 metre wall, with a sandbank towards the blue marking the limit of the dive.

The bay and the slope

Emperor Divers describes a sandy bottom in the bay with soft corals, gorgonians and table corals, where divers search for invertebrates, nudibranchs and other macro life. Out of the bay, on the steep slope, its account describes large coral bommies and stronger currents, with schools of surgeonfish and batfish, reef sharks and turtles. Bali Aqua Penida calls the bay full of contrast: it seems sheltered but faces a channel that the operator describes as having the strongest currents in the world. Bali Aqua says it likes to dive the site as a drift heading north or south, depending on the current, before taking shelter in the bay. The PADI page also describes the dive as a drift along the reef among coral structures.

Marine life

The PADI page reports nudibranchs, turtles, moray eels, batfish, marble rays and mola (ocean sunfish). Scuba Junkie Penida mentions molas in season, along with snappers, tuna and possibly reef sharks. nusapenida.org, a guide written with a Dune Penida dive instructor, lists macro, nudibranchs, marbled rays and mola as the draws and gives July to October for mola. Its author reports a personal record of 14 mola on a single dive at Gamat Bay. Bali Aqua says mola are regularly spotted here and that the varied fauna will please macro photographers.

Depth, current and level

The sources describe the depth differently: nusapenida.org gives 8 metres in the bay to 40 metres on the wall, the PADI page describes a 40 metre wall, and Bali Aqua lists a maximum depth of 30+ metres. Accounts of the current also differ: nusapenida.org lists it as moderate and able to funnel, Bali Aqua as none to strong, and Scuba Junkie Penida says currents can be strong because the site sits on the edge of a fast-moving channel. Levels differ too: nusapenida.org rates it intermediate to advanced, Bali Aqua rates it beginner to expert and suitable for Discover Scuba Divers, and Scuba Junkie Penida calls it a site for experienced divers only because of the depth. nusapenida.org advises avoiding the site when the current funnels too strongly through the bay and suggests Toyapakeh or Mangrove instead. Bali Aqua lists a water temperature range of 20 to 29 °C, with an average of 24 °C. nusapenida.org gives a boat time of 10 minutes.