Semaya

Location

Semaya is on the east coast of Nusa Penida: Scuba Junkie Penida lists it among its east-coast sites and says the dive starts in front of the Semaya One beach club. Diving Squad groups Semaya with Malibu and Batu Abah among the less frequently visited sites on the east side of the island, which it says take about 60 minutes to reach from most dive centres in the north-west. Scuba Junkie Penida says its east-coast sites are a 20 to 30 minute boat ride away. Diving Squad says divers who reach these sites are unlikely to see any other dive boats.

The dive

Scuba Junkie Penida describes sandy patches in the shallows sloping off to a steep coral reef, with a great variety of hard corals and some large coral bommies. It says there is usually a gentle drift, with red-toothed triggerfish, bluefin trevally, turtles and batfish, and macro life including frogfish, shrimps, crabs and nudibranchs. It adds that molas have been known to cruise by. PADI's page for the site, contributed by Scuba Junkie Penida, describes a reef covered in hard corals and sponges with a mild drift that leaves time to look for frogfish and leaf scorpionfish. The PADI page says molas also clean here, with eagle rays passing in the blue and occasional reef sharks. Emperor Divers carries the same description word for word on its own site list.

The east coast

Scuba Junkie Penida says the east coast has rich and varied sites and very few other divers, with sponge-covered reefs, usually milder currents and abundant macro life. It says molas are seen often on this side of the island. Diving Squad mentions coral reef, manta rays and sometimes blacktip and whitetip reef sharks and thresher sharks at this group of east-coast sites.