Menjangan & West Bali · Indonesia · Reef
Napoleon Reef
An upper reef the size of half a football field, with three deep peninsulas
Area photo: Bernard DUPONT · CC BY-SA 4.0
A reef offshore from Pemuteran running from 5 m down to 30 m, named for the napoleon wrasse that is often spotted in the area. Its upper section is about the size of half a football field and slopes down on each side, with three underwater peninsulas reaching out towards deeper water.
Where it is and how deep
8.1326° S, 114.6634° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The reef sits offshore from Pemuteran and is dived from a boat. The top of it is broad and shallow, starting around 5 m, and that is where dives begin and end — an area about the size of half a football field rather than a single ridge to follow. The napoleon wrasse the site is named for is often spotted around here, a fish large and distinctive enough that nobody misses it when it appears.
From the upper reef the ground slopes down on each side, and three underwater peninsulas run out towards deeper water, with 30 m the bottom of the profile and usually taken early in the dive. Work back up onto the shallow section afterwards and the rest of the tank is spent there, with no ascent to manage at the end beyond leaving the reef top. The 25 m spread between shallowest and deepest means the site can be dived hard or kept easy without changing sites.
Marine life and season
- Napoleon wrasse
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows Menjangan & West Bali: Divable all year thanks to the lee of Java; Apr–Nov is driest, and the wet season only affects surface conditions.
Questions divers ask
Will I see a napoleon wrasse at Napoleon Reef?+
The site is named after the napoleon wrasse, a large and distinctive fish that can often be spotted in the area, but like any encounter with a single resident animal it is not guaranteed on a given dive.
Sources
- Napoleon Reef — Scubago
- Gerokgak, Buleleng — Wikipedia
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