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A blue nudibranch with black stripes and yellow bumps crawling over grey volcanic sand — Padangbai & Candidasa

Padangbai & Candidasa · Indonesia · Reef · Channel & pass

Ferry Channel

Whitetip reef sharks beside the Lombok ferry lane

Area photo: Bernard Picton · CC BY-SA 4.0

Ferry Channel sits beside the green beacon that marks the starboard side of the narrow channel used by the Lombok ferries, just in front of Padangbai beach. Its reef steps down past 30 m, and whitetip reef sharks rest in its caves and cracks by day.

Also known as The Channel.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Ferry Channel: typical dive to 30 m (to 100 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit30 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

No published position for this site — the map shows Padangbai & Candidasa and its other sites; operators know the mooring.

The dive

The reef falls away in several horizontal steps, with overhangs that make shallow crevices of various heights, and goes down to 30 m and more. A plateau at about 18 m has numerous small caves where whitetip reef sharks rest during the day, and the sharks are often seen between 15 and 20 m sheltering in large cracks. Blue-spotted stingrays, green turtles, moray eels and ribbon eels also live on the site.

Marine life and season

  • Reef sharks
  • Stingrays
  • Sea turtles
Month-by-month season rating for Ferry Channel
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairGoodGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimeFairFair

Season follows Padangbai & Candidasa: Diveable all year; mola mola are likeliest July to October, while the November to March wet season cuts visibility and makes the islets harder to dive.

Know before you go

  • Currents in the channel can be strong; the site should be dived only at certain times, with local guides who know it well.

Dive videos

Padangbai Ferry Channel, Bali 🇮🇩, 12.10.2022 · Vito Pascale on YouTube

Sources

  1. Padangbai — Wikipedia
  2. Padang Bai diving — Divezone
  3. The Channel dive site — Divezone

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Tanjung Jepun

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