Mola Mola Bali Recommendations

Hi

Does anyone have any recommendations for filming Mola Mola's in Bali?

So here are loads of questions

Who to dive with ( especially with having good camera facilities)

What time of the year

How long is recommended to stay, days? Weeks?

How often are the Mola Mola's seen

Will I need to pack video light's ( Do the mola's hang out deeper than 30m's)

Appreciate greatly any advice and personal experiances

Ciao

Seeesharky

Seesharky,

I don't want to get into recommendations about who to dive with in Bali except to warn you to be very cautious of people confidently recommending the "best" operator in Bali "hands-down!" - someone who happens to be the only operator they ever used on their single visit to the island. But enough about my peeves. I can tell you that the best time is basically now - most people probably would say the mola season in Bali starts in July (or perhaps earlier) and extends through September, perhaps through October.

But I need to warn you that the number of boats taking divers to see molas at Nusa Penida is reaching plague proportions. I happened to visit BIDP (a Bali dive operator) today, where I spoke with one of the dive guides. He told me they had just seen seven mola molas at Crystal Bay. Unfortunately, there were twenty (!) dive boats there at the same time, each with as many as 10 or even 12 divers. If you don't already know, there are only two moorings for dive boats in Crystal Bay. Some of the other boats tied on to boats already on the moorings, but others were dropping anchors, including onto the coral areas as well as the sandy parts of the bay. And today is a Monday - apparently the weekend was worse.

Earlier today, Marthen Welly, the new coordinator for marine conservation programs at Nusa Penida for The Nature Conservancy, told me there had been fourteen boats in Crystal Bay at the same time one day last week. Marthen also said that operators are reporting that some divers are harassing molas by approaching too closely, touching, etc. This is not good at all.

Of course it is good for Bali that there are more visitor arrivals this year. Unfortunately, however, Nusa Penida is not currently a protected area, and there is no legal mechanism by which the number of boats or divers at Crystal Bay or other mola cleaning sites can be controlled. Although some far-sighted operators have adopted a code of conduct for diving around molas, not all the operators are distributing copies or requiring their clients to observe the rules. The upshot is that Nusa Penida is becoming a sort of free-for-all in which it is the molas are the ones most at risk.

Sadly, we won't know what the ultimate limit in terms of how much harassment and excessive contact molas can tolerate is until it is already too late. Please keep this in mind when you plan your trip. There is a real danger that your chances of getting a good filming opportunity will be compromised by the swarms of other divers in the water, and there is also a risk that the number of molas coming to Nusa Penida reefs in months and years to come may be negatively affected by the excessive numbers of divers crowding around these strange and wonderful animals. You might have better odds of getting a good filming opportunity early or late in the season, when the number of fish coming in for cleaning may be fewer, but the number of divers in the water will also be less than at the height of the season, which is right now.

Frogfish

Hi Frogfish

Thanks for the info

Its the kind of info I needed to hear.

Its very sad when I hear things like this but this is true to so many places around the world like this. Its like hunting an animal down for the kill to be devoured by a pack underwater papparatzi. Not my idea of fun either.

If its going to be over crowded like this I just dont see the point in going at all and spending the $$$$ to get there to get a plethora of divers in all my shots. Its not worth it for me if I cant sell my shots.

Do you know what the hit rate would be towards the end of the season? What could I expect? Even if I could get 1 sunfish with no divers it would be worth it.

Seeesharky

you could also consider staying at Nusa Lembongan and diving with one of the dive shops there. They often go to Blue Corner as opposed to Crystal, most day boats skip Blue Corner as it has strong currents. Also, if you are lucky you will see more Molas at BC than at crystal and a lot less divers in the shots! and because you are close to the sites you can get there before the Bali day boats and also dive after the day boats have left. also, the boat ride is only 5 mins as opposed to an hour or so. There are several shops on Lembongan, I use Bali Diving Academy, not sure the names of the others..

OR you could come to California, it is also becoming mola season here :-) Which species of mola are you after in Bali? I had no idea this was so popular...

-Wyatt

OR you could come to California, it is also becoming mola season here :-) Which species of mola are you after in Bali? I had no idea this was so popular...

 

-Wyatt

Jus t came back from 3 weeks in Bali, dove 4 days in Nusa Lembongan, saw Mola Mola, in Crystal Bay 3 out of 4 days, be prepare for cold water and deep, surface temp, around 26-27 deg, 92 ft, or deeper it's at 20 or so. But there are about 15 dive boats there

If you want to see molas and not get killed, go with Bali Hai Diving Adventure.

Its the pioneer operation out there on Lembongan and its guys know Blue Corner/Jurraisic Point like no other shop.

"Michael. J. H. Cortenbach" <diverse@indosat.net.id>

It's no country for old divers (or young ones). Currents can be strong. I've had to duck coral flying by on a couple of "dives". But done properly, you can have a good and long interaction with a mola there.

Timbo

OR you could come to California, it is also becoming mola season here :-) Which species of mola are you after in Bali? I had no idea this was so popular...

Well for australians, it's a hop and skip to Bali. Plus I must say I personally prefer Bali to Socal for diving anyhow Even if Mike and Simon, WP's happiest couple lives there. The molas I've seen in CA tend to have less distinct patterns than the ones in Bali. I believe the molas in Penida also include the M. Ramsayi species, so you get 2 species for the price of admission. So you can't really tell the difference unless you do DNA tests, but you can "say" it's 2 species.

Of course, the chance of big aggregations is higher off Socal.

If you want to see molas and not get killed,...

It's no country for old divers (or young ones). Currents can be strong. I've had to duck coral flying by on a couple of "dives". But done properly, you can have a good and long interaction with a mola there.

Timbo

Aww c'mon Tim, it's not like anyone recommended MM Divers (who btw lost 4 divers since 2006 at Penida).

I must say that you are looking at a huge exchange of water between 2 oceans going through there. The currents are tricky so the ops all choose to dive places like Crystal Bay and Toyapakeh for Molas. When 15 boats are there, other ops opt to go to more dangerous places like Blue Corner or Jurassic Pt, often at the funkiest current. To dive with Molas, you have to go relatively deep. Add serious currents and whirlpool down current eddies and inexperienced divers in those conditions and it's like adding the boom to the dynamite!

That said, the only ops I in Bali is BIDP. Great local staff who leave me to do what I want to shoot but know where I am in case I'm stupid (which btw I haven't been bailed out of trouble yet )

Nusa Lembongan and Bali Hai are my suggestions too. Definitely Blue Corner if, for no other reason, to experience the ultimate underwater roller coaster ride!! YIPPEE!!!! The ride of your life. Even the dive book starts out with "Don't try this at home...!"

Blue corner has upwellings that can have up to 20 degree temperature drops instantly. Kinda shocks the system, but it is over quickly.

I dove Bali and Crystal right after the last terrorist bombings. I had incredible encounters with great footage. I was so excited I came back the next year. To my dismay, there were 20-25 dive boats and a total free for all in Crystal Bay. The mola's were there but they were deep and constantly being chased away. Very sad I must say. I have not returned since b/c filming marine creatures with a plague of divers is not what I am after. That said, on other sites during this time of year, you can also have wonderful encounters. Vis will not be as good and probability lower...but the experience may be worth it.

shawn

Crystal Bay was a mad house with abt 20 over boats...no molas sighted, head off to Manta Point where 12 of them were awaiting the divers...

Mola spotted @ Tulamben @ 60meters using rebreather...

Learnt from the local guides that the molas came in early this season, lots of them were sighted in July/August...