New Protections Mean Bali’s Underwater Tourist Adventures Will Be Better Controlled

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Bali’s most famous marine ecosystem has just been given a new layer of environmental protection, which will help conserve the area in new ways.

The waters found in Nusa Penida are home to a resident population of manta rays, and diving and snorkeling with these majestic creatures has long been a bucket list adventure in Bali. 

Nusa Penida and the surrounding water have officially been designated as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) by the International Maritime Organisation, which is part of the United Nations.

Nusa Penida now joins just 18 other regions in the world to be given PSSA-protected status, and this is great news for conservationists, local communities, and tourists too. 

The news was announced by the local NGO, the Coral Triangle Center, which confirmed the new designation.

They wrote that the new protected status was “a monumental achievement after years of dedicated conservation work within the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area (MPA) – made possible with the unwavering support of CTC and passionate environmental advocates.”

According to the International Maritime Organisation, a “Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) is an area that needs special protection through action by IMO because of its significance for recognized ecological or socio-economic or scientific reasons and which may be vulnerable to damage by international maritime activities.”

The IMO explains, “When an area is approved as a particularly sensitive sea area, specific measures can be used to control the maritime activities in that area, such as routing measures, strict application of MARPOL discharge and equipment requirements for ships, such as oil tankers; and installation of Vessel Traffic Services (VTS).”

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Other areas that have been designated as PSSAs include the Great Barrier Reef, the Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago in Cuba, Paracas National Reserve in Peru, The Galapagos Archipelago in Ecuador, The Baltic Sea area, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden and more.

Nusa Penida joins the ranks of some of the most highly protected bodies of water in the world, and both local communities and tourists can easily understand why. 

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Nusa Penida, Nua Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan are some of the most beautiful islands in Indonesia.

With stunning coastal vistas and incredible marine diversity, it is of the utmost importance that this ecology is protected against the negative impacts of maritime industries, including overfishing and the movement of large tankers. 

Snorkeling and diving off the coast of Nusa Penida is unlike anywhere else in the world. There is nothing that can compare to encountering the majesty of a manta ray, and there are two cleaning stations off the coast of Nusa Penida where tourists can respectfully encounter the resident population of manta rays. 

The Coral Triangle Center has some sensible and easy-to-follow advice for tourists who are snorkeling, diving, or free diving anywhere in the world, but especially within the waters surrounding Nusa Penida.

This includes not touching the animals, not feeding the animals, not steeping on or touching coral, not disturbing sediment, and not littering. 

The conservation organization has created specific codes of conduct for diving and snorkeling with both manta rays and sunfish.

This includes keeping a distance of at least 3m away from the fish, swimming slowly, not blocking the animal’s route, not entering manta ray cleaning stations, never using flash photography, and reporting any diver, swimmer, or tour operator who is found to be disobeying the rules. 

It should be noted that when swimming in the presence of sunfish, also known as mola mola fish.

A distance of 5m should be respected and divers and snorkelers should not swim under the mola mola fish, nor block their route. Swimming and moving slowly is essential. 

Tourists planning to visit Nusa Penida should do their research and book with providers who operate small tours and have a reputation for respecting the rules of the Nusa Penida Maritime Protected Area.

Green Fins is a certification scheme that allows dive centers and tour operators to operate their businesses in alignment with practices that help support marine conservation, and there are eight Green Fins certified operators in Bali Province.