Tanjung Jepun · Padang Bai

The story

Hindu statues in the coral garden.

In the early 2000s a group of local Padang Bai divers carved and submerged a series of Hindu deity statues on the reef at Jepun Point — a Bali ritual gesture, repurposed as artificial reef substrate. Twenty years on, the statues are coral-encrusted, draped in soft coral, and serve as the macro-life hubs of the entire site.

The reef itself is shallow and easy. The statues sit at 8–14 metres in coral garden patches. Mandarinfish live in the rubble at the southern end (sunset display, like Tulamben House Reef). Frogfish, ghost pipefish, and nudibranchs populate the bommie field around the statues.

"Underwater Bali — the ritual site that became a reef."

Open Water-friendly. Plan it as a dawn macro dive or a sunset mandarinfish dive. Pair with The Jetty for a Padang Bai photographer's day.

Topography

How the dive unfolds.

Shallow reef from 5m to 18m, with submerged Hindu statues distributed at 8–14m as artificial reef nodes.

Plan a typical 60–80 min dive: drop at 5m, work the statue line down to 16m, ascend back, safety stop at 5m. NDL-generous.

Marine life · what you might see

The ocean's not a zoo.

Sightings are pure chance — current, season, time of day, and luck. Below is what divers spot at this site, but no operator can guarantee any specific encounter on any specific dive.

Resident Mandarinfish (sunset) 85%

Resident Frogfish 65%

Visitor Ghost pipefish 45%

Resident Nudibranchs 95%

Resident Octopus 55%

Resident Mantis shrimp 60%

Resident Scorpionfish 80%

Resident Glassfish (around statues) 95%

Resident Moray eels 75%

Visitor Banded sea krait 40%

Resident Anemones · Clownfish 100%

Visitor Sea turtles 30%

Resident Hindu deity statues 100%

Resident Soft corals on statues 100%

Resident Hard coral patches 100%

Resident Sponges 100%

Always-presentThe Hindu statues, glassfish curtains, scorpionfish, anemones, nudibranchs.

Sometimes-presentMandarinfish at sunset (very reliable), frogfish, ghost pipefish, octopus.

Practical

What you need.

01 · Cert

Certification

Open Water minimum. Plan deeper sections only if AOWD-comfortable.

02 · Entry

Entry · Distance

Beach or short boat from Padang Bai harbour. Beach entries are 30–50 m fin-out to the drop-in.

03 · Flow

Currents

Mild inside the bay. Gentle to moderate at outer reef edges.

04 · When

Best time of day

Sunset dive (16:30–17:30) — mandarinfish mating display in the rubble at the southern end of the reef.

05 · Fees

Site fee

Padang Bai harbour fee ~30,000 IDR (€2) per diver per day — included in your PMD safari price.

06 · Schedule

Surface intervals

Lunch in the village between dives. Two-tank trip standard — one shallow, one deeper.

Ready?

Dive Tanjung Jepun
on a Padang Bai safari.

All-inclusive: flights, transfers, villa, dives, food, marine fees. Two-tank Padang Bai day with this site as part of the rotation.

Plan Your Trip ← All Padang Bai sites