Middle Riff - Bali
Playa Shon Mosa feels like a little secret, tucked away next to Playa Manzaliña, with just enough room for a couple of cars. We love that quiet, slightly remote vibe before you even get in the water. Once you're in, the reef starts gently around six metres, then slowly drops to our maximum of 21 metres before giving way to sand. Visibility here is usually great, often 24 metres, which makes spotting the little things under the mushroom-shaped coral formations a treat. We've found Candy Basslets and Bicolor Basslets tucked into those overhangs, often alongside a curious Green Razorfish. It’s a site for slowing down, for exploring the nooks and crannies where the Grooved Brain Coral creates shelter. We’ve seen good-sized Schoolmasters here and the flash of a Great Barracuda cruising by in the blue. This site is perfect if you’re keen on a relaxed dive with a good chance of spotting some shyer fish, away from any crowds.
- Location
- Bali, Indonesia, Southeast Asia
- Coordinates
- -8.128800, 114.565800
- Type
- reef
Marine Protected Area: Bali Barat
Best Time to Dive in Bali
The warmest water temperatures in Bali occur in December, averaging 30.9°C. The coolest conditions are in August at 29.1°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 30.1°C
- February: 29.7°C
- March: 30.1°C
- April: 30.7°C
- May: 30.6°C
- June: 30.2°C
- July: 29.4°C
- August: 29.1°C
- September: 29.3°C
- October: 30.1°C
- November: 30.9°C
- December: 30.9°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Bali
- Air Kecil Island (reef)
- AKISHIO - 40m (wreck)
- ALKEN PENDA - 2m (wreck)
- All 4 Diving Indonesia
- ALPHINE - 19m (wreck)
- Amed wall (wall)
- Amed Zen Divers - 5-15m (reef)
- AMUKTI - 20m (wreck)
- Anchor Wreck (wreck)
- Anchor Wreck (cenote)
- Anchor Wreck (wreck)
- Ayer Sedang (reef)
- Bali Aqua Diving
- Bali Dive Trek
- Bali International Diving Professionals (BIDP)
Nearest Dive Centres to Middle Riff
Marine Life in Bali
Home to 528 recorded species including 359 reef fish, 73 hard corals, 42 sharks & rays, 12 other, 12 sea snails & nudibranchs, 11 seagrass & algae.
Notable Species
- Small giant clam (Tridacna maxima) - Clams & Mussels
- Boring Clam (Tridacna crocea) - Clams & Mussels
- Fluted clam (Tridacna squamosa) - Clams & Mussels
- cymodocea (Cymodocea rotundata) - Seagrass & Algae
- Species code: Ea (Enhalus acoroides) - Seagrass & Algae
- Black sea cucumber (Holothuria atra) - Sea Cucumbers
- thalassia (Thalassia hemprichii) - Seagrass & Algae
- chocolate chip sea star (Protoreaster nodosus) - Starfish
- Staghorn coral (Acropora hyacinthus) - Hard Corals
- Rock Cod (Cephalopholis boenak) - Reef Fish
- Pinkfish (Holothuria edulis) - Sea Cucumbers
- Philippine Spurdog (Squalus montalbani) - Sharks & Rays
- Gendarme Fish (Acanthurus olivaceus) - Reef Fish
- seagrass (Halophila ovalis) - Seagrass & Algae
- Staghorn coral (Acropora cerealis) - Hard Corals
- Staghorn coral (Acropora solitaryensis) - Hard Corals
- Hoeven's wrasse (Halichoeres melanurus) - Reef Fish
- Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Staghorn coral (Acropora nasuta) - Hard Corals
- Argus Grouper (Cephalopholis argus) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Middle Riff
Based on average water temperature of 30.1°C, currents 3 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 30°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories