Sampalan
Sampalan is a dive site in Bali, Indonesia. It lies within the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area. Currents typically run at 4.3 km/h and reach 6.1 km/h on the strongest days. Water temperatures range from 29°C in August to 30°C in November. The typical daily tidal range is about 1.5 m. Species recorded in the area include Reef Manta Ray, Raccoon Butterflyfish, Pacific Orange-spine Unicornfish, Spotbanded Butterflyfish and Striped Surgeonfish.
Dive Conditions
Data sources: currents and water temperature from Open-Meteo Marine (CC BY 4.0), hourly model values 2024. Tidal range is the median daily range of modelled sea level from Open-Meteo Marine, hourly values 2024. Protected area boundary from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Species observations from iNaturalist, checked against the World Register of Marine Species.
Conditions at Sampalan through the year
Sea surface temperature at the site coordinates, averaged per month from hourly model values for 2024. The water is warmest in November at about 30 °C and coolest in August at about 29 °C, a spread of 1.7 degrees across the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29.3 | 29.4 | 29.7 | 30.1 | 29.7 | 29.1 | 28.8 | 28.6 | 28.6 | 29.3 | 30.3 | 30.1 |
Ocean current at the site runs at a typical 4.3 km/h. In the strongest tenth of the hours modelled for 2024 it reaches 6.1 km/h, which is when entries are normally timed to slack water at the turn of the tide.
The tide moves the water level by a median 1.5 m over a day, and by up to 2.1 m on the largest days of the month. That range drives how much water is exchanged over the reef and when the current turns.
Offshore wave statistics are not shown for Sampalan: within 10 km of the site there is land in the directions from which 100 % of the larger waves in the area arrive, so open-sea values would overstate the swell at the site itself.
Sampalan lies inside Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area. Protected areas can carry their own rules on entry fees, permits, anchoring and fishing; check the current rules with a local operator before you dive.
How Sampalan compares
These comparisons use only the measured values above, set against the 376 dive sites published on findadive.com. A percentage shows the share of other sites with a lower (or higher) value, so it reads the same way wherever the site is. Sampalan sits with its typical current in the top tenth and its peak current in the top tenth of all listed sites.
| Measure | This site | Compared with all sites | Median in Bali |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean water temperature | 29.4 °C | warmer than 55 % of the other 375 sites | 29.1 °C (99 sites) |
| Water temperature in the coolest month | 28.6 °C | warmer than 68 % of the other 375 sites | 27.8 °C (99 sites) |
| Typical current | 4.3 km/h | stronger than 99 % of the other 375 sites | 3.2 km/h (99 sites) |
| Current in the strongest 10 % of hours | 6.1 km/h | stronger than 90 % of the other 375 sites | 5.7 km/h (99 sites) |
| Median daily tidal range | 1.5 m | larger than 60 % of the other 375 sites | 1.5 m (99 sites) |
Water temperature, current and tide from Open-Meteo Marine (CC BY 4.0), hourly model values for 2024 at -8.6733°, 115.5705°. Protected area boundary from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Wave statistics from ERA5-Ocean via Open-Meteo Marine (contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2015–2024), daily maximum wave height on a 0.5° grid; land shelter tested against Natural Earth coastlines.
Marine life recorded at this site
Research-grade observations from iNaturalist within about 12 km of these coordinates.
