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Malibu Point

📍 Bali, Indonesia

Flagtail Triggerfish (Sufflamen chrysopterum) — recorded at Malibu Point

Malibu Point is a dive site in Bali, Indonesia. It lies within the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area. The sea floor at the site position lies at about 26 meters. Currents typically run at 1.1 km/h and reach 3.5 km/h on the strongest days. Water temperatures range from 27°C in August to 30°C in December. The typical daily tidal range is about 1.8 m. Species recorded in the area include Flagtail Triggerfish, Reef Manta Ray, Black Triggerfish, Threadfin Butterflyfish and Longfin Bannerfish.

Dive Conditions

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Seabed Depth
26m
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Current
1.1 km/h (3.5)
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Water Temp
27–30 °C

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Typical Current 1.1 km/h (up to 3.5)
Seabed Depth 26 m
Water Temperature 27–30 °C
Tidal Range 1.8 m (typical daily)
GPS -8.7623°, 115.6269°

Data sources: currents and water temperature from Open-Meteo Marine (CC BY 4.0), hourly model values 2024; seabed depth from the GEBCO 2020 Grid, sampled at the site coordinates (grid resolution about 450 m). 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 Malibu Point through the year

Sea surface temperature at the site coordinates, averaged per month from hourly model values for 2024. The water is warmest in December at about 30 °C and coolest in August at about 27 °C, a spread of 3.3 degrees across the year.

Monthly sea surface temperature at Malibu Point (°C)
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
29.3 29.6 29.6 28.9 27.8 27.7 27.0 26.5 26.7 27.4 29.0 29.8

Ocean current at the site runs at a typical 1.1 km/h. In the strongest tenth of the hours modelled for 2024 it reaches 3.5 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 1.8 m over a day, and by up to 2.4 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 Malibu Point: within 10 km of the site there is land in the directions from which 78 % of the larger waves in the area arrive, so open-sea values would overstate the swell at the site itself.

The seabed directly under the site coordinates sits at about 26 m. This is a bathymetry grid value with a cell size of roughly 450 m, so it describes the depth of the area rather than the deepest point a dive can reach.

Malibu Point 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 Malibu Point 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. Malibu Point sits with its mean water temperature in the bottom tenth and its coolest-month water temperature in the bottom tenth of all listed sites.

Malibu Point compared with all listed sites and with Bali
MeasureThis siteCompared with all sitesMedian in Bali
Mean water temperature28.3 °Ccooler than 98 % of the other 375 sites29.1 °C (99 sites)
Water temperature in the coolest month26.5 °Ccooler than 93 % of the other 375 sites27.8 °C (99 sites)
Typical current1.1 km/hstronger than 50 % of the other 375 sites3.2 km/h (99 sites)
Current in the strongest 10 % of hours3.5 km/hstronger than 63 % of the other 375 sites5.7 km/h (99 sites)
Median daily tidal range1.8 mlarger than 78 % of the other 375 sites1.5 m (99 sites)

Water temperature, current and tide from Open-Meteo Marine (CC BY 4.0), hourly model values for 2024 at -8.7623°, 115.6269°. Seabed depth from the GEBCO 2020 Grid. 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.

Flagtail Triggerfish (Sufflamen chrysopterum)
Flagtail Triggerfish Sufflamen chrysopterum A triggerfish with a dark body, a pale tail marked by a dark band, and a small white spot behind the mouth. It often hovers above the reef.to 30 cm · 3-50 m · by dayouter reef slopes and lagoon reefsWatch for its distinctive tail pattern as it swims; it may retreat to a burrow if approached too closely. (c) Piotr Lukasik, some rights reserved (CC BY) · observation
Reef Manta Ray (Mobula alfredi)
Reef Manta Ray Mobula alfredi A large, flat ray with a dark grey to black upper side and white underside, often with distinctive shoulder patches. It swims by flapping its wing-like pectoral fins.to 5.5 m wingspan · surface to 30 m · day and nightnear coral reefs, cleaning stations, and channelsObserve from a distance at cleaning stations; mantas will circle the area repeatedly, allowing for extended viewing. (c) Nick Tobler (Cowturtle), some rights reserved (CC BY) · observation
Black Triggerfish (Melichthys niger)
Black Triggerfish Melichthys niger A dark, almost black triggerfish with a blue line along the base of its dorsal and anal fins. It often swims high in the water column above the reef.to 50 cm · 3-75 m · by dayouter reef slopes and drop-offsListen for its characteristic grunting sound, which can help locate it before it is seen. no rights reserved · CC0 · observation
Threadfin Butterflyfish (Chaetodon auriga)
Threadfin Butterflyfish Chaetodon auriga A butterflyfish with a white body, diagonal black stripes, a yellow dorsal fin and a trailing filament from the dorsal fin.to 23 cm · 1-35 m · by daycoral-rich areas of reefs and lagoonsOften seen in pairs; look for the distinctive black eye band and the trailing filament on the dorsal fin. (c) Austen Novis, some rights reserved (CC BY) · observation
Longfin Bannerfish (Heniochus acuminatus)
Longfin Bannerfish Heniochus acuminatus A butterflyfish with a tall, white dorsal filament and bold black-and-white bands, often seen in pairs or small groups.to 25 cm · 2-75 m · by daycoral-rich areas of reefs and slopesLook for them hovering near overhangs or coral heads; they are curious and may approach divers. (c) Piotr Lukasik, some rights reserved (CC BY) · observation
Pacific Trumpetfish (Aulostomus chinensis)
Pacific Trumpetfish Aulostomus chinensis A slender, elongated fish that often hovers vertically among branching corals or swims slowly, sometimes shadowing larger fish.to 80 cm · 1-30 m · by daycoral reefs and seagrass bedsLook for its motionless vertical posture near coral heads, or watch for it swimming close behind large parrotfish or groupers. no rights reserved · CC0 · observation