Secret Bay was discovered by the accomplished Japanese underwater photographer, and well known Bali expert Takamasa Tonozuka.
But who actually christened the site remains a secret – certainly to me anyway, and Secret Bay is hardly the correct name as it is not exactly a confidential location and never really was…
But for underwater photographers, a visit to Bali is not really complete unless you make the journey to the small town of Gilimanuk at the north-western tip of the island.
The site is actually just one part of the main Gilimanuk Bay, which is located behind the town itself and on the edge of the Bali Strait that separates the island from it’s much larger neighbor Java.
It is Secret Bay’s location close to the mouth of the main bay and the intense currents of the Bali Strait that create the conditions so conducive for the marine life to be found there.
Apart from Secret Bay, Gillimanuk’s other claim to fame is the 24 hour ferry service that operates between it, and Ketapang on Java, from the terminal just south of the entrance to Gilimanuk Bay.
Secret Bay Image Gallery
Secret Bay’s popularity has spawned a local cottage industry servicing the numerous divers and underwater photographers who come to experience what it has to offer.
A nice area to gear-up has been built complete with toilets, fresh water showers and rinse tanks, plus on the beach about 10m from the changing area is a small restaurant that cooks up local dishes for lunch and the night dive fish kebabs to tempt the bobbit worms out of their lair.
Secret Bay’s Logistics…
Diving Bali: When to Dive Secret Bay
Being such a sheltered location the main variable regarding when to dive Secret Bay is the state of the tide and a rising tide obviously provides the best visibility.
But the site can still be dived at low tide, it just means the depth will be less and the viz will not be the best.
Diving Bali: How to get to Secret Bay
To get to Secret Bay depends on where you are coming from – if that is from the tourist area of Kuta-Sanur-Nusa Dua, it means about a 140 km journey which will take around 3 hours or so and take you through Denpasar and then along the southwest coast. The problem with that road though is that there are only two lanes and they can get completely clogged with trucks coming from and returning to Java on the ferry.
The road does pass through some really nice scenery and spectacular rice terraces, so it least there is a nice view!
Or if you are coming from Tulamben, it’s a bit shorter but still about 2.5 hours along the north coast of Bali.
Diving Bali: Secret Bay – Where to Stay
I personally stayed at Mimpi Menjangan when I was diving both Secret Bay & Menjangan Island, but an alternative would be to stay in Pemuteran at either the Taman Sari Cottages or Pondok Sari.
The best description I have heard of for Secret Bay is in David Pickell and Wally Siagian’s revised second edition of Diving Bali where Pickell uses the descriptor “refugium” to explain the diversity of Secret Bay.
I had to look it up in the dictionary, but it means “an area where special environmental circumstances have enabled a species or a community of species to survive after extinction in surrounding areas”.
But in the aquarium world they use the term to describe a special area of the fish tank that has been set-up as a refuge from predation, which I think describes the overall situation at Secret Bay much better.
Gilimanuk Bay is quite large and measures roughly 3km long by about 1km wide, but it’s very shallow and has an average depth of around 5m.
The nearby Bali Strait on the other hand, is 3km wide & around 60m deep, with the rich waters of the Indonesian Throughflow roaring through at currents that reach up to 7 knots.
The entrance to Gilimanuk Bay is just over 600m wide, but the shallow reef on the northern side means that a third of that is taken up by the 8-10m deep channel that directs the flow of water from the Bali Strait into the bay.
It is this water, rich with plankton & other nutrients, that feeds & nourishes the inhabitants of Secret Bay.
There is much to see underwater, but it’s very much a muck diving & critter site – so bring your macro lenses!
Diving Secret Bay
Secret Bay is very much a muck dive, so if blue water and coral reefs are your thing – just don’t bother. But if you like the weird & wonderful critters that muck diving offers, then it’s well worth the journey. The cool waters from the Bali Strait mean that you will definitely need a wetsuit and I personally use a 5mm suit as the shallow depth means that extended bottom times apply and it’s easy to get cold.
Diving Secret Bay is very easy as it’s a shallow shore dive with no significant dangers apart from watching what you kneel on. If you are only doing a couple of dives at Secret Bay a dive guide is definitely recommended as they will be able to show you the best areas to dive and also where the critters are.
The Bobbit Worm & Secret Bay
Secret Bay is, in my experience, one of the best places in Bali to see the rather mysterious and hard to find Bobbit Worm.
The Bobbit Worms are to be found in the sea grass at the western end of the bay, about a 100m or so from the changing area entry point and in 3-4m of water.
The local guides look for tell-tale depressions in the sand in that area, which indicates a possible Bobbit Worm location, and then use a tried & tested method of enticing the worms from their home deep in the sand. Grilled fish kebabs are the weapon of choice and are held just above the sand at the depression to tempt the worms out, striking at lightning fast speed when they do. Then by carefully wafting the stick back & to the guides tempt the worm further out into the open so they can be photographed in all their glory!