Top picks from this guide
#1
Manta Point, Nusa Penida
The cheapest thing we sell in the water and the most demanding. From $29 for a full day with an early hotel pickup and a harbour transfer, then a boat out to open ocean under the cliffs. Swell, cold patches and nothing to stand on. Book it for the mantas, not for a relaxing float.
#2
Crystal Bay, Nusa Penida
No ticket exists for Crystal Bay itself. It sits on the Nusa Penida West Tour route, from $49 per car, and you swim out from the sand. Gear rents locally for cash. The current on the point is real, so stay inside the bay unless you know what you are doing.
#3
Blue Lagoon, Padang Bai
Our Blue Lagoon trip is from $50 with a morning hotel pickup, half day to full day. A small sheltered cove reached by a short boat hop from the harbour, shallow enough for people who have never worn a mask. Rain the night before turns the water green — that is the one risk.
#4
Amed and Tulamben
The reef begins a few metres off the black sand, so there is nothing to buy at the entrance. We do not run a fixed-price Amed tour; a private car with driver from $59 per car gets you there and waits. Roughly three hours each way from Seminyak. Bring cash for gear and a boat.
#5
Nusa Penida cliffs plus Manta Point
From $60 for a full day that puts the sightseeing route and the manta boat together, with an early hotel pickup and harbour transfer. It is the sensible pick when you only have one Penida day and do not want to choose between the viewpoints and the water. Long day, early start, worth the extra over the boat alone.
#6
Gili Trawangan and Gili Meno
From $115 for 7-9 hours, with a hotel pickup option or a Padang Bai meeting point. Most of the price is crossing time rather than reef. Good value if Bali is your only base; poor value if you are already sleeping on Gili T, where a fast boat from $15 does the same job.
#7
Sumbawa whale sharks
From $150 and the longest day on this list, built around a very early departure. This is an expedition rather than a morning out, and it assumes you are already at ease in deep open water. If you are not sure yet, spend $50 at Blue Lagoon first — see swimming with whale sharks for the full picture.
Every snorkeling price we quote, in one place
Here is every snorkeling trip we run and the price we quote for 2026. These are our own numbers. We are not going to invent a figure for the boat man on the sand at Amed or for the operator two doors down, because those move week to week and nobody publishes them straight. What we can be exact about is what we charge, what time we collect you and how long the day runs. Where a line below says per car, that price covers the vehicle rather than each seat.
- Snorkel with manta rays, Nusa Penida — from $29. Full day, early hotel pickup and harbor transfer.
- Nusa Penida West Tour — from $49 per car. The route Crystal Bay sits on, full day from an early pickup.
- Blue Lagoon snorkeling, Padang Bai — from $50. Half day to full day, morning hotel pickup.
- Private car with driver — from $59 per car. How you reach Amed, Tulamben or any beach we do not run a boat from.
- Nusa Penida day tour plus Manta Point — from $60. Full day, cliffs and mantas in the same trip.
- Gili Islands private snorkeling day trip — from $115. 7-9 hours, hotel pickup or a Padang Bai meeting point.
- Sumbawa whale shark snorkeling — from $150. A long marine day built around a very early departure.
None of those need a deposit. You book in WhatsApp, we confirm the pickup time, and you pay on the day — which matters more than the headline number if your dates are still soft or the forecast for that week looks wet. Everything is private, so the car and the boat seats are yours rather than shared with a bus load. If you are budgeting a whole trip instead of one morning, our breakdown of Bali tour prices in 2026 puts these alongside everything else we run.
Blue Lagoon snorkeling price: from $50 out of Padang Bai
Our Blue Lagoon trip is from $50, runs half a day to a full day depending on how long you want in the water, and starts with a morning hotel pickup. Padang Bai is on the east coast, so from Seminyak or Canggu there is a real drive before you see the sea, while Sanur and Ubud are much closer. The cove itself is small and sheltered, reached by a short boat ride from the harbour, and shallow enough that people who have never worn a mask get comfortable inside ten minutes.
The honest limitation is the water. On a calm dry-season morning it is clear, with fish a metre under you and a sand bottom you can stand on. After heavy rain the runoff turns it green and the day is worth much less than the $50 you paid for it. If your dates are flexible, check when the water is clearest before locking the morning in, and read our Blue Lagoon guide for what the cove is like once you are standing on the beach.
Nusa Penida: Manta Point from $29, Crystal Bay on the west route
Snorkeling with manta rays at Manta Point is from $29 — the lowest price on this page, and the one people question most. It is a full day with an early hotel pickup and a harbour transfer, because the crossing to Penida has to happen before anything else does. What you get for the money is open ocean under a cliff: swell, cold patches, no shallow bottom, and animals that show up on their own schedule. It is cheap, but it is not the beginner option.
Crystal Bay is a different kind of day. It is a proper beach on the west side of Nusa Penida and you walk in from the sand. There is no separate ticket we sell for it — the honest answer to "what is the Crystal Bay snorkeling price" is that it sits on the Nusa Penida West Tour route, from $49 per car, and the cost of the day is the cost of getting there and back. Mask rental on the beach is a small cash amount that we are not going to quote for someone else.
If you want both halves — the cliff viewpoints and the mantas — the Nusa Penida day tour with Manta Point snorkeling is from $60 for a full day. Before you decide which one to book, our Crystal Bay guide covers the current on the point, and the Manta Point guide explains why some months are far better than others.
Amed snorkeling price: there is no ticket to buy
This is the question with the least satisfying answer. Amed and Tulamben have no entrance fee and no boarding price the way a Penida boat does, because the reef starts a few metres off the black sand and you walk into it. We do not sell a fixed-price Amed snorkeling tour, so quoting one would be dishonest. What we sell is the way there: a private car with driver from $59 per car for the day, which two or four people split between them.
On the beach you pay for what you use — a mask and fins from a shop, a jukung boat if you want the wreck or the deeper coral, a parking attendant. Those are cash, they are small, and they vary by who you speak to, so we are not printing a number we cannot stand behind. Bring rupiah. The real cost is the drive: roughly three hours each way from Seminyak or Canggu, less from Ubud and Sanur. Our Amed and Tulamben guide covers which entry point suits which swimmer.
What actually moves the number
Reef quality has almost nothing to do with what a snorkeling day in Bali costs. Distance, boat time and how many people share the car do almost all of it. Once you see it that way, the spread between $29 and $150 stops looking random:
- Boat time. Manta Point, Gili and Sumbawa all price a crossing before anyone gets wet. Blue Lagoon prices a short hop; Amed prices none.
- Drive time. East-coast starts mean an earlier pickup from Seminyak or Canggu than from Sanur or Ubud, and a longer day in the car either side.
- Per car or per person. Two lines above are quoted per car, so a couple or a group of four pay once for the vehicle. The rest are per-person starting prices.
- Private, not shared. Our prices assume the car and the boat seats are yours. A shared seat somewhere else will be cheaper and will also run on someone else's clock.
- Season. Nothing about the price changes in the rain, but the value does — a green-water morning costs the same as a clear one.
- What you pay locally. Site entry, gear rental and lunch are settled on the spot, in cash, and are not part of our figure.
The practical result: the cheapest way to snorkel in Bali is to pick the good water nearest to where you already sleep, not to drive three hours towards a famous name. Our roundup of the best snorkeling spots sorts them by that logic, and the beginner guide is worth ten minutes if this is your first mask.
Where the money is well spent, and where it is not
The Gili Islands private snorkeling day trip is from $115, second-highest here, and most of that is boat rather than reef. Seven to nine hours, hotel pickup or a Padang Bai meeting point, fast crossings at both ends. It is a good day if Bali is your only base. It is a bad buy if you are already spending two nights on Gili Trawangan — in that case take a fast boat transfer from $15 and snorkel off the island for the price of a mask. We tell people this most weeks. Our Gili day trip guide goes through both versions.
At the top of the list, Sumbawa whale shark snorkeling is from $150 and it is an expedition, not a morning out — a very early departure and a long marine day for people who already know they are comfortable in open water. If you have never snorkeled, spend $50 at Blue Lagoon first and see how you feel with your face in the sea. Nobody has ever regretted starting at the cheap end, and plenty of people have paid $150 to discover they do not like waves.
FAQ
How much does snorkeling in Bali cost?
With us, from $29 for the Manta Point boat at Nusa Penida and from $50 for a Blue Lagoon day out of Padang Bai. Bigger sea days cost more because of boat time: the Gili Islands trip is from $115 and Sumbawa whale sharks from $150. Shore snorkeling at Amed has no ticket at all — you only pay to get there.
How much does Blue Lagoon snorkeling cost?
Our Blue Lagoon snorkeling trip is from $50. That covers a morning hotel pickup and a half day to full day at Padang Bai, depending on how long you want in the water. The cove is shallow and sheltered, which makes it the easiest paid option in Bali for first-timers and mixed-ability groups.
How much does snorkeling at Crystal Bay cost?
There is no separate Crystal Bay snorkeling ticket. It is a walk-in beach on the west side of Nusa Penida, so the cost is the cost of the day around it — our Nusa Penida West Tour is from $49 per car, which a couple or a group of four split. Mask rental on the beach is a small local cash payment.
How much is snorkeling in Amed?
Amed has no entrance fee and no fixed price, because the reef starts a few metres off the sand and you walk in. We do not sell an Amed snorkeling tour. We get you there with a private car and driver from $59 per car for the day, then gear, a jukung boat and parking are paid locally in cash.
Is snorkeling with manta rays in Nusa Penida worth $29?
Yes if you are a confident swimmer. It is the lowest price we quote and it buys a full day with an early pickup, a harbour transfer and a boat out to open water below the cliffs. There is swell, no bottom to stand on and no guarantee the mantas appear. Nervous swimmers should start at Blue Lagoon instead.
Do I have to pay in advance to book snorkeling in Bali?
Not with us. You book in WhatsApp, we confirm the pickup time, and you pay on the day of the trip. There is no deposit, which is useful when your dates are still moving or the forecast for that week looks wet. Any gear rental or site fee on the beach is settled separately in cash.
Recommended Bali tours for this guide
Blue Lagoon Snorkeling, Padang Bai
This is one of the easiest snorkeling products to recommend for beginners and casual sea-day travelers. It gives you underwater visibility, reef-life value, and a cleaner half-day or lighter full-day structure than more demanding offshore routes.
- Duration
- 2 hours on the water
- Area
- Padang Bai and Blue Lagoon
- Format
- Snorkeling trip
- Best for
- Beginners, couples, and mixed groups
From $19 No prepayment
View tour
Snorkel with Manta Rays, Nusa Penida
This is one of Bali's strongest sea-day products because the experience starts delivering early and stays visually powerful all day. It works for couples, small groups, and first-time snorkelers who want clear planning and strong photo value.
- Duration
- Full day
- Area
- Manta Point and Nusa Penida waters
- Format
- Snorkeling tour
- Best for
- Snorkeling lovers and sea-day travelers
From $29 No prepayment
View tour
Gili Islands Private Snorkeling Day Trip
This route is built for travelers who want turtles, clear water, and a real Gili Islands experience without organizing fast boats, harbor flow, snorkeling logistics, and local coordination on their own. The private snorkeling setup makes the day feel cleaner and more premium than a basic shared island transfer.
- Duration
- 7-9 hours
- Area
- Gili Trawangan and Gili Meno
- Format
- Private snorkeling day trip
- Best for
- Sea lovers, couples, and travelers who want one big Gili day from Bali
From $115 No prepayment
View tour