Quarterly Report Penida February 2026

Selene Gaiani – Head Instructor 

These past three months have been filled with exciting scientific developments and the growth of many promising dive professionals. Watching our interns evolve into confident, capable divers and researchers is always one of the most rewarding aspects of our work. We are proud to support them as they take the next steps in their ocean careers, and we are confident they will achieve great things.

It is truly inspiring to see all the staff working together with the same passion for the ocean driving all of them, all of us. A big thank you to every single one of you for your incredible work at the Dive Hub. Your dedication, teamwork, and positive energy are what make this project so special.

We would like to warmly congratulate all the students who graduated with us this quarter:

Eloise Fisher (UK), Noe Vollard (Switzerland), Autumn Lewis (USA), Enrique Montero Mora (Spain), Emma Brown (UK), Javier Sarda Guillen (Spain), Seni Goonawardena (USA), Nikhil Singh (India), Jessica May (USA), Ramiro Casal Vila (Spain), Florence Thomas (France)

Thank you all for your dedication, hard work, and valuable contributions to the research we conduct here in Penida. Without your support, none of this would have been possible.

Kristova Indrataruna – Project Marine Biologist

Penida rainy season has officially begun! This year has not been much different from previous years with heavy rain pouring almost every day with very few sunny breaks. During times like these, field researchers must stay healthy and energised to keep spirits high. 

Alongside these remarkableencounters, we continued to observe our familiar residents such as Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas), Reef Mantas (Mobula alfredii), amd Brownbanded Bamboo Sharks (Chilocscyllium punctatum). There were also several unexpected close encounters with Bumphead Molas (Mola alexandrini), one of which I had the privilege to have during a raging current in the north coast. Their presence strongly supports a study that suggests some individuals stay around Nusa Penida year-round in deeper waters and move into shallow waters in the mid-year during high season (https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14436). 

We look forward to seeing what the next quarter will bring underneath the waves!

Citizen Science

Our commitment to citizen science remains strong as we continue to document every exciting encounter and contribute valuable data to our partners. This quarter, we completed 28 citizen science dives and added 38 turtle cheek photos, 6 manta belly shots, and 4 elasmobranch images to our database. Despite conducting fewer citizen science dives than last quarter, we managed to obtain more data of these charismatic megafaunas. 

Our conservation work extends beyond wildlife sightings; it includes monitoring the health of the reef and surrounding environment. Through six Dive Against Debris dives and three beach clean-ups, we removed 12.7 kg of trash from Crystal Bay and 211.6 kg from the boat landing area. Additionally, we conducted five CoralWatch dives to monitor the health of corals over time.

Beyond our scientific initiatives, we remain dedicated to engaging and inspiring local communities. We visited schools and community groups to teach children about the marine animals found around Nusa Penida while also supporting their English language learning. Through these outreach activities, we aim to foster a deeper connection between young people and the unique ecosystems that surround their island.

Penida Coral Spawning

This year marks our second consecutive year monitoring coral spawning along Penida’s North Coast. We were joined by Ocean Gardener, Ceningan divers, and several dedicated volunteers for night dives in Nuansa Pulau’s coral restoration area. We were incredibly fortunate to witness coral spawning two years in a row. These observations reaffirms that, although there have been very few recorded coral spawning events in Penida waters, corals are indeed spawning around this time of year. 

One possible reason for the lack of previous records is the limited amounts of night diving conducted in Penida. Currents during the day can be unforgiving, and at night, reduced visibility makes conditions even more challenging. As a result, many divers are understandably hesitant to take the risk. Nevertheless, we remain committed to documenting and monitoring the health and reproductive cycle of coral reefs in the Nusa Penida waters.

For this spawning season, we have dedicated our efforts to systematically recording observations for potential publications. So far, we have documented multiple coral genera spawning including Acropora, Hydnophora, Echinopora, and members of the Fungiidae family. We look forward to sharing a more detailed account of our findings soon, so stay tuned for an exciting read!

Restoring corals in Crystal Bay and Mangrove in Semaya

Our coral restoration in Crystal Bay continues to progress stedily, despite the heavy rainfall the island has experienced over the past three months. We outplanted 139 Porites corals to our restoration site and added 169 Acropora pulchra and 133 Porites cylindrica and P. rus corals fragments to our nursery. We introduced more corals to our nursery than last quarter, as many empty spaces needed filled. 

To further increase the diversity of our restoration site, we also attached several fragments of A. millepora and different colour morphs of A. pulchra to newly deployed reef stars. Enhancing species and colour diversity is an important step toward building a more resilient reef. 

Our commitment to plant mangrove in Nusa Penida remains unwaivering. This quarter, we visited local high schools and planted 88 mangrove seedlings in Semaya, promoting environmental awareness and stewardship among the island’s future generations. The event ran smoothly, with students enthusiastically participating in the planting activities. In preparation for our next mangrove initiative, we also added 166 propagules to our nursery.