Pura Ped is another amazing dive on Nusa Penida; it is a lovely drift dive made from the shore that is nice and easy. It is quite close to S.D. Point and so has very similar structure and marine life. There are lovely coral formations with a long coral plateau, and slope topography. Like other sites on Nusa Penida, there is a great chance of seeing the Mola Mola (Sunfish) during the season, which runs from around August to October.
It is also part of the marine protected national reserve and the marine life quantity is evidence of the benefits of a ban on fishing. The national park is home to over 250 species of coral and nearly 600 species of reef fish and so there is a good chance of seeing a very large variety of fish at any of the dive sites in the area; and Pura Ped, which is named after a temple on the beach shore, is no exception.
The reef itself is very colorful with large barrel sponges and many coral bommies (coral mounts). There are schools of fusiliers, red-toothed triggerfish, drummer fish, and butterfly fish. There are also frogfish and scorpion fish and amongst the corals many smaller marine life such as shrimp, crabs, frogfish, seahorses, and anemone fish, can be found.
Further out, there are larger pelagic fish that can be seen such as eagle and manta rays, groupers, barracudas, sea snakes, turtles and when in season the Mola Mola. Reef sharks are also occasional visitors.
The currents can be relatively strong in this dive site, and so it is normally a dive site reserved for experienced divers. There are parts of the reef that are more protected and so divers of all levels can enjoy the site. In the protected areas, there are some great opportunities for macro photography.