Pemuteran day trip from Lovina: Biorock, turtles and the quiet bay

Pemuteran is the kind of place people mean when they say Bali used to be like this. A small fishing village in the far north west, it curves around a calm bay with the hills of West Bali National Park behind and the mountains of East Java across the water. A Pemuteran day trip from Lovina gives you three things in one easy outing: snorkelling straight from the sand over one of the world's best known coral restoration projects, a turtle hatchery, and a slow seafood lunch with your feet almost in the sea.

Planning your Pemuteran day trip

From the hills above Banjar the drive takes around an hour and ten minutes along the coast road west, through Seririt, past vineyards, fishing harbours and the cliffs of Pura Pulaki. Leave by 7:30 am. The sea is usually at its calmest and clearest in the morning, before the afternoon breeze picks up, and you will want to be in the water by 9.

• 8:45 am: arrive in Pemuteran, rent gear on the beach.
• 9 am to 11 am: snorkel the Biorock reef.
• 11:30 am: visit the turtle hatchery at Reef Seen.
• 12:30 pm: lunch by the sea, then a lazy hour on the beach.
• 2:30 pm: stop at Pura Pulaki on the way back, home for sunset.

The dry season, roughly April to October, brings the best visibility. In the wet months the water can turn cloudy after heavy rain, but it is rarely too rough to swim.

Biorock: snorkelling a reef grown on steel

In the late 1990s much of Pemuteran's reef had been damaged by bleaching and destructive fishing. In the early 2000s, prompted by local dive shop owner Yos Amerta, the village began working with marine scientists Thomas Goreau and Wolf Hilbertz, the inventor of the Biorock technique. A low voltage current runs through steel frames sunk on the sea floor, which helps minerals build up on the metal and corals grow faster on it.

Today dozens of structures, in the shapes of domes, arches and even a turtle, sit about 50 metres off the beach in three to seven metres of water, spread across roughly two hectares. They are now covered in hard and soft coral, sponges and clouds of small fish. Snorkelling is free, though a donation or buying a coral fragment to plant is warmly encouraged.

Start at the Biorock information centre on the beach, where you can rent masks and fins. Facing the sea, the structures run to your left. Enter in front of the line of moored boats, where the sea floor is clear, then swim left along the frames. Wear reef safe sunscreen or a rash guard, and never stand on the structures: the current is harmless, but the coral is fragile.

The Reef Seen turtle hatchery and Pemuteran beach

A short walk along the sand, Reef Seen was the first dive operator in Pemuteran, and the people who first mapped and named the local reefs in the early 1990s. Its turtle hatchery collects eggs that might otherwise be taken or lost and raises the hatchlings in tanks until they are strong enough to go to sea. You can see the baby turtles up close, and for a small fee sponsor a release, usually done at the water's edge. Ask at the front desk about the current price and release times.

The beach itself is dark sand, narrow and quiet, with fishing boats pulled up under the trees and shaded tables at the beachfront cafés. It shelves quickly, so you are swimming within a few steps. For lunch, the simple warungs along the main road do grilled fish and nasi campur at local prices.

Pemuteran or Menjangan?

Pemuteran is also the gateway to Menjangan Island, the protected reef in West Bali National Park about 20 minutes further west by road and then 30 to 40 minutes by boat from Labuhan Lalang. People often ask which is better. The honest answer is that they are different days.

• Pemuteran Biorock: shore entry, shallow, free, easy for any swimmer. Visibility can be average, and the coral is young and growing.
• Menjangan: clearer water, steep wall reefs, more turtles and bigger fish. It needs a boat, a park guide and national park fees, usually around 200,000 IDR per person on weekdays and more at weekends, plus the boat.
• Pemuteran is a relaxed half day you can shape as you like. Menjangan is a full, earlier day on a fixed schedule.
• Confident snorkellers on a longer stay should do both. If you have one day and want the best reef, pick Menjangan.

Full details on boats, prices and the best reefs are in our Menjangan snorkelling guide. If you prefer temples to reefs, Pura Pulaki on the way home is part of our North Bali temples loop.

On a Pemuteran day trip, by mid afternoon the wind comes up and the bay ruffles, which is your cue to head east again. Back at Baliwood Lovina, there is time for a rinse under the outdoor shower and a swim before the sun sets over the same sea you were floating in that morning.