The most famous resident of all is the Mola mola Nusa Lembongan. People travel all over the world to see this strange fish. Many do not believe that it exists until they see it with their own eyes! Luckily, our waters are the best place to spot Mola mola in the entire world. They can be seen most often from July to October. Come diving with us and discover this peculiar animal!
WHAT ARE MOLA MOLA NUSA LEMBONGAN?
The Mola mola Nusa Lembongan belongs to a family called Ocean Sunfish. Contrary to popular belief, the most common sunfish species in our waters is not actually the Mola mola. Rather, you will most likely spot the Mola Alexandrini, also known as the Bumphead sunfish. They are simply massive fish. In fact, they are the largest bony fish in the world. They can reach over 4m tall, 3m long, and weigh over 2000kg.
This is definitely a huge bucket list sighting for divers all around the world. Furthermore, it is possible to see other species of sunfish. Mola mola, also known as the Common sunfish have been spotted in our waters on several occasions.
The Sunfish on average have a lifespan of around 20 years. When a Mola is born they are only 2mm long! However, they grow extremely quickly. They have been recorded to gain 364kg in 14 months! Furthermore, they come in a range of gray and white colors. Some have polka-dotted patterns and sheens. Thus, their coloration can depend on regions. The Sunfish in Bali are usually darker than those in Southern California. Additionally, they are able to change colors when under stress, turning from light to dark.
Sunfish have a wide diet. They consume everything from squid, eelgrass, crustaceans, fish, sponges, jellyfish, and eels. As they get older they tend to eat more gelatinous zooplankton and jellyfish.
SUNFISH IN OUR WATERS
The reason why our waters are such a great place to spot Sunfish is because of our thermoclines. That is when warm water suddenly shifts to much colder water. The warm water layers itself on top of the cold water without mixing. The cold swells come from seasonal upwelling from the Indian Ocean. That means that water temperatures can dip to as low as 16 Celcius! However, the good thing is that Mola is attracted to this. Time to squeeze into those thick wetsuits!
The best dive site to see Mola is Crystal Bay. There are several cleaning stations here. It is crucial for the Mola to be cleaned as they are very susceptible to parasites. You will likely see fish such as the Longfin bannerfish and Emperor angelfish nibbling at the Sunfish. Moreover, our waters are the only place in the world where you can see Emperor angelfish cleaning the Mola. It is truly unique to see these beautifully patterned fish circle the large sunfish.
The Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area is proud to be one of the only places in the world to see these creatures consistently. They reside here year-round, and if you are lucky, you may spot them sunbathing! That is where the term “sunfish” comes from! Nevertheless, they are most often spotted from 20-40m. This means that you should get your Advanced Open Water and Deep Specialty to have the best chance of seeing them.
Conservation
For those interested in conservation, The Bali Ocean Sunfish Research Organization seeks to gather data, track populations, and promote the protection of these legendary creatures. Additionally, they also run a citizen science program called Match My Mola where you can submit images you take of sunfish. This will improve tracking and our understanding of the migratory behaviors of these creatures.
To better understand the association between the presence of the Bali sunfish on the reefs, and the temperature regimes inside and outside the mola season, an array of underwater loggers have been recording the temperature around the Nusa Penida islands since 2013, as part of the Bali Ocean Sunfish Research Project.
Fun facts
Sunfishes can be found in most oceans all over the world. However, their size is usually rather small and it will not be easy to localize their cleaning station. While here in the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area, scientific studies run for many years and we know exactly when and where to find them.
While we have quite of vast knowledge about this weird fish, we thought you’d enjoy some fun facts about them:
Smaller than kangaroo babies
At birth, the baby ocean fish do not get bigger than a grain of rice. As larvae, they’ll measure 0,25cm but will undergo 60 million times an increase in mass the reach 3 meters in their adulthood. _Source: Gudger (1936) in Pope et al (2010)
A colossal fish
Being the heaviest bony fish on earth, Ocean sunfish can hugely grow. The record is held by a Mola Alexandrini. With 3.1m from the snout tip to the “tail” fin and 4.26m from the dorsal fin to the anal fin tip, this enormous fish was struck by a boat off Sydney, in September 1908. _Source: Sawai et al. (2018)
Incredibly high reproduction
The Ocean Sunfish holds another record here by producing approximately 300 million eggs. This immense number of eggs was found inside the ovary of a 1.37m female. _Source: Schmidt (1921)
MOLA NUSA PENIDA CONDUCT
We have created these set of guidelines for a safe and fun time when diving with Molas. At the same time, we aim to ensure the health and safety of our resident wildlife. The main goal is for the Molas to be undisturbed at cleaning stations. It is very important for them to be cleaned of parasites at these stations. Once settled, they will remain for long periods of time. This definitely allows for a better dive.
Additionally, you can watch HERE the movie made by the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area members. The target is to prevent the damage of our coral reefs together with creating more awareness about the proper underwater behavior towards our big friends.
