Ocean Sunfish AKA Mola Mola

At first sight of the Mola, you think that it is its round shape that looks like the sun. But it’s actually because it is a keen sunbather:

• This big fish is swimming at depths of 200 meters, where the water temperature drops to around 4-5 degrees. So being at that depth for some time explains that it needs some sunbathing and to warm up its body.
• While sunbathing at the surface, seagulls help the Mola mola get rid of parasites. In other words, a proper Spa-day! Plus the shape of the Ocean Sunfish looks like a little sun!

Imagine, you are relaxing after your first dive at Crystal Bay on the boat. A nice ocean breeze makes your hair dance in the sun and you are holding a nice cup of coffee. A giant round-looking fish jumps more than a half meter in the air next to you…. Say hi to the famous Mola!

A jumping Mola? Does that exist? The answer is yes!

The reason that they jump is that it tries to splash the parasites off its skin. This is one of the reasons the Mola comes to shallow waters like Crystal Bay. Another reason is that Crystal Bay neighbours a deep channel where the Mola Mola can is at depth. During the period April-September we have regular sightings of the Mola! This is because of upwelling. In other words, colder waters from the deep come to a shallower depth. This is when you as a scuba diver can actually meet them underwater while diving! The dive sites Crystal bay and Toyapakeh in Nusa Penida are famous! These are the cleaning stations, where Bannerfish gathers, to clean the Ocean Sunfish. That makes Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida the ideal diving spot for seeing the Mola.

The Mola loves to eat jellyfish, lots of them! On a daily basis, they are busy with a searching strategy to consume large amounts of jellyfish. Jellyfish are low in calories and nutrients, so the Mola needs to consume a whole lot to get enough. As a part of a searching strategy to find the jellyfish, the Mola has the same migrating journey as a jellyfish.

In different studies of the Ocean Sunfish family, there are three different species.

1. The Ocean Sunfish is also known as the Mola Mola.
2. The Mola Alexandrini or Southern Sunfish. This is the one you can find here diving in Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida.
3. The Mola Tecta is also known as the Hoodwinker Sunfish.

They vary a bit in appearance but they all have a circular shape in common. There are a lot of myths and legends about the Mola and why their different names occurred. Because the Mola spends most of their lifetime on deep depths, it is hard for humans to study them in-depth.

Diving with us in Lembongan in the period April – September will almost guarantee you of seeing a Mola! If you dive many days that is! But then again, there is also a huge luck factor and timing the right place and time for a dive. They are there! Imagine you do your Divemaster course with us. You will stay and do your diving training with us, you will guarantee to see them more than once!

Tropical and temperate waters provide the best habitat for this fish. In areas, such as Indonesia around Nusa Lembongan and Penida, Europe around Italy and Malta, this fish has been sighted though they are rarely seen. Its rarity makes it even more interesting and divers are always overjoyed just spotting one these gargantuan creatures.

This has been a misconception for long though studies now show that the fish does not necessarily come to the surface to recharge lost energy. Research has shown that while the fish normally spends much of the time above 200 meters, it can dive down to 800 meters. The term ocean sunfish has grown out of the misconception that the Mola Mola has to bask so as not to die.

The growth of this creature is simply amazing. While they begin life as tiny larvae, they grow rapidly to reach their enormous size. The fact that they have few vertebrae makes it possible for the fish to grow rapidly up to its enormous adult size. The heaviest of these bony fish has been recorded to weight 2300kg.

While the fish does not pose danger to swimmers, they can land on boats and due to their big size this can cause injuries. The fish breaches to knock off parasites from its body, which is the only danger it poses.