Is Spearfishing or Fishing Allowed in Bali's Waters?

Rod fishing from the shore and joining a fishing charter in Bali are generally allowed, as long as you stay outside zones closed to fishing and use no banned gear or substances. Breath-hold spearfishing is not banned nationally, but it sits in a grey area: prohibited in conservation zones, refused by many dive operators, and never allowed with tanks or compressors. Details below, based on rules checked in October 2026.

Allowed

Recreational fishing from beaches, piers or cliffs. As far as the rules can be checked, there is no special personal licence for tourists rod fishing outside conservation areas. The limits are local instead: beaches in front of temples during ceremonies, spots marked off by the customary village, and the conservation zones covered below. Ask locals or the village security (pecalang) if you see penjor poles or ceremony preparations.

Boat fishing charters. Trolling and jigging for tuna, mahi-mahi or giant trevally in the open sea off south and east Bali is a common tourist activity. Business permits and boat seaworthiness are the operator's responsibility, so choose one that can name its registered company and has life jackets for every passenger. Prices and departure points are in our Bali fishing and charter guide.

Not allowed

• Explosives, potassium cyanide, poison and chemicals. Article 8(1) of Law 31/2004 on Fisheries (amended by Law 45/2009) bans catching fish with chemical, biological or explosive substances, and with gear or methods that harm fish stocks and their environment.
• Taking fish in the core and marine tourism zones of the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area. The roughly 20,057-hectare area around Nusa Penida, Lembongan and Ceningan was designated by Ministerial Decree No. 24/KEPMEN-KP/2014. According to the zoning plan reported by Mongabay, the core zone (about 120 ha) is closed to both fishing and tourism, and the marine ecotourism zone (about 1,221 ha) is for tourism only. According to local guides, busy dive sites such as Manta Point and Crystal Bay fall under marine tourism zoning.
• Diving with a compressor to catch fish. In 2015 the head of the Nusa Penida MPA management unit described coral bombing and compressor diving as strictly prohibited practices there.
• Catching or injuring protected marine species. Manta rays are fully protected under Ministerial Decree No. 4/KEPMEN-KP/2014, and whale sharks under No. 18/KEPMEN-KP/2013. In 2014 fisheries officers seized 103 kg of dried manta gills in Pengambengan, Jembrana. All sea turtle species are protected too. If one gets hooked by accident, release it.
• Fishing or spearing in West Bali National Park (including around Menjangan Island) without a permit. Activities in the national park follow zoning and permits from the park authority, and dive tourism there runs in the utilisation zone.

Grey area

Breath-hold (free-dive) spearfishing. No national ban targeting breath-hold spearfishing turned up, and traditional fishers on parts of Bali's coast still use spears. Three things make it risky for visitors, though. First, in conservation zones taking fish by any method is banned, and zone boundaries at sea are rarely marked. Second, many resorts and dive operators in Amed, Tulamben and Pemuteran ban spearing on the reefs they look after. Third, bringing a speargun into Indonesia means declaring it truthfully at customs and checking with your airline first.

Spearfishing on scuba. Treat it as not allowed. Besides matching the compressor ban in conservation areas, almost every dive operator refuses it, and shooting fish at a tourist dive site is the fastest way into trouble with officials and locals.

Fishing in the Nusa Penida sustainable fisheries zone. This largest zone (about 17,264 ha in the zoning plan) is open to local fishers using environmentally friendly gear. Public sources do not spell out the status of tourists fishing there, so ask a local operator who regularly departs from Nusa Penida.

Before you head out

• Ask the operator which spots you will fish and whether any fall inside a conservation zone.
• If departing from Nusa Penida, be ready for the island entry levy charged to visitors.
• Respect zone marker buoys and customary village no-fishing signs where they exist, even if the operator says "it's fine".
• For catch and release, use barbless hooks so released fish have a better chance of surviving.
• Do not buy souvenirs made from manta gills, shark fins or turtle shell.
• Currents in the Badung and Lombok straits are strong; spearfishing alone without a support boat is a bad idea.

Want to see manta rays without any fishing gear? Snorkelling at Manta Point, Nusa Penida is busiest in the morning, and there you are the guest in a marine tourism zone.