The KMP Nusa Jaya Abadi, the main vessel on the Padangbai — Nusa Penida crossing, made its first run after repairs on the morning of October 5, according to the local transport authority.
The timetable is unchanged: two sailings a day. This is the ferry people use to take their own car or motorbike over to the island.
The vessel leaves Nusa Penida at 08:00 and 12:00, and returns from Padangbai at 10:00 and 14:30. The crossing takes between an hour and an hour and a half, and there are sailings every day. The schedule shifts depending on the weather and on how many vessels are waiting to berth in Padangbai, so passengers are advised to get to the port an hour before departure.
The route had been without a ferry since the end of July. On July 30, while entering Mentigi Port (Pelabuhan Mentigi) on Nusa Penida, the vessel was swept into the breakwater by the current: the hull sprang a leak and the propeller was bent. As a result, the scheduled dry-docking was moved to August; on the 26th the vessel left for a shipyard in Surabaya, and the contracted work took a month.
While the ferry was out of service, queues of up to two days built up in Padangbai, and capacity on the island route dropped noticeably.
Throughout that period cargo was carried by four open-deck barges — the Bhima Giri Nusa, Arjhuna Giri Nusa, Abhimanyu Giri Nusa and Yudhistira Giri Nusa. They did not take motorbikes, only cars. Passengers were moved by speedboat: from Bali out of Kusamba, and from the island out of Sampalan.
If you’re travelling without your own vehicle, the quickest way to Nusa Penida is by speedboat from Sanur, which takes around 40 minutes. For a day trip, it’s also possible to [combine the boat, a private car with a driver and snorkelling in one package].
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