Diving and Snorkeling in Lombok and the Gili Islands

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The Gili Islands are one of the cheapest and easiest places in the world to learn to dive, and one of the most reliable places anywhere to snorkel with green and hawksbill turtles — they are genuinely common, in shallow water, reachable from the beach. The reef itself was badly damaged by dynamite fishing and bleaching decades ago and has been substantially rebuilt through one of the largest artificial-reef programmes in the region, so what you see is a recovering rather than a pristine system.

Turtles and the shallow sites

Turtle Point and the reef off Gili Meno's north-west, Gili Air's east coast and Trawangan's north are all snorkelable from shore and produce turtle sightings on most swims. The Nest underwater sculpture installation off Gili Meno — a ring of standing human figures in around three to five metres of water, placed in 2016 and now growing coral — is the most photographed thing in the islands and is easily reached by snorkellers. Boat snorkel trips visit three or four sites in a half day for 120,000–250,000 rupiah.

Diving

Around twenty dive sites ring the three islands, mostly gentle slopes and reef between five and thirty metres, with some genuine current between the islands that makes for good drift diving. Shark Point and Halik are the ones for whitetip reef sharks and turtles; Manta Point occasionally delivers on its name. Bounty Wreck is a sunken pontoon, not a ship, and is a good macro site. The visibility is generally fifteen to twenty-five metres. It is easy, warm, safe diving rather than world-class diving, and it is priced accordingly.

Learning to dive

The Gilis are one of the best-value places anywhere to certify: an open-water course runs 4–6 million rupiah over three or four days, with warm calm water, shallow training sites and a very large number of schools. That density is the catch — standards vary. Ask about student-to-instructor ratios (four maximum, two better), equipment age, how many confined-water sessions there are, and whether certification and materials are included. The long-established schools on Trawangan and Air are the safer choices.

The reef and responsibility

The Gili reefs were largely destroyed by blast and cyanide fishing and by the 1998 bleaching, and what exists now is the product of two decades of restoration, including a very large deployment of Biorock electrified steel structures on which coral has regrown. That means the reef is fragile and heavily used. Do not touch or stand on coral, use reef-safe sunscreen or a rash vest, do not chase or touch turtles, and take rubbish off the islands. Waste and freshwater are both genuine constraints here.

Diving and Snorkeling at a glance

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