Blue Coral - Gili Islands Dive Sites

Lombok is just 35 Kilometers of Bali but remains relatively unknown to many travellers. This is good for the intervid divers that return to Lombok's shores every year. There is an excelent choice of dive sites for people of all abilities. The Gili Island are the most popular destinations for diving enthusiasts and offer some exhilarating drift dives for the more experienced.

Gili Island dive sites

Around the three Gili Islands in the North-West of Lombok (Gili Air, Gili Meno, Gili Trawangan) are more than 15 different dive spots and there are new reefs being explored all the time. Some of our spots are more suitable for advanced divers, but many are also suitable for beginners.  Our experienced dive masters will always find the right spot for you.

Shark Point

Shark Point West of Gili Trawangan is a popular dive spot in the mornings. This dive site consists of different levels (24m, 20m, 18m); it starts with a slope out of hard and soft corals, the "native country" of green and hawksbill turtles. The different levels are sandy areas with small coral blocks – a wide variety of marine life starting with schools of trivially, napoleon fish over white tip reef sharks and rays in the sandy areas…. ending up with ribbon eels, leaf fishes and even mantas.  “Volker’s' Golf course” is about 500m east of Shark point and starts at a depth of about 30m. It looks like the greens of a golf course and is the best site to see sharks, schools of mackerels and doctor fishes.  Because of its depth and the sometimes very strong currents, it is a dive for advanced divers.

Gili Meno Wall

Meno Wall in the North of Gili Meno goes down to 18m.  You can see a lot of small coral fish like lionfish, soldier fish, gobies, crabs and a lot of wart slugs and nudi branches coming out of hiding.  It is also called “Turtle Heaven” because of the many resident hawksbill and green turtles.

Gili Air Wall

Air Wall in the West of Gili Air is a very beautiful wall that, due to the soft coral cover, shines yellow-orange depending on the position of the sun. The highlight of this wall is a coral block at 22m in which leaf fishes (scorpion fish) found their "home", surrounded by shrimps, pipefish, white-banded cleaner shrimps and thousands of glass fishes... Look out into the deeper parts for white tip reef sharks.
 

Coral Fan Garden & Basket Coral Garden

Also popular for morning dives are the two dive spots in the North of Gili Trawangan, Coral Fan Garden and Basket Coral Garden. The first few meters you will have the feeling of being in an aquarium - schools of colored fairy bass lets, fusiliers, banner fishes… and deeper, around the big coral and stone blocks, groupers, batfish, trumpet fish, hiding octopus and bearded scorpion fish. Look out to the blue: sometimes eagle rays, mantas or reef sharks can be seen.

Frog Fish Point

One of our favorite dive spots is Frog Fish Point in the North East of Gili Air, famous for small things and rarities.  A huge coral block from 5m-18m welcomes you.  There are a lot of sandy areas, where the garden eels let off steam and coral is overgrown with anemones and their clownfish.  You can find ghost pipefish, frogfish and a lot of scorpion fish.  Have a manicure there by one of the many cleaner shrimps.

Manta Point in the rainy season, when the water is rich with plankton, this dive site in the South of Gili Trawangan gives you the best chance to see Manta rays. But even without mantas, you still have a good chance to see reef sharks and turtles.

Malang Reef  Underwater canyons create the landscape here with a plateau starting at 10m and dropping down to 40m. Here you can see “everything”. Mantas, blue spotted stingrays, scorpion fish, lionfish, and white tips have been encountered here as well as spiny lobsters.

Senggigi and beyond dive sites

Senggigi Dive is a spectacular slope reaching down to 60m. Between 10m and 25m, there is an array of wonderful coral.  A lot of different reef fishes and with a bit of luck you can see turtles and white tip reef sharks.  Hidden between the coral many different kinds of shrimp and crab can be found.

Nipah Slope

A spectacular slope reaching down to 60m. Between 10m and 25m, there is an array of wonderful corals. A lot of different reef fishes and with a bit of luck you can see turtles and white tip reef sharks. Hidden between the corals many different kinds of shrimp and crab can be found.

Malimbu Cave

A slope going down from 10m to 15m with big sandy patches and rocks covered in corals. Here you can find a lot of sting rays, a big amount of reef fishes and often turtles. In the shallower part are caves that can only be dived when conditions are calm. But be careful, we’ve heard a dragon lives there…

Malimbu Slope

A long, stretched slope that goes down to 30m. The bottom is sandy with a lot of little coral reefs. Sharks, blue spotted rays, eagle rays, barracudas, leaf fish – there’s just so much to see.

Shark Point

A big plateau that starts at 10m and goes down to 30m or 40m. Most of the time, you can see sharks, turtles and a big variety of reef fish. On the north side, big gorgonians and sponges can be found.

Alang-Alang Wall

A wall that begins at 16m and reaches down to 35m. Down there, after a small plateau begins another wall that goes down to 60m. Both of them are over grown with wonderful corals. You have sharks, turtles and a huge variety of reef fish. It’s a perfect spot for night dives.

Soft Coral Garden

A chain of small pinnacles beginning in a depth of around 25m.  All pinnacles are covered completely with soft coral. It is normally more a spot for small fishes and coral, but even here we have encountered manta rays.

Boulder City Starting

At a vertical wall you descend to about 30 meters. There are a lot of big rocks forming hundreds of swim-troughs. Sharks, napoleons and many, many sweet lips and angelfishes have been seen here.