Lombok Diving|Discover the Gilis and South Lombok

Lombok Diving

Discover Lombok and The Gilis

The Northern Islands of Lombok

There are three small islands in the north of Lombok, Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan. From Senggigi it takes about 30 minutes by car and 30 minutes by boat to reach these islands. The coastway to the boat has very nice views where we can stop to take pictures. The islands are surrounded by white sandy beaches. Local transport on these islands is provided by horse carts and bicycles. There are many accommodations; bungalows, hotels and resorts around the islands. Gili Trawangan is the best island to go for party-nightlife. But all the islands also have very quiet places.

Dive sites Gili Meno

Meno Slope

Meno slope is one of the easy dive sites for beginners. Here you can see many types of soft and hard coral,

( Seriatoporahystrix, Stylopora, Acropara, Fungia ) and a variety of fish. There is a chance that we see Pygmy Sea Horses, Cuttlefish, White Tip Sharks

( Triaenodon Obesus ) etc. The water condition is 28 C and the Visibilty is around 25 meters, depending on the season.

Meno Wall

Meno Wall is very famous for night dives. There is also a variety of fish like Sweet Lips ( Plectorhinchus ), Turtles, Napoleon Wrasse, Grouper and Nudibranches etc.

Meno Bounty wreck

The wreck is covered with soft coral and also harder coral ( Acropora Florida, Acropora Pormosa, Acropora Nobilis ). There is also a variety of fish, The depth is around 13-16 meter. Visibilty is always good here: around 20 meters. The fish families you can find here are Sweet Lips ( Haemulidae ), Angelfish ( Pomacanthidae ) and Clownfish ( Amphiprioninae ).

Dive sites Gili Trawangan

Shark Point

This is one of the Gilis most popular dive sites, it is normally done as a drift dive heading towards the point at the center of Gili Trawangans western coast. You can dive at three levels. There are places for deep dives, midwater drifts and shallow dives.

Bannerfish and Moorish Idols decorate the reef with their high contrast black and yellow bodies. Youll see them moving around the coral formations. Look for schools of Jackfish or Trevallyfish at the current-swept point, as well as Reef Sharks and occasional Rays.

A Mobulas head is similar to a Mantas head, but its mandibles are closer together.

Most divers end this dive along the upper reef flats before the tip of the point. Carry a safety balloon, as the currents can drift of divers off the point into the open sea. Cuttlefish, blue-spotted stingrays, turtles, chromis, basslets and other colorful reef fish live in this areas shallow water.

Halik reef

The assorted bommie-coral and low-growing coral garden lead you to a slope with nice coral formations, filled with Solder and Copper Sweeper-fish. We can also see a wide range of Green Turtles and Hawksbill Turtles (Chelonia Mydas and Eretmochely Imbricata) eating Hydroids (a water animal that looks a bit like a plant).

Tropical fish, soft coral and see fans coral add a lot of color of the dive site. Look for the larger camouflaged stonefish (Scorpaenidae), watch for small critters, including the nudibranches and Tridacna Squamosa clams. There are also white tip reef sharks and giant Trevallies.

Coral Fan

This site got its name for its abundance of large, white-polyped Gorgonian fan-coral with bright-red skeletons. They grow on the big coral bommies of this sites shallow reeftop.

Youll find other types of hard coral spread along the bottom at 5 to 7 meters, surrounded by lots of reef and tropical fish. Small Copper Sweepers especially like to swim here. The shallow corals and colorful fish life makes Coral Fan a good choice for snorkeling in the Gilis.

As diver you often see Titan Triggerfish and Clown Triggerfish on this sites outside wall, which drops from 8 to 30 meters. The strong current that feeds the walls healthy coral and fans make drift dives the order of the day. The slopes have varied fish life, including a good selection of Scorpionfish, so be careful where you put your hands.

Manta Point

Manta Point is generally an easy dive site, sometimes the current gives you a fine drift. The best season to see Mantas, is from March to May, though February and June also offer good possibilities to see them. Mantas can be seen sporadically year-round. 17 Mantas have been seen here at one time.

The nutrients carried into the water by runoff from land, make the mantas more active. So, the lower visibility that divers may encounter during the rainy months of November and December can actually be a blessing in disguise.

Even if you don't see mantas, this is a rewarding site for divers of all abilities. Youll see lobster and moray eels in the rocky parts of the reef. Look also for cuttlefish hovering over the corals, flashing their brilliant colors. The cuttlefishs ability to camouflage itself is incredible. It is even able to mimic the reddish algae found along the bottom here.

You can also see the sleeping white tip reef sharks around the bommie coral. Its around 17 meters deep.

This is the best place to see the Acropora reef

Meno wall

Divers drop into the channel between Trawangan and Meno and descend to the wall that drops from 6 meter to 27 meter. Look for white tip sharks sleeping in the sand in the channel.

The walls north end is an excellent place to see Green Turtles and Hawksbill Turtle and we also can see other colorful fish around like big eyes Mandarinfish and also a lot of Nudibranch, Lionfish, Chromis and sported Rays.

Meno wall is the best place to do night dive around the Gilis because here we can see all kinds of nocturnal activities. Sleeping fish rest in coral and rocky holes. Also its a good place to see things like Nudibranch, Spanish dancer lobster and crab.

Meno Slope

A drift dive along Meno slope is usually quite a joy ride. You will drop into the channel between Gili Trawangan and Gili Meno and descend to the bottom of the sloping reef at 22m. The average depth for the rest of the dive will be 16m, so this site is perfect for all certification levels. Towards the end of this dive site you will find yourself exploring the Bounty pontoon wreck. The sunken pontoon is a large intact structure at 12 meters full of interesting marine life and schools of reef fish. On and around the pontoon you will find a variety of scorpion fish and lion fish, along with various Nudibranchs and the odd turtle. Along the sloped reef you find an array of hard and soft corals with healthy amount of fish life to keep you entertained. It is common to spot Eagle rays, Turtles, Snapper, Triggerfish, Moray eels, Banded sea snakes, White tip reef sharks and Giant Trevallies.