Diving in Gili Islands

The Gili islands are also not to be forgotten and certainly require a mention for diving in Lombok, as they are some of the richest and diverse sites in the area. This is due to the variants it the sea bed topography that is a combination of slopes, drop offs and plateaus that harbor all kinds of different species and give a good all-round presentation of all that Indonesia has to offer.

When diving in Lombok on the Gili Islands you can expect to encounter such species as Moray Eels, Angel Fish, White Tip Reef Sharks, Cuttlefish, turtles and Ghost Pipefish as a selection of just a few of the many. Diving around the Gili Islands and the rest of northwest Lombok there are over 15 recognized and highly acclaimed dive sites and many more sites that are worth seeing, there are also many spots being found all the time that offer incredible diving in this aquatic goldmine.

In the morning you can even visit a little known spot called Shark Point and no prizes for guessing why. It is a point where there are sharks although they are not the big scary ones, just harmless reef sharks as well as turtles of the Hawksbill and Green varieties ribbon eels and as if that was not enough there are often Manta as well.

There is also an amazing spot called Volkers' Golf course which is located not above but below the water just 500 meters east of Shark point. This green patchy floor, which is very similar to an underwater golf course, is the best spot to find sharks that can sometimes be the bigger ones as well as schools of Mackerel and doctor fish.

Travel to Gili Islands

Three small islands, surrounded by coral, The Gilis, off Lombok's west coast, are fast becoming one of her main draw cards. Dive centres with all the high tech equipment and professional instructors ensure that visiting divers at all levels of experience and ability can dive in waters that have more varieties of fish than anywhere in the world - and that includes The Great Barrier Reef and Red Sea.

Gili Trawangan: Now appears to head the list as the most popular island - it has long had a reputation as the 'party' island mainly through a concentrated and central foreshore area of restaurants, dive operations and hotels including some luxury boutique choices.

Gili Meno: Still the quietest island is a place to escape to and although it has a smaller list of accommodation options those that it has are tending towards a more up-market clientele. Snorkeling off beaches of pure white sand the coral is superb.

Gili Air: Has the largest local population and while it has more of a lived-in feeling than the other two islands for some that is quite possibly its attraction. On Gili Air it's possible to likewise enjoy the marine possibilities but also one can absorb some of the local culture missing on the other islands.