Diving in the Gili Islands

If you are headed to Indonesia don't miss out on the Gili Islands! Most people only make it to Bali, Indonesia but there is so much more to explore especially if you are into snorkeling and scuba diving. The Gili Islands are only a flight and boat ride away from Bali and the other surrounding Islands. There are three islands off of Lombok known as the Gili Islands; Gili Meno, Gili Air, and Gili Trawangan. All three islands offer something a little different. They all are foot, bike, and horse traffic only so you really get the island vibe and feel when exploring the islands.

We were already SSI scuba certified when we started exploring the Gili's, but there are a lot of different diving resorts and companies to choose from if you want to get certified on the islands. They are not badly priced either for such small islands, also note they are all in the same price range so don't make the price a huge decision factor! We chose to do our diving with Gili Divers on Air. They have two locations, one on Gili Air, and one on Gili Trawangan. If you like a more personable group and maybe even doing some dives alone with just you and the instructor I would dive with them when you are on Gili Air, also by choosing the smaller dive groups mean you get to choose your dive spots! Gili Trawangan is known for having larger diving groups. We did our advanced certification on Gili Air, so we can now dive up to 30 meters (100 feet). The dive spots around the Gili Islands are beautiful, most of the reefs are still colorful and full of life. The water is crystal clear making it easy to see farther and take in more. As a turtle lover, my favorite dive spot was 'Turtle Heaven', this was my first time ever diving with sea turtles! The sea turtles were swimming over us and beneath us, it was magical! Not only is turtle heaven loaded with turtles, the pinnacle is also beautiful with lots of fish. There are many dive spots to choose from around the Gili's and Lombok, just tell the instructor what you are looking to see and experience!

Gili Islands Diving

Gili Island Reef

Turtle Heaven diving

If you aren't big into scuba diving, the snorkeling is also great on the Gili Islands. You can either snorkel right off the islands, or you can hire a boat tour to take you around to different spots on all three islands. The best spot for swimming and snorkeling with the sea turtles is off of Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan. For beautiful reefs and many different fish, I recommended snorkeling off of Gili Air and Gili Meno. Be careful with the ocean currents when snorkeling (they are mellow), but it is easy to start to travelling down the beach, so keep an eye out for boats and your surroundings. I recommend using the currents to your favor and walk a ways up the beach and let it take you down slowly to your end location.

gili islands

Turtles near Gili T

Gili Islands

Although the scuba diving and snorkeling is great on the Gili's, there is much more to do. They are all surrounded by beautiful white beaches that you can sun bathe, swim, paddle board, kayak, and some spots on Gili Air and Gili Meno you can even surf! The night life on Gili Air and Gili Trawangan are very social and there is a lot to do for families and even those looking to go out. If your looking for a wild time head over to Gili Trawangan. If your on a honey moon or want a quiet romantic get away I would head over to Gili Meno. Gili Air was my favorite island of the three, it has a perfect balance! There is no better way to spend the evening after diving with the turtles, than to enjoy inexpensive drinks and a delicious meal watching the sun go down over the Indian Ocean.

*Please remember to be respectful to the ocean and do not go swimming or snorkeling until 15 minutes after putting sunscreen or lotions on, as this damages the reefs and marine life. Please do not touch the reef, or marine life, especially not the turtles. And please leave the beaches cleaner than you arrived.

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