SCUBA Diving Guide: Gili Islands, Indonesia

Laying across the straits from Bali, Lombok has become a popular alternative for those looking for many of the same natural attractions with a lot fewer tourists. However, one of the locations that does manage to attract a busy crowd are the Gili Islands, off the northwest coast. Small tropical island paradises with a lovely view of the towering heights of the volcano Gunung Rinjani, these islands attract plenty of surfers, beach lovers, and partiers, but also a lot of scuba divers.

The islands consist of Gili Air, Gili Trawangan, and Gili Meno. There are a number of excellent coral reefs teeming with colorful tropical fish in the area. An example is Shark Point, which while not the most impressive garden of corals around the islands, it does attract white tip and black tip reef sharks, gray sharks, rays, sea turtles, and even mantas to the a nearby rock called manta point. Depths range from 10 meters at the shallowest to 40 meters at the very deepest bottoms, making this a site that offers something to both Open Water (OW) and Advanced Open Water (AOW)

There are also wrecks around the islands, such as the Japanese Wreck. This deep water wreck is of a Second World War Japanese patrol boat. It sits in 45 meters of water, so the bottom is just outside the reach of strict AOW recreational diving, and diving the wreck virtually requires Nitrox training. However, that means that it is a wreck that is doable, while not being heavily trafficked. Like many wrecks, it is heavy with sea life, and by reputation is a good place to see barracudas.

With their many diving operations and cheap prices, the Gilis are an excellent place to learn how to scuba dive. Local conditions mean that training dives will mostly be inside swimming pools, making the Gilis unusual in Southeast Asia, where most schools conduct training dives in sheltered sea waters.

The Gilis themselves cover a range of options in terms of atmosphere and accommodation. Gili Trawangan is a backpacker's island, and is known for its long strip of bars and clubs. Gili Air is the more adult-oriented island, with a higher standard of accommodation and a more relaxed, quieter sense of itself. Gili Meno is the most rustic and least visited island, with basic accommodations and a thoroughly Robinson Crusoe sense of itself.

Sources: Personal experience, www.gili-paradise.com; www.giliislandsdiving.com