Diving in Lombok Island-Indonesia

Diving in Gili Trawangan, Meno Air

Coral and diving

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

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

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.

In addition to the Gilis there are many other dive and snorkel possibilities such as an area now being prmoted on the rugged south coast where the experienced can now dive among hammerheads and rays.

Diving in South Lombok

South Lombok and South West Lombok Diving Location and Information
lombok diving, safari and liveaboardsThe diving in the south of Lombok is not very widely known, quite good but challenging. There is one dive operator in the Bay of Blongas (Bay of Tranquility). The Bay of Blongas is a large sheltered bay with a peninsula. The waters here are calm, but as soon as cross the narrow mouth around Gili Wayang, the sea gets much rougher and choppy with a strong surge. The interesting dive sites all lie here, mostly steep rocks and boulders some half covered with water so this is only for experienced divers! The dive sites are all 20 to 30 min by speedboat form the resort. Visibility is not so good at most places 15 to 20m.

Diving in the South of Lombok, some people said only for divers who had over 50 dives tanks but some beginner divers also available but not in Magnet area ( Blongas bay ) but in Kuta bay Area.

For divers who would like to enjoy some pristine dive sites, we offer a world of 100% intact coral and a unique variety of species. “…It’s an Eldora do for underwater photographers.” Aside from all this, there are deep-water pinnacles, where experienced divers (min. Advanced Cert./+ 50 dives) can find schools of lombok diving, safari and liveaboardsbig fishes: barracudas, mackerels, and even hammerheads.
But, In South of Lombok, Not only for experianced Divers, For beginner also there is several spots available for them, JJR, Plawangan, Tanjung A'an and Gili Medas is for those who like to see coral reefs which much better the Gili Islands.

The area has a very rough look, the landscape is very impressive, with large waves pounding jagged rocks and lots of white spray everywhere. From the boat you can see some beautiful sandy beaches, stretching for kilometers but empty, because of the waves crashing some way our. The bay itself though earns its name of "Bay of Tranquility" because it is very flat and calm with nice beaches and small fishing villages. It can be reached from Lembar harbor (ferry from Bali about 4 to 5 hrs) in about an hour over a very bad road.


Dive Spot Information
01. Magnet
This dive sites is the reason why most divers come here, mainly because there is a good chance to see hammerhead sharks. This is a large rocky pinnacle lombok diving, safari and liveaboardsjutting up from about 50m below. It lies in the open sea and 20 to 30 min. by boat. Large waves crash on top of the rock and over it and the resulting surge can be felt even down at 20 meters! Actually you can only dive safely below 15m because of the surge and all the bubbles in the water and safety stops are made away from the rock. For experienced divers only!

You dive on the north side of the rock and make a drop right in the middle, if possible. If the currents are not so strong you can now continue the dive by going in zigzag back and forth between the eastern and western edge where the currents coming from the south can be felt strongly. The large pelagics such as hammerheads, whitetip sharks, mackerels and barracudas congregate here in large numbers. If the currents are fiercer, the area where you can dive narrows with side currents pushing you towards the middle of the sheer wall. If the currents lessen you can even dive entirely around the rock which even then is still a challenge, because you have to fight against both current and surge..
The amount of fish you see is quiet amazing and during our week there we saw a lot of really large dog tooth tunas, some mobulas (like manta rays, but smaller) and eagle rays, several sharks including hammerheads and twice we just seem to hit a wall of barracudas - great! We also went once out to the Magnet and decided not to dive, because it was too dangerous. The other dive sites are more sheltered, so we went there.


02. Coral Garden
lombok diving, safari and liveaboardsYou dive around two larger rocks with a seriees of smaller rocks which lie on sand. Lot's of soft corals in yellow, orange and purple colors, whip corals, some gorgonians and anemones. We found some nice nudibranchs and shrimps and also saw a school of small barracudas. An easy dive, max. depth about 25m.

03. Wollis Pinnacle
lombok diving, safari and liveaboardsa large rock which top is about 7m below the surface and some more rocks tumbled together and lying on white sand. We saw a black giant frogfish, sharks, ribbon eels and several species of nudibranchs. There is sheltered area with gorgonians, table corals and black corals. An easy but interesting dive, max. depth 19m

04. Gili Sera
lombok diving, safari and liveaboardsthis is a big junk of rock. Underwater it looks like large pieces of the rock fell down and are now litterling the sand all around the island. These rocks are covered with leather corals, sponges and tunicates, but there are some more sheltered areas where table corals and black corals grow. When the currents are not very strong, this is a nice dive site for small animals such as nudibranchs, shrimps, glass fishes, scorpionfishes and even the occasional sea snake, white tip reef shark or ray.

05. The Cathedral
This large pinnacle rises from about 40m to the surface. Only a small rock is visible from the surface and zthe crashing waves fills the upper 5m of water with bubbles. You dive on a steep wall covered with soft corals, sponges and tunicates. There are yellow sea cucumbers everywhere. We encountered two species of sea snakes, the common banded sea krait and I think the turtlehead sea snake (Emydocephalus annulatus). The later has a much larger head and a brown color but also some lighter colored bands.
The swell makes you go up and down a lot - not so good for your ears - and like on the Magnet we actually surfaced from about 10m by swimming away some distance to avoid the swell. For experienced

06. The Highway Dive Site - Sekotong
The extensive reef north of Sekotong is a popular site for morning dives. The reef runs for about 3 km with sidetracks veering off to the right and left. The top of the reef starts at 18m and descends to a sandy bottom at about 32m. A huge variety of species can be found here with abundant pellagics like Jacks, Trevallies, Whitetip Reef Sharks, Rays (including Mantas) and much more.

07.Hadiah Reef Dive Site - Sekotong
This northern reef takes you down to about 26m, and is home to a multitude of colorful reef fish: Lionfish, Sergeantfish, Gobies of all sorts, and an array of Nudibranchs. It's a great night dive destination, as it is home to many Lobsters and Crustaceans. Uh oh, we might get hungry on this one guys!

08.Triology Dive Site - Sekotong
A marvelous reef in the northwest, this dive site still needs to be explored as there are three main routes. So far we have found Shrimp, Ghost pipefish, and Glassfish, Bluespotted rays, Cuttlefish, Moray eels and a lot more. Off the reef in the blue you might see a Whitetip Reef Shark posing for you.

09.Sunken Island Dive Site - Sekotong
This soft slope to the west of Sektong is very popular for relaxed and colorful diving. Groupers, Batfish, Trumpetfish, shy Octopus, and bearded Scorpionfish can be found around the deeper coral blocks. With a little luck you can see Eagle Rays and Mantas cruising out in the blue.

10.Gili Renggit Dive Site - Sekotong
Another favorite in the west is Gili Renggit, as it offers rare species for the macro fan. The corals are alive with Nudibranchs, Ghost pipefish, and colorful Shrimp. Can you find the camouflaged Frogfish? Let the Cleaner Shrimp give you a manicure or teeth cleaning.

11.Stairs to Medang Dive Site - Sekotong
Terracing down from 14m to about 35m this site provides a fascinating underwater landscape where you can experience the Indopacific at it's best with Mantas, different species of Sharks, and plenty of lively reef fish in all colors and sizes. On the top of the plateau Lobsters and Turtles make frequent appearances.

12.Batu Gendang Dive Site - Sekotong
"The drum stone" descends to about 25m with massive blocks giving you the impression of diving a labyrinth. It is the home to Whitetip Reef Sharks, Napoleonfish, and many Sweetlips.

13.Batu Mandi Dive Site - Sekotong
Dive with different species of Sharks, Tuna, Jacks, and Barracudas. Even schools of Eagle Rays are a possibility. Ooh, I hope we get this lucky!