Gili Islands
The Gili Islands are suitable for all divers irrespective of expertise and reveal a whole, colorful underwater world.
Lombok, nestled in the West Nusa Tenggara region of Indonesia, offers a remarkable diving experience that blends untouched exploration with popular destinations like the renowned Gili Islands. The island's diverse underwater landscapes, from vibrant coral reefs to thrilling muck dives, provide something for every diver, whether a novice or an expert. In Senggigi, divers can explore rugged north coast muck dives and share the waters with curious sea turtles at the Gili Islands, all a short distance from Lombok’s international airport.
In the southwest, Seketong is a haven for critter enthusiasts, home to pygmy seahorses, frogfish, and ghost pipefish. The pristine coral reefs of the 'South Gilis'—Gili Asahan, Gede, and Ringgit—invite divers to uncover their wonders. Meanwhile, the adrenaline-pumping dive sites of Belongas Bay offer the rare chance to encounter both scalloped and great hammerhead sharks. With such diverse marine life and breathtaking underwater environments, Lombok stands out as an exceptional dive destination year-round, although the visibility may slightly drop during the rainy months of December and January.
Lombok’s mostly unexplored North coast is a good place for underwater photographers to head out with their cameras. Along the rugged coastline you’ll find a number of muck dives with varied topography, ranging from slopes to flat sandy bottoms. Combine these sites with those found at Seketong in the south west and it’s a macro divers haven. During pristine coral reef dives, search soft corals for the more unusual creatures of the deep.
Also in South Lombok, Belongas Bay features dive sites with towering pinnacles and enormous boulders. Within exhilarating dives you can find yourself drifting along slopes, short walls and interesting rock formations as you overlook deep drop-offs that seem to go on for miles. At the Gili Islands of Trawangan, Air and Meno you can experience easy reef dives, perfect for those planning to undertake dive courses, or drift dive along admiring the Gili’s impressive underwater scenery.
Lombok diving has a number of different dive locations which all showcase varied marine life - making diving here that much more exciting. The Gili Islands reefs are teeming with life and are host to black and white-tip reef sharks, hawksbill turtles, olive ridley turtles, lionfish, scorpion fish, cuttlefish and octopus, moray eels, sea snakes as well as the blue-spotted and eagle rays. From December through to March manta rays can make an appearance and under the light of the full moon bumphead parrotfish school. Dive resorts on The Gilis often witness dolphins and whales playing in the distance.
Belongas Bay in the far south is the place to seek out pelagics. Joining you in relentless currents you’ll spot hammerhead sharks, mobula rays, eagle rays and white-tip reef sharks. If you’re able to stay in one place long enough to investigate the soft corals, keen-eyed divers may see orangutan and porcelain crabs. Relaxed dive sites ideal for hunting out the ‘small stuff’ can be found around Seketong. Guides experienced in the area will help you to find pygmy seahorse, ghost pipefish and frogfish among the colourful reefs. At the less explored northern coastline of Lombok you can also unearth ghost pipefish, blue ribbon eel and rare nudibranch in sandy seabeds.
Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 200
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 300
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 28
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 130
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 40
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 90
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 12
Lombok offers year-round diving opportunities with optimal conditions during the dry season from May to September. During this period, the waters, especially in South Lombok, are cooler and clearer, with temperatures ranging from 26°C–29°C/79°F–84°F. Visibility is excellent, making it an ideal time for divers to explore the underwater scenery.
From March to June, conditions are mild, with the best water temperature and visibility. However, outside these months, surface conditions can become choppier, and the water may cool. Despite this, July and August are prime times to witness hammerhead sharks schooling, while eagle rays are most commonly spotted between August and September. Therefore, while diving is possible throughout the year, the best experiences are during the highlighted months.