Guide to Diving in the Gili Islands, Indonesia

The Gili Islands may not have mountains or waterfalls, but the underwater scene is another story. Compared to diving in Bali, the small size of the Gili Islands plays a huge advantage.  You can move swiftly from one diving spot to another without literally breaking a sweat. Here’s a general picture of the diving spots in the Gilis.

What about the best time to dive in the Gili Islands? Well, this cheat sheet should give you a rough idea about the diving conditions in the three Gilis.

Forget the great white sharks terrorizing people like in the movie at Shark Point. Instead, you can see blacktip and whitetip sharks patrolling alongside giant trevally and dogtooth tuna at the deeper end of the underwater canyon. In the shallow end (8-16 meters), the coral plateau is full of hard and soft corals in different sizes, shapes, and colors. Beyond the harmless reef sharks and pelagic fish, you often see the Hawksbill and green turtles resting on the coral crevices, making Shark Point one of the best diving spots in Gili Trawangan.

Lower your expectations to see manta rays at Manta Point—unless you dive during the rainy season. As plankton is abundant during the wet season, so are the manta rays. With luck on your side, you will spot 10-20 manta rays in one sighting. But scuba diving in the dry season still packs a lot of punch in Gili Trawangan even without a group of manta rays. The sandy slope and bottom at Manta Point are full of staghorn corals, and you may see the turtles lying around. However, the scattered coral bommies highlight other marine life such as ribbon eels, lionfish, triggerfish, and spiny lobsters.

If you're obsessed with coral reefs, you can’t find a better diving spot in Gili Trawangan than Halik Reef. Starting at 6 meters, as far as the eye can see, you will see massive barrel sponges, Gorgonian sea fans, table and staghorn corals in striking colors. The incredible multi-tiered topography, going as deep as 40 meters, makes it possible for you to witness the agility of eagle rays (the sister of manta rays), scorpionfish, giant trevallies, and bumphead parrotfish. Macro enthusiasts will be happy to see porcelain crabs and frogfish playing hide and seek in the corals.

Despite its strong currents, Deep Turbo is the epic diving you need in Gili T. Reserved only for advanced divers (and not the faint-hearted), the unique turbo-shaped pinnacle extends to more than 35 meters. It is covered in massive coral sea mounds in various colors and shapes. Keep your eyes around the Gorgonian sea fans, as the pygmy seahorses and nudibranch will play peek-a-boo with you. Starting at 16 meters, the large school of batfish and red-tooth triggerfish will swarm your vision. Going deeper, you will encounter the blue-spotted ribbontail rays (don’t ever come close as their tails are venomous), barracudas, and reef sharks.

Japanese Wreck, or Jap-Wreck, is a historical buff’s dream diving spot in Gili Air. The wreck lies 45 meters on a sandy bottom, and is a Japanese patrol boat from World War II. And 70 years after it got sunk, hard and soft corals have made the wreck their place to thrive. But not everyone can dive here. Often used for decompression scuba diving in Gili Air, you need at least 30 hours of diving, an advanced open water and a Nitrox certification to explore the wreck sites. Sometimes, reef sharks appear, but expect to spot large groupers, scorpionfish, frogfish, and nudibranch at this incredible diving spot in Gili Air.

Planning your diving trip to Gili T, Gili Air, or Gili Meno is straightforward … if you know when to go. So, when should you gear up for underwater exploration?

• Dry Season (April to October)

The best period ever! Clear weather, excellent visibility, and if macro photography is your thing, you will get the best shot! The water temperature is warm, as it rarely falls below 27°C, and your visibility can go as far as 30 meters in May to June. You get to see plenty of hawksbills, green turtles, and reef sharks, and the coral reef looks vibrant under the sun, which penetrates the water’s surface.

• Rainy Season (November to March)

Indeed, it is not an ideal period, as your trip may get canceled due to the weather. But beyond the limited visibility, rough sea surfaces, lots of rain, and stronger currents, the rainy season brings abundance of plankton and attracts fewer people. And it only means that your chance to see manta rays and whale sharks is high. The water temperature always stays within the 26°C to 27°C range.

• Peak Season (July to August)

We get that not everyone has the privilege to travel off-season. But July and August are full of people, even outside the water. While the visibility remains excellent and the weather is superb, you will see more divers, especially in popular dive sites like Shark Points and Turtle Points. Avoid coming to the dive center without prior booking.

The hefty price tag the Gili Islands have to pay for their underwater beauty is the environmental threat. That’s why a non-profit organization like Gili Eco Trust aims to preserve the marine ecosystem through different initiatives. Bio Rock is one of the projects they champion to restore the reef around the Islands. Gili Eco Trust also raises awareness by educating the children and local communities about the importance of the coral ecosystem.

Gili Eco Trust also organizes weekly beach clean-ups every Friday at 5 PM, perfect if you’re looking for a non-party activity to spend your holiday. For sports lovers, Gili Eco Trust hosts an annual triathlon fundraiser. You swim for 600 meters, cycle for 5 kilometers, and run for 7 kilometers in Gili Trawangan.

There’s so much to unpack when diving in the Gili Islands. But we’ve got you covered with these practical tips and infos to make your diving experience memorable.

• Equipment. Unless you want to bring your own, the regulators, BCDs, wetsuits, masks, fins, and tanks are included in the dive tour. Please always wear wetsuits because there’s a chance for thermoclines and upwellings that cause the water temperatures to drop in deeper dives.

• Fee. You need to pay an IDR 150K fee to dive in the Gili Islands. The cost is for the Gili Eco Trust and marine park fee because the three islands are part of the Gili Matra Marine Natural Recreation Park.

• Accessibility. Most dive sites are offshore, so you must go by boat first. It’s essential to understand how to read the current and buoyancy control.

• No touch policy. Touching marine animals is a no-no. No matter how adorable they are, please never touch them, even if they seem harmless.

Follow your diving master. The diving masters know the waters around the Gili Islands like the back of their hands. Always follow their instructions and judgments for your safety.