Lombok & Gili Islands

Lombok sits east of Bali across the deep Lombok Strait. Most diving happens around the three small Gili Islands off its north-west coast – Trawangan, Meno and Air – inside the Gili Matra marine park: easy, warm drift dives with turtles on almost every dive, reef sharks, Biorock restoration reefs, a sunken pier and good macro. The south-west is quieter: the 'Southern Gilis' off the Sekotong peninsula (Gili Asahan, Gede, Rengit, Poh) offer calm coral and critter diving, while Belongas Bay on the exposed south coast has the Magnet and the Cathedral, offshore pinnacles with strong currents, surge and seasonal schooling hammerheads.

Facts

Best season: Gilis: year-round; April–November is drier with the best visibility, January–March is reported as the best manta window. Belongas Bay: roughly March–November, hammerheads at the Magnet June–September (peak July–September)
Water temperature: Gilis 27–30 °C; south Lombok cooler – at the Magnet it can drop to about 20–21 °C in hammerhead season
Visibility: Gilis 25–30 m in the dry season, 10–25 m in the rainy season; Belongas Bay 10–20 m
Getting there: Fly to Lombok (LOP), then ~2 h by road to Bangsal/Teluk Kodek and a short boat to the Gilis, or ~1.5 h to Belongas; fast boats from Bali (Padang Bai, Serangan, Sanur) take ~1.5–3 h – check current schedules and fares
Permit/fees: Gili Matra marine park fee (Rp 100,000 per calendar year at time of writing) plus a one-time reef tax for the Gili Eco Trust at Gili Indah Dive Alliance shops – check current amounts
Currents: Gilis: tide-driven and changeable, most dives are drifts; Belongas Bay: strong currents, surge and downcurrents with negative entries – Advanced Open Water and current experience required

Season

Best months: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
Acceptable: Mar, Nov
Poor: Dec, Jan, Feb
Water temperature: 26–29 °C

The dry season (about April to October) is best around the Gilis and Lombok. Big animals (hammerheads) are reported June to November and mola mola June to August at Belongas Bay. Few direct sources; winter months are estimated from the wet season.

Dive sites (30)

Gili Air

Air Wall – 8–30 m, intermediate
Hans Reef – 5–25 m, beginner
Japanese Wreck – 40–45 m, advanced

Sekotong & Southern Gilis

Bangko-Bangko – 10–30 m, advanced
Batu Belandra – 5–25 m, beginner
Gili Nanggu – 2–5 m, beginner
Gili Poh – 5–20 m, beginner
Gili Rengit – 5–30 m, beginner
Lighthouse (Sekotong) – 5–25 m, intermediate
Stairs of Medang – 5–30 m, intermediate
The Canyon (Sekotong) – 5–30 m, intermediate

Gili Meno

Batu Belah – 18–40 m, advanced
Bounty Wreck – 5–18 m, beginner
Hidden Reef – 12–35 m, beginner
Meno Slope – 3–22 m, beginner
Meno Wall – 5–30 m, beginner
Simon's Reef – 18–40 m, advanced
Turtle Heaven – 10–30 m, beginner

Belongas Bay

Belongas Coral Garden – 5–25 m, beginner
Gili Sarang – 5–40 m, intermediate
The Cathedral – 10–60 m, advanced
The Magnet – 15–40 m, advanced

Gili Trawangan

Biorock (Gili Trawangan) – 3–25 m, beginner
Coral Fan – 5–30 m, beginner
Deep Turbo – 16–32 m, advanced
Glenn Nusa Wreck – 22–30 m, advanced
Halik – 5–40 m, beginner
Shallow Turbo – 5–18 m, beginner
Shark Point – 6–30 m, intermediate
Sunset Reef – 5–22 m, beginner

Operators (10)

Trawangan Dive – dive centre, Gili Trawangan
Manta Dive – resort, Gili Trawangan (east coast, by the harbour)
Blue Marlin Dive – resort, Gili Trawangan (also Gili Meno, Gili Air, Senggigi and Kuta Lombok)
Gili Divers – dive centre, Gili Trawangan and Gili Air
Dream Divers – resort, Gili Trawangan and Gili Air
Divine Divers – resort, Gili Meno (west coast)
Oceans 5 – resort, Gili Air (harbour)
Gili Air Divers – dive centre, Gili Air (west coast)
Dive Dude Belongas – resort, Belongas Bay, south-west Lombok
Belongas Bay Lodge – resort, Belongas Bay (Dusun Pangsing, Sekotong), south-west Lombok

Routes (6)

Site positions are approximate unless marked otherwise and are for orientation only — never for navigation. Always dive with a local guide; conditions change with tide and season.