Note I said Gili Air is my favorite place when traveling with non-divers. There is tons to do there: water sports, great restaurants, bars, a small party scene, yoga, sandy beaches, warm and clear water, and an awesome vibe. The party scene increases ten-fold on Gili T if that is your thing.
Is the coral subpar to Lembongan and macro less than Tulamben? Yes. But one can go out for a dive and be back in under two hours to be with the significant other. And FWIW, when the water is right dives on sites like Simon's Reef and Shark Point can be every bit as beautiful as some Bali sites. Sometimes a leisurely dive in blue warm water with a bunch of turtles beats the heck out of flying at 50 mph over Nusa Penida coral in freezing water and not seeing anything. In the Gilis you will see more turtles than you can imagine, decent macro, and a good share of white tip sharks. Heck, I have spent ten minutes with a six meter whale shark off Gili T. I have pics to prove it.
Below are a couple of Facebook albums. I take a bunch of 9th graders there for Open Water class every year so pictures are not the priority, but you get the idea.
In short, it is a great compromise when understanding that non-divers are second class citizens at the best places in Indonesia.
Matthew Schafer
Matthew Schafer