Diving in the Gilli Islands

[AlMitch]

Tulamben definitely does not have a great beach! But there are one or two more top end resorts that would offer the wife great massages, a beautiful pool and also the snorkeling around Tulamben is not that bad. So if you go just for a few days to get your 'hit' then it may not be to bad, for the wife. Then head up to the Gili's to really rest and relax.
You really need to try and get the missus to become a fellow bubble blower! Then you wont have this headache!!
Oh the other place you should look at for a few days is Padang Bai. There is some great macro there including the Rhinopius! The area around also has some nice little beaches and more things for the wife to do.

 

[dirtfarmer]

My princess gets pretty bored after a week sitting by the pool, doing yoga and getting a massage. We should probably venture off the resort more often to eat at other spots. She did enjoy going to the little bakery and getting us treats. I'm still searching for that dream destination of nice beaches, good restaurants, and great diving that I'm not gone most the day. It's a shame that some of the reefs around the Gillis were blasted to bits by dynamite fishing, they have the wonderful diversity of the Coral Triangle, and dive sites are close by, but the diving is just so-so I'm my opinion. Maybe when I'm an old geezer they'll have grown more and there will be an answer to overfishing and I'll be happy to dive there more

 

[matts1w]

I am still searching for that dream destination, too. Trust me, I have looked and looked, and the Gili Islands are about as close as it gets in Indonesia to keeping divers and non divers happy together. I enjoy the diving there as most of the time I can find good subjects that keep me busy. The water is warm, the currents usually easy, and some days when the water is super blue the Gilis go from good to great. For sure you will get to perfect your turtle and cuttlefish photo technique. There is enough going on to keep non divers happy too: snorkeling, walks, shopping, decent restaurants, a HUGE party scene on Gili T, SUP, surfing, bicycles, yoga, and beach time. Best thing is one goes out for one dive then comes back...no gone all day adventures. The wife appreciates that.

 

[Ardy]

Guys I did not realise that there were others out there looking for the ideal mix of great diving, snorkelling, beaches, hotels, cafe/restaurants and not going to break the bank.

You make my quest more of a crusade and I appreciate that. Knowing that I am not alone will have to be enough (as long as we are not at 60m and both OOA!).

 

[Ardy]

My princess gets pretty bored after a week sitting by the pool, doing yoga and getting a massage. We should probably venture off the resort more often to eat at other spots. She did enjoy going to the little bakery and getting us treats. I'm still searching for that dream destination of nice beaches, good restaurants, and great diving that I'm not gone most the day. It's a shame that some of the reefs around the Gillis were blasted to bits by dynamite fishing, they have the wonderful diversity of the Coral Triangle, and dive sites are close by, but the diving is just so-so I'm my opinion. Maybe when I'm an old geezer they'll have grown more and there will be an answer to overfishing and I'll be happy to dive there more

Dirty: I am an old bastard and the reefs have only gone down hill. Grab your experiences now, it will never be better with 7bn top predators on the planet.

Note: as a positive, I dived in the Solomons about 5 years ago and the regrowth of the coral was amazing to behold and the diversity was also good. Hundreds of sq. kims. had been flattened by a cyclone a few years before.

 

[Snoobles]

Hi! So just got back from both Gili Air and Gili T (we were there in December). So we have also been to Bali many times and also Nusa Lembongan once.... So here is my take as someone who loves a good mix of diving and other things

Gili T - been there twice and love it (my hubby and I are 36 and 45 if that helps)... We dove with Diversea and they ran a good operation. The dives off of Gili T had a mix of macro (the stuff I like) and eagle rays etc bigger creatures and a good reef. We had the dive operation take us to muck dive at the Lombok pier one day and that was some good muck diving (even found some Ray Bans!). The island itself is fun - rent a bike and you can go around the whole island (get the fat tire bike) and just go bar to bar and snack and beer your way around the island. Good options for food and there are resorts in all price ranges (we stayed at Kokomo this time - private villas in the $200USD range, last time Danamai which were beautiful rooms (very european and clean) in the $125 USD range - although close to the mosque so that can wake you up, our friends stayed at Villa Ombok - their room was likely $100ish but i wouldn't stay there - room was dated and the hotel was way too big with poor service). So if your focus is a mix of diving and other things Gili T is a good call. And hotels are anywhere from $5 - $220 or so.. so you can definitely find something to fit your budget. Food is affordable and there are parties almost every night if that is your thing (live bands too). Definitely a european 18-35 age vibe but not age prohibitive

Gili Air - First time there this year - stayed at Gili Air Lagoon Resort - newer resort in the $125 range - service could use a bit of help (think they are working out the kinks) clean and loved the lagoon pool. We didn't dive there but you can and assume it it is similar sites to Gili T. Loved the island vibe here - if you want to relax but still have good food (try Sharkbite or the italian pizza joint in the middle of the island) go here - less tourist vibe but still offers the same amenities as Gili T for the most part (just scaled down)... We definitely will come back because it was great to unwind. Only a 20 min speed boat to Gili T so you can split between the two... This island seemed to have less of the 20 year old party vibe and there is likely 0-1 parties a night there.. so more of a mature vibe. Didn't go to Gili Meno because we were told during December there were a lot of mosquitos.

Nusa Lembongan - granted we did not dive there, but the island itself is kinda basic... We weren't wow-ed by what we heard from the other divers there, and having dove off Bali and they said it was not as good we passed. It sorta has a backpacker feel to it - there are a small handful of nicer resorts, but few. The cool part of going there was to rent a motorbike and go around it and the neighboring islands and just experience the local culture. You could just tack on a day or two from Bali here (30 min ferry from Bali or so).

Bali diving - we only did Amed - the liberty wreck and near there - the wreck is cool. If you are diving somewhere else on your trip like Komodo or Raja, you could do this but I personally wouldn't go out of my way since it is a bit of a drive depending where in Bali you are. Not bad though..

Anyhow hope this helps!

 

[Ardy]

Thanks very much Snoobles. This is exactly what I was looking for.

I've dived Nusa Lembongan and the diving ain't great if you have been under a while. Tulamben is a Favourite of mine and we are off to Amed in April and I will do a couple of day trips to Tulamben for the amazing macro stuff there.

We will go to Gili Islands later this year. Gili Air sounds perfect for us.

 

[Louislelu]

Great thread.

I am planning to go the Gili Islands in august and really want to be able to dive. I am a beginner so priority for me will be to be able to find a great diving school. Any tips are welcome

According to what I have heard there is more diving schools in Gili T compared to Gili Air but the party / drugs atmosphere in Gili T is not at a all what I am looking for.

It means that I am more interested in diving in Gili Air or even better in Gili Meno (not sure if it's possible but I have heard that the island is super quiet).

Regarding Gili Air I have read there Indonesia’s Hidden Gems Part 2: Gili Islands - Tour From Bali that there is a old patrol boat from the Second World War which is now a popolar diving site. Anybody who know about that? Is it hard to access for a beginner?

 

[matts1w]

Great thread.

I am planning to go the Gili Islands in august and really want to be able to dive. I am a beginner so priority for me will be to be able to find a great diving school. Any tips are welcome

Regarding Gili Air I have read there Indonesia’s Hidden Gems Part 2: Gili Islands - Tour From Bali that there is a old patrol boat from the Second World War which is now a popolar diving site. Anybody who know about that? Is it hard to access for a beginner?

Blue Marine on Gili Air are good people. I teach at an international school in Jakarta and we take 30+ kids there every year to train with them. Great owners who hire solid instructors. They truly get it.

The wreck is a pretty big time dive in terms of depth and logistics. Blue Marlin on Gili T offers it to experienced divers with nitrox certification and led by one of their tech instructors and a tech trained divemasters to walk you through dive- 100 cf tanks, the tech guides on doubles, a number of hanging bottles under the boat, very structured bottom & decompression time, etc... Its actually a pretty good experience to "try on" tech diving and see if it is a path one might consider.

 

[adventureswithwill]

Thanks very much Snoobles. This is exactly what I was looking for.

I've dived Nusa Lembongan and the diving ain't great if you have been under a while. Tulamben is a Favourite of mine and we are off to Amed in April and I will do a couple of day trips to Tulamben for the amazing macro stuff there.

We will go to Gili Islands later this year. Gili Air sounds perfect for us.

Lembongan depends on the time of the year, IMO. Last year I had one day of diving with two pods of dolphins, multiple mola mola's, manta's, few turtles and even some Wobbegong sharks. Blue corner is an amazing dive site as well, but you need the right conditions, right operators (some just don't dive it at all) and an experienced group otherwise it's a clusterf***.

I didn't enjoy the Gili's as much. But really depends on what type of diving you want to do, was definitely more laid back but didn't really enjoy it as much and got bored after a few days diving.