Photo: natary t / Unsplash
Gili Islands
The Gili Islands are three small islands - Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air - off the northwest coast of Lombok, Indonesia, reached by a short boat hop rather than any long crossing. This is one of Southeast Asia's most popular places to learn to dive: courses are cheap, conditions are mostly mild-to-moderate drift, and the vibe is relaxed. The honest draw is turtles. Green and hawksbill turtles are resident and encountered on the large majority of dives across all three islands, with no meaningful seasonal variation. Beyond that it is easy reef and training diving - not big pelagics or dramatic walls. Whitetip and blacktip reef sharks rest on the sand at Shark Point, and the man-made BioRock structures and the 48 Bask/Nest statues at Gili Meno add interest. Manta Point is named for occasional manta and eagle ray sightings in the plankton-rich wet season, but mantas here are unreliable and should not be the reason you come. Water is warm at roughly 27-29C year-round, and most sites are Open Water friendly, though a few deeper drifts (Shark Point, Deep Turbo) suit Advanced divers. Best conditions run April to November in the dry season; July and August are peak and crowded.
What makes it special
- Resident green and hawksbill turtles seen on the large majority of dives, year-round
- Shark Point, where whitetip and blacktip reef sharks rest on the sand at ~25m
- BioRock structures - among the world's largest such sites, over 120 electrified frames grown with coral
- The 48 Bask/Nest human statues by Jason deCaires Taylor at the Gili Meno slope
Price range
$
Trip length
3–7 days
Diver level
Open water
Trip type
Land based, Day trip, Shore dive
Price is per person for a typical trip, excluding international flights ($ = under $2,000).
One of the cheapest places to dive or learn in Southeast Asia. Fun dives commonly run around IDR 500,000-650,000 (~USD 30-40) each, and the PADI Open Water course typically costs IDR 5,000,000-6,900,000 (~USD 320-400). A one-off marine park fee of IDR 100,000 applies. A week land-based with accommodation and diving sits comfortably in the $ tier excluding flights.
Best time to dive
- Current
- Mild
- Water temp
- 27–30°C (coldest Jun, warmest Jan)
- Visibility
- 10–30m — Commonly 15-25m; can exceed 25m in the calm dry season, and drops toward 10-15m in the wet season or after storms and heavy boat traffic.
- Getting there
- Moderate — Reachable but with some friction: 1 domestic flight.
- Experience
- A genuinely beginner-friendly destination. Most sites are Open Water friendly with mild-to-moderate drift; a handful of deeper drift sites such as Shark Point and Deep Turbo (25-30m) are better suited to Advanced Open Water divers, and currents can occasionally pick up.
Nearest airports
- LOP — Lombok International Airport (Praya) (Nearest airport; roughly a 1.5-2h road transfer north to Bangsal harbour, then a 15-20 minute public boat to the Gilis)
- DPS — Ngurah Rai International Airport (Bali) (Common entry via Bali, then a fast boat from Padang Bai (~1.5h) or the Sanur/Serangan ports (~2.5h) direct to Gili Trawangan or Gili Air)
Marine life
Sightings are never guaranteed — the bars show typical likelihood by month.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | rare |
| May | rare |
| June | rare |
| July | rare |
| August | rare |
| September | rare |
| October | rare |
| November | rare |
| December | occasional |
Genuinely unreliable here. Manta Point is named for occasional sightings when the water is plankton-rich in the wet season (roughly December-March), but mantas should not be a reason to choose the Gilis.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident alongside green turtles and encountered year-round; the Gilis are known for reliable turtle sightings rather than big animals.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Common on sandy patches and under coral ledges across the sites; a regular sight on most dives.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Seen singly or in loose groups over the reef drifts; a regular but not guaranteed sighting.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Passes through the drift sites such as Halik and Manta Point; sightings are occasional rather than reliable.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Occasionally seen alongside whitetips at Shark Point and along reef drifts; sightings are not guaranteed.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Hunts along the current-swept drifts such as Halik, often with schooling snapper; occasional rather than resident.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident and one of the two main draws; seen on the majority of dives across all three islands year-round, with no meaningful seasonal variation.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Reliable for macro fans across the reefs and on night dives at Meno Wall; a range of species present year-round.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Seen resting on the sand at Shark Point and occasionally on deeper drifts; present year-round but not on every dive.
Dive sites
Worth knowing before you book
- This is training and fun diving, not big-animal diving - no reliable pelagics, no dramatic walls or deep drop-offs.
- Manta Point rarely delivers mantas; sightings are occasional and mostly limited to the wet season, so don't come for them.
- July and August are crowded - many boats can converge on the same sites, and popular sites get busy with training groups.
- Some shallow reef shows past damage from historical dynamite fishing and bleaching; the BioRock frames are partly a restoration response.
- Boat and swell conditions in the wet season (roughly December-February) can cut visibility and cancel or reroute dives.
Sources & last checked
Checked July 2026
This is a researched draft, not yet human-verified. The seasonality and logistics are drawn from the sources below — confirm specifics (permits, fees, closures) with an operator before you book.
- Best Time Diving around the Gili Islands — Oceans 5 Dive Resort
- Gili Islands Dive Sites — Manta Dive
- Diving in Gili Islands — PADI
- Cost of Scuba Diving in Gili Trawangan (2026 Guide) — Mango Dive
- How to get from Bali to the Gili Islands — Manta Dive
- How to Get from Bali to Gili Trawangan — Gili Tickets
Note on the data: Prices and course fees are typical 2026 operator figures and vary by dive shop. Water temperature is interpolated from published seasonal ranges, not per-month measurements. Site coordinates are approximate island-level positions. Manta seasonality at Manta Point is based on operator reports and is genuinely unreliable. Water temperature: Water is warm and stable at roughly 27-29C all year; the cooler end (27-28C) falls in the dry-season upwelling months of July-September, and month values are interpolated from published seasonal ranges rather than measured per-month averages. Access: Easy access with no long open-water crossing: fly to Lombok (LOP) and drive ~1.5-2h to Bangsal for a 15-20 minute boat, or take a direct fast boat from Bali (~1.5-2.5h across the Lombok Strait). Independently verified 2026-07-20 (confidence high).