The Gili Islands of northern Lombok (Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air) are famous for their many turtles. It is normal to come across up to 10-20 per dive or snorkeling tours. Some turtles could be huge. Two species of turtles frequent our waters all year round: green turtles and hawksbill turtles.
Sharks are also easy to encounter, especially around Gili Trawangan. Some dive sites are more favorable such as: Shark point (of course), Sunset/Manta point, Halik and the Glenn Nusa wreck. However, it is also possible to come across sharks around Gili Air and Gili Meno.
A new dive site for sharks is the wreck Glenn Nusa
Since 2016, there is a new wreck on the west of Gili Trawangan, the Glenn Nusa, a boat bought and sunk by the dive centers of the area.
Now, there are often white tip reef sharks on the bottom near the wreck (and a school of fish). This dive site is only for Advanced divers or more, because the depth is 30m.
This wreck is only accessible if the sea is calm and in particular without a strong current. Indeed, it is a little offshore on a sandy bottom, in case of too strong current, it is difficult to reach this wreck (nothing indicates it on the surface, the buoys are systematically stolen) and impossible to enjoy it once there.
Species of sharks in Gili islands – Lombok
Two species of sharks are easy to spot in the Gili islands: Whitetip reef sharks and Blacktip reef sharks.
Bamboo shark lives also here, but it is rare to see it.
And if you are lucky, you can see a Whale shark.
Here a short video with some sharks of the Gilis. You can watch more diving video on our channel.