The Gili Islands are located a little south of the equator. They depend on the island of Lombok next to Bali.
These 3 islands, Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan (or Gili T) are known for the richness of their sealife. Thus, they are famous for being very interesting scuba diving (and snorkeling) sites.
The specialty of the Gili Islands: sea turtles
One of the interests of the Gili Islands are sea turtles, they are very abundant and it is very easy to swim and dive with them.
The Gilis are a unique place for turtles, there are very few places where it is so easy to see them in their natural environment.
2 species of turtles are represented:
- green turtles
- hawksbill turtles
To learn to distinguish them, it is easy and explained in this article. Some of the green turtles are enormous in length (+1.5m?) in width and in thickness, especially north of Gili Meno and especially west of Gili Trawangan.
Sharks in the Gili Islands – Pantai Sire
Reef sharks are less numerous. It is common to see them on the sites around Gili Trawangan.
They are less present around Gili Air and Gili Meno.
2 species of sharks are present:
- White tip sharks
- Black tip sharks
White tips are the most frequently encountered when diving because of their lifestyle: hunting at night and sleeping during the day.
Some sites like Halik, Shark point have specific places where the possibilities of seeing them are very strong. Strong currents can make this search difficult.
Black tips are more rarely seen, they hunt during the day so we come across them during their hunt. They rarely stay long enough to divers to be admired for a long time.
The coral reefs of the Gili Islands and Pantai Sire
Some sites have very beautiful coral reefs around the 3 islets and closer to the center at Pantai Sire. Some are also very rich in gorgonians such as Halik and Mirko reef (or Secret garden).
These reefs are frequented by many fish, too many to be all listed: Parrot fish, moray eels, Lion fish, Scorpion fish, schools of Fusilliers, jacks, some groupers, Clownfish, Damselfish, Butterflyfish…
Plus octopus or octopuses, cuttlefish, shrimps and crabs (especially in night diving), mantis etc.
As everywhere, the corals of the Gili Islands are suffering from global warming and tourism, nevertheless many sites still have a preserved reef.
Marine rarities encountered in the Gili
Some marine animals are more rarely encountered in our waters:
- the bamboo shark
- Manta rays
- Whale sharks
In this short film, some examples of the underwater life regularly encountered during our dives around the 3 Gili islands in Lombok in Indonesia
