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The Northern Islands of Lombok
There are three small islands in the north of Lombok,
Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan. From
Senggigi it takes about 30 minutes by car and 30
minutes by boat to reach these islands. The coastway
to the boat has very nice views where we can stop to
take pictures. The islands are surrounded by white
sandy beaches. Local transport on these islands is
provided by horse carts and bicycles. There are many
accommodations; bungalows, hotels and resorts around
the islands. Gili Trawangan is the best island to go
for party-nightlife. But all the islands also have
very quiet places.
Dive sites Gili Meno
Meno Slope
Meno slope is one of the easy dive sites for
beginners. Here you can see many types of soft and
hard coral, ( Seriatoporahystrix, Stylopora,
Acropara, Fungia ) and a variety of fish. There is a
chance that we see Pygmy Sea Horses, Cuttlefish,
White Tip Sharks ( Triaenodon Obesus ) etc. The
water condition is 28°C and the Visibilty is around
25 meters, depending on the season
Meno Wall
Meno Wall is very famous for night dives. There is
also a variety of fish like Sweet Lips (
Plectorhinchus ), Turtles, Napoleon Wrasse, Grouper
and Nudibranches etc.
Meno Bounty
wreck
The wreck is covered with soft coral and also harder
coral ( Acropora Florida, Acropora Pormosa, Acropora
Nobilis ). There is also a variety of fish, The
depth is around 13-16 meter. Visibilty is always
good here: around 20 meters. The fish families you
can find here are Sweet Lips ( Haemulidae ),
Angelfish ( Pomacanthidae ) and Clownfish (
Amphiprioninae ).
Dive sites Gili Trawangan
Shark Point
This is one of the Gili’s most popular dive sites,
it is normally done as a drift dive heading towards
the point at the center of Gili Trawangan’s western
coast. You can dive at three levels. There are
places for deep dives, midwater drifts and shallow
dives.
Bannerfish and Moorish Idols decorate the reef with
their high contrast black and yellow bodies. You’ll
see them moving around the coral formations. Look
for schools of Jackfish or Trevallyfish at the
current-swept point, as well as Reef Sharks and
occasional Rays.
A Mobula’s head is similar to a Manta’s head, but
its mandibles are closer together.
Most divers end this dive along the upper reef flats
before the tip of the point. Carry a safety balloon,
as the currents can drift of divers off the point
into the open sea. Cuttlefish, blue-spotted
stingrays, turtles, chromis, basslets and other
colorful reef fish live in this area’s shallow
water.
Halik reef
The assorted bommie-coral and low-growing coral
garden lead you to a slope with nice coral
formations, filled with Solder and Copper
Sweeper-fish. We can also see a wide range of Green
Turtles and Hawksbill Turtles (Chelonia Mydas and
Eretmochely Imbricata) eating Hydroids (a water
animal that looks a bit like a plant).
Tropical fish, soft coral and see fans coral add a
lot of color of the dive site. Look for the larger
camouflaged stonefish (Scorpaenidae), watch for
small critters, including the nudibranches and
Tridacna Squamosa clams. There are also white tip
reef sharks and giant Trevallies.
Coral Fan
This site got its name for its abundance of large,
white-polyped Gorgonian fan-coral with bright-red
skeletons. They grow on the big coral bommies of
this sites shallow reeftop.
You’ll find other types of hard coral spread along
the bottom at 5 to 7 meters, surrounded by lots of
reef and tropical fish. Small Copper Sweepers
especially like to swim here. The shallow corals and
colorful fish life makes Coral Fan a good choice for
snorkeling in the Gilis.
As diver you often see Titan Triggerfish and Clown
Triggerfish on this site’s outside wall, which drops
from 8 to 30 meters. The strong current that feeds
the wall’s healthy coral and fans make drift dives
the order of the day. The slopes have varied fish
life, including a good selection of Scorpionfish, so
be careful where you put your hands.
Manta Point
Manta Point is generally an easy dive site,
sometimes the current gives you a fine drift. The
best season to see Mantas, is from March to May,
though February and June also offer good
possibilities to see them. Mantas can be seen
sporadically year-round. 17 Mantas have been seen
here at one time.
The nutrients carried into the water by runoff from
land, make the mantas more active. So, the lower
visibility that divers may encounter during the
rainy months of November and December can actually
be a blessing in disguise.
Even if you don’t see mantas, this is a rewarding
site for divers of all abilities. You’ll see lobster
and moray eels in the rocky parts of the reef. Look
also for cuttlefish hovering over the corals,
flashing their brilliant colors. The cuttlefish’s
ability to camouflage itself is incredible. It is
even able to mimic the reddish algae found along the
bottom here.
You can also see the sleeping white tip reef sharks
around the bommie coral. It’s around 17 meters deep.
This is the best place to see the Acropora reef
Meno wall
Divers drop into the channel between Trawangan and
Meno and descend to the wall that drops from 6 meter
to 27 meter. Look for white tip sharks sleeping in
the sand in the channel.
The wall’s north end is an excellent place to see
Green Turtles and Hawksbill Turtle and we also can
see other colorful fish around like big eyes
Mandarinfish and also a lot of Nudibranch, Lionfish,
Chromis and sported Rays.
Meno wall is the best place to do night dive around
the Gilis because here we can see all kinds of
nocturnal activities. Sleeping fish rest in coral
and rocky holes. Also it’s a good place to see
things like Nudibranch, Spanish dancer lobster and
crab.
Meno Slope
A drift dive along Meno slope is usually quite a joy
ride. You will drop into the channel between Gili
Trawangan and Gili Meno and descend to the bottom of
the sloping reef at 22m. The average depth for the
rest of the dive will be 16m, so this site is
perfect for all certification levels. Towards the
end of this dive site you will find yourself
exploring the Bounty pontoon wreck. The sunken
pontoon is a large intact structure at 12 meters
full of interesting marine life and schools of reef
fish. On and around the pontoon you will find a
variety of scorpion fish and lion fish, along with
various Nudibranchs and the odd turtle. Along the
sloped reef you find an array of hard and soft
corals with healthy amount of fish life to keep you
entertained. It is common to spot Eagle rays,
Turtles, Snapper, Triggerfish, Moray eels, Banded
sea snakes, White tip reef sharks and Giant
Trevallies.
The east of Lombok
Salut Drop-off
Near Gili Lawang is the drop-off area Salut
Drop-off. This is a dive site from 4 until 40 meters
deep.
There is a lot of hard and soft coral, like brancish
and tabulate coral, in this area, of which 85% is
intact. Also you can see a lot of Acropora coral. On
the bottom you can see a lot of shrimps and crabs,
because around the island is a lot of mangrove. It’s
a good place to do a night dive. At Salut Drop-off
you can find different kinds of sponge. The current
can be quite strong. But you can also see a lot of
big fish like Barracuda, Parrot fist and White-Tip
Shark. We often survey this area for marine
monitoring.
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