Lombok

Lombok Diving Highlights

Scuba diving in Lombok is suitable for all levels of divers, from the very beginner to the most adventurous. Although similar to diving in Bali, Lombok is less developed and the dive sites tend to be quieter. The best-known locations are around the Gili Islands, Gili Air, Gili Meno, Gili Trawangan and some dive sites at South Lombok. The main diving area around the Gili Island is in the north-west coast of Lombok.

Intro To Lombok

Lombok is an island in the West Nusa Tenggara province of Indonesia. It's known for beaches and surfing spots, especially at Kuta and Banko Banko (in south Lombok). The motor-vehicle-free Gili Islands (Gili Trawangan, Gili Air and Gili Meno), located off Lomboks west coast, offer more beaches, reefs for diving and snorkeling, and a sea turtle hatchery. Lombok is also part of the bio-geographical boundary between the fauna of Indo-Malaysia and the distinctly different fauna of Australasia.

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Marine Life & Environment

The marine life includes sharks, dolphins, manta rays, turtles, morays, cuttlefish, octopus, scorpionfish, pipefish, leaf fish, angelfish, etc. Divers will also find stretches of beautiful coral reefs with healthy table corals, sea fans and barrel sponges.

Diving Conditions

• Water Temperature: 23-29C (73-84F)
• Visibility: 10 - 40 m (30 - 120 feet)
• Weather: Temperatures ranging between 21-33C (70-91F)

Top Dive Sites

Here are some of the most popular dive sites around Lombok!

1. Shark Point & Volkers Golf Course - Shark Point east of Gili Trawangan is a popular dive spot in the mornings. This dive site consists of different levels (24m, 20m, 18m); it starts with a slope out of hard and soft corals, the "native country" of green and hawksbill turtles. The different levels are sandy areas with small coral blocks a wide variety of marine life starting with schools of trivially, napoleon fish over white tip reef sharks and rays in the sandy areas.ending up with ribbon eels, leaf fishes and even mantas. Volkers' Golf course is about 500m east of Shark point and starts at a depth of about 30m. It is the best site to see sharks, schools of mackerels and doctor fishes. Because of its depth and the sometimes very strong currents, it is a dive for advanced divers.

2. Meno Wall - Meno Wall in the West of Gili Meno goes down to 18m. You can see a lot of small coral fish like lionfish, soldierfish, gobies, crabs and a lot of wart slugs and nudibranchs coming out of hiding. It is also called Turtle Heaven because of the many resident hawksbill and green turtles.

3. Frog Fish Point - A huge coral block from 5m-18m welcomes you. There are a lot of sandy areas, where the garden eels let off steam and coral is overgrown with anemones and their clownfish. You can find ghost pipefish, frogfish and a lot of scorpion fish.

4. Manta Point - In the rainy season, when the water is rich with plankton, this dive site in the South of Gili Trawangan gives you the best chance to see Manta rays. But even without mantas, you can still see reef sharks and turtles. Malang Reef Underwater canyons create the landscape here with a plateau starting at 10m and dropping down to 40m. Here you can see everything. Mantas, blue spotted stingrays, scorpionfish, lionfish, and white tips have been encountered here as well as spiny lobsters.

5. Hammerhead Sharks - This is a recently discovered dive site in the South. Meet schools of barracudas, mackerels, tunas and various kinds of sharks (including hammerheads), manta rays, eagle rays. All corals are in pristine condition.

6. The Magnet - A pinnacle in the open sea, rising up to the surface from a depth of around 80m. Big, big fish action. You can see schools of mackerel, rainbow runner, tuna and barracuda everywhere. Here you can also see white tips, black tips, grey reef sharks and schooling hammerhead sharks. This site is for advanced divers only.

7. The Cathedral - A pinnacle going down to around 50m. Here many sharks, tunas, mackerels and barracudas can be found. We have seen a school of eagle rays here. At around 40m there is a big cave. For advanced divers only.

8. Nipah Slope - A spectacular slope reaching down to 60m. Between 10m and 25m, there is an array of wonderful corals. A lot of different reef fishes and you might also see white tip reef sharks and turtles with a bit of luck. Various different kinds of shrimp and crab can be found hidden among the corals.

9. Alang-Alang Wall - A wall that begins at 16m and reaches down to 35m. You can see wonderful corals, turtles, sharks and a huge variety of reef fish. Its a perfect spot for night dives.

You can easily get to Lombok from Bali – Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS). Flights to Lombok – Lombok International Airport (LOP) take about 40 minutes. Lombok International Airport is the only airport on Lombok. The airport is 40 km south of Mataram city, around 1 hour 30 minutes drive from Senggigi and 25 minutes from Kuta. Learn more about domestic travel in Indonesia in our helpful guide.

How To Dive Lombok

There are plenty of dive resorts & dive operators available in Lombok, as well as liveaboards operating in the area.

Best Time To Dive Lombok

There are only two seasons there. Dry season from May to October and wet season from November to April. It is advised to avoid going to Lombok in December and January for diving as the heavy rainfall during these months will reduce visibility.

Topside & Non-Diving Activities

• Visit the beautiful natural beaches
• Volcano trekking
• Daily tours
• Surfing
• Biking

• Currency: Indonesian Rupiah
• Language: Indonesian, but English is commonly used at tourism sites
• Time Zone: UTC+8
• Electricity: 230 V 50 Hz