Snorkelling and Diving in Lombok: The Complete Guide to Spots and How to Choose

Information as of August 2026

If you have snorkelled or dived in Bali, you may well be wondering what the sea is like around Lombok and the Gili Islands. As we explain in Lombok: The Complete Guide to Getting There, Climate and Highlights, Lombok is less developed than Bali, and many areas still have relatively healthy coral reefs and marine ecosystems. In this article, based on publicly available information, we set out the visibility, marine life, beginner-friendliness and typical prices for mainland Lombok, the Gili Islands (Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air), and the “Secret Gilis” off Sekotong where we are based (Gili Nanggu and others).

An overview of sea conditions and spots around Lombok

The areas around Lombok where you can snorkel and dive fall broadly into three groups: the Gili Islands (north-west), the islands off Sekotong (south-west) and the coast of mainland Lombok. Each differs in how the currents run, in depth and in how developed it is, so let’s start with an overview in a comparison table.

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Area	Well-known spots	Character	For beginners
Gili Islands	Turtle Heaven, Halik, Shark Point and others	High chance of meeting turtles; dive shops are concentrated here, so it is easy to book	Excellent (many beginner-friendly spots)
Off Sekotong (the Secret Gilis)	Gili Nanggu, Gili Gede, Gili Sudak and others	Few visitors and quiet. Many spots are shallow with gentle currents, but it varies by island	Good to excellent (varies by island)
Mainland Lombok coast	Some beaches in the south, and others	Spots are scattered and easily affected by terrain and swell	Fair (you need to choose your spot)

Note: A guide based on generally available information (as of August 2026).

For an overview of the Sekotong area where we are based, see our Sekotong Complete Guide: A Hidden Corner of South-West Lombok. Reading it alongside this article will give you a clearer picture of how the whole area fits together.

Figure: Sea conditions around Lombok, area by area

Diving and snorkelling spots in the Gili Islands

The waters around Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air have the highest concentration of dive shops in the Lombok area. According to published information, green turtles and hawksbill turtles are abundant here, and the high chance of meeting turtles is said to be the area’s biggest draw. The main well-known spots are as follows.

Turtle Heaven is a beginner-friendly spot that is shallow with gentle currents, where you are said to have a good chance of seeing turtles. Halik is one of the most popular sites around the three Gilis, where you can see reef sharks, turtles, clownfish, octopus and more, and it is described as a site that also caters for try dives (Discover Scuba Diving). Shark Point, on the other hand, is deeper with stronger currents; you can see whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, but it is said to be for certified divers. Conditions change from day to day depending on the currents, so it seems the choice of site on the day is often left to the dive shop.

The best season is said to be September to November, when weather and visibility tend to be stable, although some sources say that even in the rainy season from November to April the rainfall itself is not that heavy. Sea conditions do change more easily in the rainy season, however, so we recommend checking the latest conditions beforehand.

Snorkelling the “Secret Gilis” off Sekotong

Small islands such as Gili Nanggu, Gili Gede, Gili Sudak and Gili Tangkong are scattered off the coast of Sekotong, and because so few tourists visit, they are known as the “Secret Gilis”. Compared with the Gili Islands in the north-west, such as Gili Trawangan, they are much less developed, and still relatively few people join day tours here.

Gili Nanggu in particular is said to be the most highly rated spot in the area, with relatively healthy coral and schools of fish. It is shallow with gentle currents, so it is described as suitable for beginners and first-time snorkellers. It is easily affected by the tide, however, and visibility changes with the time of day; some sources say visibility is better early in the morning. Gili Gede is described as a small sand-spit island also known as “Honeymoon Island”, with dive sites dotted around it. Gili Sudak has a reef running along the shore and is said to suit beginners, while there are reports that Gili Kedis is a small island with part of its reef damaged, so it is worth understanding in advance that sea conditions differ from island to island.

In published information, the dive sites off Sekotong are also described as an area home to many of the world’s coral species and a wide variety of fish, and some divers come for turtles, seahorses, nudibranchs and other macro life. There are beginner-friendly features such as gentle sandy slopes starting at around 5 metres, but some sites are drift (current) dives, so it is important to choose sites in consultation with your guide according to your experience.

Try dives versus certification courses

If you have never dived before, it helps to know the difference between a try dive (Discover Scuba Diving) and a certification course (such as PADI Open Water).

A try dive is a program you can join without any qualification, with an instructor accompanying you one-to-one or in a small group. It usually takes about half a day, and the common format is a short briefing followed by one or two dives in the sea. A certification course, on the other hand, is a program of about three to four days including theory, practice in a pool or shallow water, and open-water dives. When you complete it you receive an international certification such as PADI or SSI, and can then join fun dives anywhere in the world. Even if you have done something similar in Bali, the same applies here: whether you are certified determines how many dives you can do and how freely you can choose sites.

If you are already certified, you will join regular guided dives from the shop’s boat as “fun dives”. Many shops seem to offer packages where the price per dive drops if you book several dives together.

Typical prices and the best season

Prices vary by shop and season, and by whether equipment and meals are included. Below is a rough guide based on published information. When you actually book, always check the latest prices with each shop.

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Program	Guide price (IDR)	Typical duration
Secret Gilis snorkelling day tour	Please check the official website	Please check the official website
Try dive (Discover Scuba Diving)	Please check the official website	Please check the official website
PADI Open Water course	Please check the official website	Please check the official website
Fun dive (per dive, certified divers)	Please check the official website	Per dive

Note: A guide based on published information from dive shops around Gili Trawangan. Prices in the Sekotong area may be structured differently (as of August 2026).

As a rough guide to the best season, April to October, the dry season, is said to bring generally stable weather and good conditions for both snorkelling and diving. September to November in particular is often described as a time when visibility tends to be good around the Gili Islands. Conversely, in the rainy season from November to April, sea conditions and visibility deteriorate more easily, and tours are sometimes cancelled because of wind and waves. When deciding when to travel, it is reassuring to check the weather forecast just before you go as well.

What beginners should know

Whether around Lombok, the Gili Islands or off Sekotong, not every day brings good conditions. Here are the points worth knowing before you take part.

Summary

The appeal of the sea around Lombok is the wide range of options, from the classic Gili Islands sites to the “Secret Gilis” off Sekotong. For beginners, a comfortable approach is to start with snorkelling or a try dive that needs no certification, then take on a certification course once you feel at home. Visibility and sea conditions change with the season and time of day, so we recommend planning with the best-season guide and the day’s sea conditions in mind. We at Semelar Beach Village also plan to keep updating our information on the sea around Sekotong as we check conditions on site.

Sources for this article

• PADI, “Diving in the Gili Islands” (chance of meeting turtles, best season) (as of August 2026)
• Mango Trawangan, “Best Dive Sites in Gili Trawangan” and “Cost of Scuba Diving in Gili Trawangan” (site characteristics, typical prices) (as of August 2026)
• Snorkel Around The World, “Gili Nanggu, Sudak and Kedis Island Hopping” (snorkelling in the Secret Gilis) (as of August 2026)
• We Seek Travel, “Secret Gili Islands” (access, island entry fees) (as of August 2026)
• The High Dive Indonesia, “Top Reef Dives Gili Gede & Asahan” (marine ecosystems at dive sites off Sekotong) (as of August 2026)