Snorkeling the crystal-clear azure waters around the Gili Islands should be on everyone’s bucket list – a must-do life experience. All three of the Gili Islands offer idyllic conditions for snorkeling right off the beautiful picture-postcard beaches. The coral gardens around the islands teem with marine life, including butterfly fish, neon damselfish, sergeant-major damselfish, pufferfish, clownfish, anemonefish, zebra lionfish, mantis shrimp, black sea urchins, nudibranchs, moray eels, sea stars, green turtles, hawksbill turtles, and both black-tipped and white-tipped reef sharks.

Perhaps the best of the Gilis for snorkeling is Gili Meno, not least because of its peaceful, romantic atmosphere, laid-back feel and beaches free from partying. It’s perfect for drift snorkeling, where you enter the water at the top of the reef and just let the natural current take you all the way along it, and it has the famous Nest installation of underwater statues. But all three Gili Islands offer excellent snorkeling opportunities.

To get there, take the best, most professional, safe, modern and comfortable fast boat service to the Gili Islands with Bluewater Express. Depart from Serangan or Padang Bai twice a day, and be in the first port or call, Gili Trawangan, in an hour and a half. Book your trip here: https://bluewater-express.com or with klook.com here https://www.klook.com/en-US/activity/24240-fast-boat-padang-bai-gili-trawangan-ticket-bali/

Snorkeling Gili Meno

You can find great snorkeling spots all round Gili Meno.

Here are some options:

1 Go drift snorkeling on the west coast, letting the current take you the length of the reef. This is where the famous underwater statues can be found. The wreck of the Bounty can be seen at the far south-western end of the island. Two good places to enter the water from the beach are at the Mahamaya Restaurant and Diana Café.

The Gili Meno Statues

Just off the west coast of Gili Meno is an installation of 48 life-size statues of couples embracing, created by the sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor and called Nest. Commissioned by BASK, the eco-resort on the beachfront where the statues can be found, they were made from casts of real men and women, and are arranged in a circle to signify the circle of life.

While the statues are a great snorkeling attraction, they also serve a serious ecological purpose. They have been designed to help coral grow, and to create over time a new reef, with the statues embedded in it. To enable this, they have been made from pH-neutral environmental-grade concrete. The plan is for them to become covered by corals, helping to improve the local reef ecosystem and increase its biodiversity. 40% of the world’s coral reefs have been lost in recent decades; Nest is one small part of the ongoing attempt to halt and reverse that decline.

(See this article on the Gili Eco Trust to find out more about growing and rewilding coral reefs on the Gili Islands.)

In Jason deCaires Taylor’s own words, “First and foremost Nest is an environmental space. The figures are arranged in a circular formation as an echo of the circle of life, and they will soon teem with life. Soft corals and sponges should flourish quickly paving the way for delicate hard corals and a fully established reef. But Nest is also a bridge between the human and marine worlds. It’s accessible to anyone and is just a short swim from a beach open to all. I hope people will visit it both as a piece of art and as an entrance point to the underwater world.”

Some tips about snorkeling the Nest installation (usually referred to as the Gili Meno Statues):

·         To find the installation, just look for the huge BASK sign on the beach. The statues are 100 metres out from there.

·         Wear water shoes. The water from the beach to the installation is shallow and full of dead, bleached coral.

·         There’s a strong current at a reef drop-off nearby that you need to be aware of, where the sea turns a deeper blue and the sea floor drops away. Beginner snorkelers need to be careful that they don’t get pulled away by the current.

·         Be aware that it’s forbidden to touch the statues, as that will damage the new-growth of corals and sponges that are already starting to colonise the installation.

·         Given their popularity with tourists, and the large number of arranged snorkeling tours, the site can be crowded at times. If you go at dawn or sunset you will be much more likely to see the statues without a throng of other people. The best sunset views on Gili Meno are a 20-minute walk away from the statues to the north, so combining the two is a perfect experience.

 

From the Nest installation you can then let the current take you down to the Coral Garden, a popular spot full of colourful corals and marine life.

2 Visit Turtle Heaven on the north coast. This large underwater mound filled with beautiful corals is a haven for turtles. They rest on the sea floor and you can watch as they come up for air.

3 To the north-east is another turtle-spotting area called Turtle Point. You can find it by going to the Warung Bungalows and then walking out to sea from there.

4 Just to the north of the pier on the east coast of Gili Meno you can find another rich and beautiful Coral Garden, with a wide variety including lettuce, branch, stony, table and  brain coral. The diversity of wildlife includes moray eels and sea stars. A good place to enter the water here is near the Karma Reef hotel.

 

Snorkeling Gili Trawangan

There are coral reefs nearly all the way round Gili Trawangan, the exception being at the harbour, but some of them are not so easy to reach, and more suitable for scuba diving expeditions. However, there are also excellent spots to go snorkeling right off the beach on Gili Trawangan, particularly if you dream of swimming with green turtles.

The place to see turtles while snorkeling from the beach on Gili Trawangan is on the north-east side of the island, at a spot called Turtle Point. From the wide sandy beach you can swim out to a coral reef surrounded by seagrass, all in three or four metres of clear water. Just beyond this reef the sea floor drops away into deeper waters. Be aware of the possibility of strong currents here. Green turtles can be seen feeding on the seagrass around the reef. Please keep a safe distance from the turtles and never touch them.

The best place to set off snorkeling at Turtle Point is from the beach between Villa Almarik and Damina Restaurant. It’s recommended that you do this at high tide – it’s possible to get hurt on the rocks when the tide is out.

There are two areas to be found just on each side of the very north-eastern tip of the island, where entering the water from the beach is easy. Water shoes are recommended because of sharp coral close to the beach.

This north-eastern area is one of the very best in the whole Gili Islands for swimming with green turtles. You will also see both hard and soft corals, parrotfish, blackbelly triggerfish, butterflyfish, surgeonfish, longfin batfish, moorish idols and sixbar wrasse.

 

Snorkeling Gili Air

Gili Air is surrounded by coral reefs, so you can go snorkeling at any spot. But there are two places on Gili Air that are perfect for snorkeling, on the north-east and south-east coasts.

Hans Reef is the place to go on the northeast coast. It’s full of fish, including black-tipped reef sharks. Access this reef from the beach in front of Sandy Beach Bungalows. A short distance away from Hans Reef you will find Frog Fish Point, which is fairly deep and not recommended for beginner snorkelers. It’s great for seeing trumpet fish, wrasses and sea turtles.

Perhaps the very best snorkeling spot on Gili Air is a section of reef 150 to 200 metres wide, on the southern tip between the Bel Air Resort & Spa and the Sunrise Resort. Leaving the beach you encounter sandy floor and seagrass, then the coral reef. Both hawksbill turtles and green turtles graze on the seagrass in front of the reef. They are used to the presence of humans, and sometimes swim close to the beach, but please don’t touch them; give them their personal space. Marine life to watch out for here includes sunburst butterflyfish, sea goldies, sergeant damselfish and palette surgeonfish.

There is also a rich and vibrant coral garden just in front of Scallywags Beach Club Resort at the south-east corner of Gili Air, known as Nemo City.

How to go snorkeling in the Gili Islands

There are three options: a public snorkeling tour, a private snorkeling tour, and renting your own gear.

There are lots of public tour operators on all three Gili Islands, the majority being found on Gili Trawangan. They all offer the same service: two tours daily, morning and afternoon, with around 20 snorkelers, taking them to three prime snorkeling spots with a break for refreshments. You will be taken to places around all three islands, including the Nest statue installation and a turtle haven.

This is the most cost-effective way to go snorkeling on the Gili Islands, around $10 per person, but also the most crowded. You won’t get more than basic instruction and help.

Private snorkeling tours start at around $20 per person. The itinerary will be the same as the public tours, but you will have the boat to yourself or yourselves, and a guide who will help and instruct you. You will be able to have some control over your schedule.

Renting your own snorkeling equipment – snorkel, mask and fins – is the cheapest option, at around $3.15 for a day. You can then choose your own times and places to go snorkeling, although of course you won’t have access to a boat unless you rent that too. But each of the islands has many places where you can enter the water from the beach and access nearby reefs.

For each of these options, it’s always recommended to ask the locals for their advice. They will know who to trust, who has the best equipment or is the most professional and safe.

When to go snorkeling in the Gili Islands

The best conditions for snorkeling are calm seas and clear sunny skies, which means the dry season from April to October. July and August are the crowded months, so if you want a bit of space to yourself or yourselves, especially for a romantic getaway on Gili Meno, go early or late in the dry season when it’s less busy. Prices are also lower, and there should be more accommodation options available. You can still experience good snorkeling conditions during the rainy season, but the seas are likely to be rougher. The holiday season from Christmas to New Year is also a busy period, with higher prices. Always book well in advance if coming in July, August or the end-of-year festive season.

 

Safety Tips

Unlike many snorkeling spots around the world whose waters are still and gentle, the seas around the Gili Islands have strong currents. Conditions can change quickly. Calm seas and skies can become stormy, with sudden wind and waves. Here are Bluewater’s recommendations for safe and happy snorkeling in the Gili Islands:

·         Use the best equipment you can afford, and learn how to use it properly. Make sure your mask doesn’t leak, for example.

·         Use snorkeling fins to help you swim in strong currents.

·         Don’t snorkel alone. Either go as a couple or family, as part of an organized tour, or find a snorkel buddy.

·         If you are not a strong swimmer or tire easily, wear an inflatable snorkeling jacket.

·         Bring a highly visible snorkeling buoy so that you can be seen if you get into trouble.

·         Keep within the recommended snorkeling areas, stay close to reefs and don’t stray far or out to sea.

·         Always check the weather forecast.

·         Watch out for boats. The coasts of the Gili Islands are busy with fishing boats, tourist boats, and other vessels.

·         Do not touch the marine life. Many reef creatures have nasty stings, including fire coral, several species of fish, sea stars and more. Stay safe, and keep the reefs safe and respected too!