James Carys learns to dive in the Gili Islands.
Learning
to dive has been near the top of my 'to do' list for a while. Fuelled
by diving specials on The Discovery Channel, it was time for action.
Options included Amed and the PADI Openwater Course or Gili Trawangan,
off Lombok.
'Gili' is the Lombok word for the small islands off the coast but the three most famous Gilis sit off the north west coast, about ten minutes away by boat. Gili Trawangan is the most popular island with the best tourist infrastructure. The other two islands (Gili Air and Gili Meno) provide more of a Robinson Crusoe feel.
You can either fly to Lombok or take a boat from Bali to get to the Gili islands. The cheapest method is the slow ferry from Padang Bai to Lembar - take the 8.00am ferry and you may be accompanied along the way by dolphins! Another company, Perama, collects guests from their hotels, taking them to Padang Bai, where a 50-seater traditional Phinisi sails direct to Trawangan for Rp245,000. It takes approximately eight hours but what a good day! The fastest boat service is the Bluewater Safaris speedboat that powers across the Lombok Strait and in good conditions, takes just under two hours from Benoa Harbour to the Gilis at Rp690,000 each way.
The
day starts early in Trawangan and it's a pleasure to stroll the empty
lanes to the beach without a motorbike in earshot. Stopping in at Cocos
coffee shop for a world-class latte and baguette is a treat and, if
you're lucky, Cocos proprietor Gaby will have a batch of denture pulling
brownies on the go, handy for that extra power you need when you're
diving.
After pouring over numerous chapters of dive information and videos
of people gliding effortlessly through turquoise waters, I was keen
to get started. For my dive tuition I settled on the Manta Dive company,
where the friendly staff made it impossible to feel like an outsider
for long, which is a great way to learn.
That afternoon I experienced the first joys of breathing underwater – albeit in the safety of the confined pool. It's an odd feeling the first time you breathe air underwater, you feel like you've pulled a sly one on God's design of mankind. It took a couple of minutes to adjust to the obvious fact that underwater you can only breathe through your mouth. A series of underwater exercises later and it was all over for the day. Tomorrow would be the big push – an excursion into no man's land for our first 12-metre diving adventure.
After some early evening refreshments, I decided to explore the island a bit, passing The Living Room - a highly affordable eatery in a rustic beachside hut – before arriving at the Horizontal Lounge, a bit further down the beach road. Considering that almost every other bar on this particular stretch is simply a shack, it's a surprise to round the corner and be greeted by a huge white concrete and glass edifice. The well-designed bar, funky sound-system and burgundy-red and white decor add panache to the simple island scene, as does the hospitable, flamboyantly-attired owner Guy. He seems to have emerged direct from a hot London nightclub, his snakeskin cowboy boots and black Armani shirt a far cry from the sarong and tee shirt crowd. It's all very David Lynch.
The
next two days of diving were an amazing experience – it was staggeringly
beautiful to be in a breathtaking ocean environment, where coloured
fish zipped past whilst mean looking Trigger fish skulked across the
ocean floor, guarding their nests. Moray eels poked their heads out
of rocky nooks and crannies, giant turtles floated past on the way
to the surface for air, whilst white-tipped reef sharks slunk around,
keeping an eye on affairs. The drift currents kept us moving and no
real physical exertion was required apart from the odd hand gesture
to our instructor Emma and a bit of fin action to propel oneself a
few metres deeper.
I was hooked instantly from the first shark I saw and classroom theory
disappeared as I buzzed with anticipation for the next dive.
The last dive off the neighbouring Gili Air was the best by far. The descent to 18 metres and perfect visibility revealed beautiful live coral and a stunning array of colourful fish. It's a shame that some of the shallower coral off the islands has been damaged, owing to El Nino and coral bleaching that struck a few years ago, but if you dive deeper you'll be rewarded by pristine reefs full of multi-coloured marine life.
A
reef regeneration project of 11 biorock structures is currently underway
on the island that will eventually encourage new coral growth and attract
new marine inhabitants.
Further down the beach there is a turtle hatchery operated by Pak Dino
(right in front of Dino's Café). Local people collect the eggs
and bring them to the sanctuary to place in secure incubation areas.
After hatching they are kept in holding tanks until the turtles are
large and healthy enough to be released into the sea.
Pulling out from Gili Trawangan early the next morning on board the Bluewater Safaris speedboat, we skimmed back to Bali in record time (one hour forty minutes). This speedy service really gives the Gilis a 'next door' feel to Bali. As we docked into Benoa harbour, I saw my first car in a week and I recalled what Emma had said to me the night before, about how lucky people are to dive the islands. She's right.
For more information contact:
The Gili Islands Shop, no. 12 (next to Fat Yogi's)
Poppies Lane 1, Kuta, tel: +62 (0)361 75324, info@gili-paradise.com,
www.gili-paradise.com
Manta Dive, Gili Trawangan, tel: +62 (0) 370 643 649, info@manta-dive.com
Accommodation:
For hotel accommodation, Vila Ombak
(tel: +62 370 642 336, www.hotelombak.com)
is right at the top of the list, with deluxe, self-contained rooms
for up to US$115 per night. For budget accommodation, Pondok Lita offers
clean double fan rooms with western bathrooms and friendly staff at
Rp120,000 per night.
Garuda Indonesia flies once daily from Jakarta and Yogyakarta to Ampenan, Lombok.
