I have never done a night dive in my life. Do I have to receive formal training before joining a night dive on the Gili Islands?
The answer to that is twofold: Yes and No. While we will not force you to go through formal training, we do highly recommend you to consider doing an adventure night dive or even an advanced course.
Night diving is not much different to diving during the day but still requires some different skills. We can teach you those skills for your own comfort and safety but it is not a MUST.
Why should I stay on Gili Meno?
Divine Divers is at home on Gili Meno, the middle Gili and island well known for its gorgeous beaches, pristine blue waters and home to the highly instagramable Gili Meno statues (the Bask Nest). While each of the Gilis has its distinct personality, Gili Meno is by far the most laid back of the three without being boring. Located on the most perfect sunset beach, Divine Divers is undoubtedly in a place where the sky meets the ocean.
Why choose Divine Divers Gili Meno for Diving the Gilis?
- Small groups: We only send two buddy teams with one guide or instructor.
- Experience level and air consumption matters: Our groups are usually separated by experience level. Unless you come as a group and would like to stay in that group.
- Awesome staff: Experienced, friendly English speaking and multilingual guides and instructors
- Long dives: Our cut off time is usually 60 minutes or 50 bar – as an average for the group. We will not end the dive if the first diver reaches 50 bar while others are still on 120 bar.
- Washing service: All gear is assembled and loaded before a dive and removed after. All we ask you is to carry your BCD (without tank), fins, weights and mask off the boat and into the dive center so our crew can wash it.
- Committed to first class service: We have excellent staff and management but also great Aqualung dive equipment and provide safe, top-quality course as well as guiding services
- The chill factor: Our guests love the relaxed yet professional atmosphere at the dive shop and we like to keep it that way.
Why should I dive the Gili Islands?
Postcard-like white sandy beaches, azure and year-round warm waters (28 to 29 degrees), the reef on your doorstep and a great lifestyle. There are also no motorized vehicles, traffic jam or pollution. The Gilis are a one and half hour boat ride from Bali and super easy to reach. Does this sound like paradise to you? To us the Islands are an image of paradise. But that’s not it – the Gilis are known as the turtle capital in the world. Rightfully so, because both green and hawksbill turtles are abundant. Reef sharks are also frequently spotted and there is a broad range of marine life to be met on all dives. The dive sites are rarely more than a 15-minute boat ride away and diving is great all year round.
The dry season is running from May to October and the rainy season from November to April. Rainy season sounds more extreme than it actually is because it hardly ever rains an entire day – expect showers at different severity but therefore less people.
What are the best dive sites of the Gili Islands?
Meno Wall, Slope and Bounty
Our underwater backyard and house reef – yet, among the best diving grounds of the Gilis and accessible for all experience levels! Meno Wall features a beautiful vertical wall from 5 to 30 meters which is teaming with marine life and a must see for macro enthusiasts You like turtles? If you are lucky, you find more than you can count on Meno Slope. But not only that, Meno Slope is also home to the famous Bask Nest, also known as the Gili Meno Statues. The 48 human like statues by Jason DeCaires Taylor are arranged in a circular formation to represent the circle of life. Located at 5 meters, they are meant to be a bridge between the human and marine world. The statues are also a great start (or end) for all dives to the Bounty, a sunken jetty covered in both hard and soft corals, and one of the most popular dive sites around the Gili Islands.
Shark Point
A site not to be missed. As the name suggests, we often find whitetip and blacktip reef sharks here. But Shark Point doesn’t need sharks to be an amazing dive site. The site features beautiful ridges with stunning hard corals parallel to the main reef. These ridges are full of blue line snappers and schooling jack fish and a delight to the diver’s eye. The main reef is home to octopus, the picturesque clown triggerfish and even leafy scorpion fish. Supersized turtles live and feed in the shallows. This makes Shark Point a delight for both novice and experienced divers.
Deep Turbo
Attention to all experienced divers who like it deep and beautiful. Deep Turbo is a magnificent dive site with superb coral formations and sea fans that you will absolutely love. The topography is impressive – imagine seamounts covered in healthy corals on a white sandy bottom. There are also several overhangs and small caves where many creatures live. Many of the gorgonians are home to the elite pygmy seahorse. Being deep (average around 25 meters) and at times quite turbulent due to currents it is best dived by advanced divers on Nitrox!