Learning to Dive in Gili's-Lombok

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. Lombok won and it was off to Poppies Lane One to see Phil at The Gili's Islands Shop, rumoured to send guests to the islands, with a minimum of fuss and a good price.

"Gilis" is the Lombok word for the small islands off the coast but the three famous Gilis sit to the North West, about ten minutes away by boat. Gili Trawangan is the most popular with the best tourist infrastructure. The other two islands (Gili Air and Meno) provide more of a Robinson Crusoe feel for the adventurous traveller.
Two days later I was on a twin prop aircraft heading east. As the pilot revved the lawnmower engine we sputtered upwards, off to Mataram, Lombok's capital, a slow moving and peaceful place. Ways to access the Gilis are numerous, starting with a helicopter. A popular cheaper method is
the slow ferry from Padang Bai to Lembar - take the 8.00 am ferry and you may be accompanied by dolphins!

Another company, Perama collects guests from their hotels, brings them to Padang Bai, where a fifty pax traditional phinisi sails direct to Trawangan for rp 245,000. It takes approximately eight hours but what a good day! It is also possible to sail in a jukung from Amed in three hours. So many options! Fastest is the speedboat service that powers across the Lombok Strait and in good conditions, takes just under two hours from Benoa Harbour to the Gilis at 690.000 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 bacon 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 when you're diving. Looking out across the channel to neighbouring Gili Meno you feel just about as far away as possible, whilst enjoying city treats, which in hindsight sums up life on Trawangan in a tidy nutshell.

After poring over numerous chapters of dive information and videos of people gliding effortlessly through turquoise waters I was keen to start. So how to choose your dive teacher? So many to choose from! I settled on Manta Dive, largely owing to the friendly staff. It was impossible to feel like an outsider long at this school – a great way to dive.

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 twelve metre adventure.

After the compulsory early evening beers, we trekked off past The Living Room (a highly affordable eatery in a rustic beachside hut) to the Horizontal Lounge, a bit further down the beach road. Considering that every other bar on this stretch is simply a shack, it is a surprise to round the corner and be greeted by a huge white concrete and glass Singapore clone. 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 shirts make a far cry from the sarung and tee shirt crowd. It's all very David Lynch.

The next two days of diving were awesome. I can't begin to tell you how staggeringly beautiful it feels to be in whole new ocean environment where coloured fish zip past you whilst mean looking Trigger fish skulk across the ocean floor, guarding their nests. Moray eels poke their heads out of rocky nooks and crannies, giant turtles float past on the way to the surface for air, whilst white tipped reef sharks slink around keeping an eye on affairs. The drift currents keep us moving and no real physical exertion is required at all, apart from the odd hand gesture to our faithful 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 on the neighbouring Gili Air was the best by far, a descent to eighteen metres and perfect visibility revealed the beautiful live coral and stunning array of inhabitants. It's a shame that the majority of the shallower coral in the islands has been killed off, owing to the El Nino that struck a few years ago and the possible odd dynamite bombing by the fishermen. But dive deeper to find more.

A reef regeneration project is currently underway on the island that will eventually encourage new coral growth which will attract new marine directly in front of Villa Ombak and Trawangan Dive.
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. A fine commitment that make you realise that you are indeed in a very special part of Indonesia.

Pulling out from Trawangan early Friday morning by speedboat we skimmed back to Bali in record time (one hour forty minutes on the Bluewater speedboat). It really gives the Gilis a 'next door' feel. 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; they really are a very special place.
For more information contact:
Phil Smith Hp - + 62 (0) 81 338 114 232
The Gili Islands Shop, no. 12 (next to Fat Yogi's)
Poppies Lane 1, Kuta, T: +62 (0)361 753241
E: islandpromotions@spymac.com
www.gili-paradise.com