I seriously underestimated Gili Trawangan as a diving destination (I don’t include it on my top three diving spots). I should have known, never judge a book by its cover! Right, it is a super classic proverb. Gili Trawangan is the busiest Gili in Lombok above the water, which made me think that it had somehow resulted in the underwater world surrounding it being completely destroyed. Wrong! I was totally wrong! A sea turtle even greeted me right after I descended to a depth of around 10 m (I think it did just to prove me how totally wrong I was).

dive centre in gili trawangan

Let me tell you a little bit about my visit to Gili Trawangan. I was invited by Donna who I went to senior-high school with and is now currently working for Bee Diver, which is located on Gili Trawangan. Even though from my own observation I think that the dive price of a dive with Bee Diver is slightly expensive, i recon it is worth every single penny. Why? First, with Bee Diver you dive in a small group. This is really important! There is no chaos on the boat when you are about to dive. Can you imagine 20 divers in a boat trying to gear up at the same time? I tell you, it is not that fun! Second, they have a service focus! They will prepare everything that you need. You just need to put up your BCD, fins, mask and dive. Oh, they also provided plenty of snacks. I love it! It almost felt like going on a picnic together with a bunch of fun people. Third, they have experienced and knowledgeable guides and are great at taking underwater photos and videos, which they are happy to share with their guests. This is super important for anyone who wants a splash of underwater memories, especially if you don’t have you own underwater camera. Last, they ensure that the equipment is well maintained. Safety is important. Never ever risk your life by looking for the cheapest diving company that cut costs by cutting corners. If you are not lucky, you will end up with a disaster such as the regulator that you find out does not work properly when you are like 20 m deep underwater (panic!!!) as a result of a lack maintenance of the dive equipment.

bee diver gili trawangan

Anyways, for a new diver, or those who have never ever tried to dive, Gili is a perfect place to start! You can choose the Scuba Discovery package. They will teach and make sure you understand the basic things about diving in a pool before you go to dive in the sea. Ready for the next step to learn to dive seriously? Bee Diver also provides dive courses for various levels, from entry level to experienced diver. Oh, for anyone who lives in Jakarta, Bee Diver have an option for a dive course with mixed locations: Jakarta and Gili Trawangan. Learn about the theory and do the pool dives in Jakarta and dive in the sea off the island of Gili for more fun and that ‘vacation’ vibe! Super fun, right? Just like Bee Diver always said: unlimited fun!

bee diver gili

Do you know that Gili is also a great place for macro photos? I just learnt this after diving here.. I thought it was just Lembeh and Tulamben that were good for underwater macro. If you are not a fans of macro and tiny stuff though, Gili also has a great wide angle site, Bee Diver said that the deep turbo is the pearl of Gili.

great place to dive in gili trawangan

After a super fun dive (in Coral Fan Garden) with Bee Diver and a quick wander around Gili Trawangan, I decided the super crazy rocky boat journey from Bangsal to Gili Trawangan was totally worth it. I don’t mind doing it again and visiting other dive sites around the Gilis. Please do judge Bee Diver from its cover 😀 You can see that they are such a FUN dive centre from their Facebook page, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Be sure to come and dive with them in Gili Trawangan or other places around Indonesia (they also arrange dive trips) to make your judgment more comprehensive.

best dive centre in gili

Have you ever dive around Gili? What was your experience?

Thanks Bee Diver for some of the pictures :* Check on Discover Your Indonesia Facebook page for more pictures!