Shark Point is one of the most popular dive sites around the Gili Islands. Situated on the North of Gili Trawangan it is one of the most varied and interesting dive sites. The site starts with a sloping reef going down to 30 metres with a series of ridges of valleys which leads you to deeper water. Being a sloping reef means it is available to all levels of diver certification. It has an abundance of marine life, with Turtles almost being a guarantee to see! About 25 metres deep within the ridges is where white tip and black tip reef sharks are to be found. Along with Jacks, Barracuda, Angelfish, Snapper and Blue Spotted Sting rays are all commonly seen.
Dive Sites around the Gili's
Phils group was the first to Descend, they all got into their equipment whilst Phil gave the Pre-Dive safety check. Once everyone was ready to go they did a backwards roll entry into the crystal clear Gili water! After clearing their masks at the surface they slowly descended down the slope to reach the depth of 30 metres! It is safe to say Shark Point lived up to its name during this dive and certainly didn't disappoint!
About ten minutes into the dive Phil came across two white tip reef sharks which they were only about one metre away from!! The group also came across a blue spotted sting ray and a big group of snappers! Nearing the end of the dive in about 12 metres of water before coming up to do the safety stop, three or four turtles were seen feeding away at the coral, it was the perfect ending to what was to be another great dive at Shark Point!
Philip (centre) with his Dive students!
Boarding the boat
James Wells Instructor Extraordinaire!
Getting into their gear!
Backwards roll entry into the water
Snapper
Two White Tip Reef Sharks!!
Getting Closer!
Blue Spotted Stingray
Turtle in the shallows
Passing the equipment up to the boat crew
Back to Trawangan Dive!
Divemaster Jan!
The only way to end the day....in the Trawangan Dive Pool Bar
The Japanese Wreck is situated on the east side of the three Gili Islands, just off Lombok. Its a Dive site for the more experienced divers, as it is a decompression dive due to the depth being 45 metres. The 22 metre Japanese patrol boat from World War 2 believed to be scuttled in 1945. It lays upright and perfectly intact on a sandy bottom. The Wreck is situated in a protected bay and it is usually unaffected by the currents. Simon Liddiard the owner of Trawangan Dive and Blue Marlin Dive, heard the story from a local fisherman when he arrived on Gili Trawangan 25 years ago, he spent a month searching for it before he found it. Only Trawangan Dive and Blue Marlin Dive has the GPS co-ordinates for the Wreck and as such there are relatively few people who have dived it.
The Gili Islands
On the 28th February we visited the Japanese Wreck which took approximately 20 minutes to get to the site from Gili Trawangan. It was covered in a large variety of pristine corals and on the outside of the patrol boat was inhabited with large numbers of Lionfish, Stonefish and we also were lucky enough to come across a Frogfish. Around the Wreck there were large schools of Travally, Yellowtail Kingfish and Snappers. Further inside the wreck we found an abundance of marine life including Moray Eels, Squirrelfishes, Groupers, Sweetlips, Sweepers and Drummers. Due to the depth of the dive it was a Enriched Air (Nitrox) dive so we were able to get the most out of the dive. It was an amazing dive and the customers had a great experience!
Japanese Wreck
Diving With Trawangan Dive www.trawangandive.com email us info@trawangandive.com
