All activities / Freediving / Gili Islands
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Freediving in Gili Islands
Three small car-free islands off northwest Lombok, ringed by reef and separated by a channel that drops past 150 meters.
Why here
The channel between Trawangan, Meno and Air drops past 150 meters within a 10 to 15 minute boat ride, so the Gilis offer real depth without a long transit. One of the first dedicated freediving schools in Indonesia is on Trawangan and trains through instructor level; Gili Air, quieter and 15 minutes away by boat, holds two more. The islands ban motor vehicles entirely, which makes the whole place walkable and unusually calm for a training block. Water sits near 28C and October and November are the window the operators themselves name.
Best months
October and November are the window operators point to: the dry season is ending, water is warm near 28C, and visibility is at its best. December degrades as the wet season builds and runoff from Lombok reaches the channel. Currents between the islands can run hard on the tides, so deep sessions are scheduled around slack water rather than by the clock. The ride to the deep site is 10 to 15 minutes and nothing here requires a long crossing.
Getting there & around
Reach the Gilis by fast boat from Bali, roughly 1.5 to 2.5 hours from Padangbai or Serangan, or by ferry from Bangsal on Lombok. Fast boat crossings get cancelled in bad weather, so keep a buffer day either side of your flights. One school is on Gili Trawangan and two are on Gili Air, and the islands have quite different characters, Trawangan busier and Air quieter, so choose the island before the school. There are no cars or motorbikes on any of the three; transport is bicycle, horse cart or walking. There is no hyperbaric chamber on the islands and the nearest are in Bali and Mataram. ATMs are limited and charge heavily, so carry cash.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (3)
Freedive Gili
SchoolMolchanovs and SSI school on Gili Trawangan, one of the earliest dedicated freediving schools in Indonesia, teaching Level 1 through Level 3, specialties and instructor training with boat access to deep sites.
Moana Freedive Air
SchoolGili Air school running discovery sessions, Wave 1 and Wave 2 courses, a seven-day deep week, mouthfill coaching and training sessions.
Pacific Freedive Academy
SchoolAIDA and Molchanovs school on Gili Air, teaching beginner through master freediver plus training bootcamps, with open water off the island.
Also good for freediving in July:
Torn between Gili Islands and Dean's Blue Hole for July?
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