Pros
Cons
Snorkel Video
Favourite Snorkel Snaps
Snorkel Review
Highlights
Coral present
1-3 Meters Average Depth
Good visibility
East to medium difficulty
Cafe’s near beach
Free, or tours approx $25-60 USD
Sea Urchins Present
Unlikely
When:
Who:
Tour Cost:
Star Rating:
Cost:
Gili Air is the most Southern Gili Island, located off the West coast of Bali and the North East coast of Lombok. The tropical island is known for its fabulous resorts, restaurants, sandy beaches, and sunsets. Gili Air was the second Gili island that I snorkeled, it is the southern island of the three and is known for its resorts and excellent restaurants and beaches. I hadn’t heard much about the snorkeling on this island, but I wanted to explore it for myself to review for anyone visiting in the future.
Snorkel Spot
Where is Gili Air?
Gili Air is one of the more popular Gili islands off the coast of Bali and Lombok. It is known for its beach front resorts, restaurants, and incredible sunsets. I personally really liked Mamas Garden restaurant, the sweet potato falafel wrap was incredibly tasty and reasonable!
Gili Air Map
Gili Air Snorkel Spot
I walked along the South-East side of the island as I had heard that this was the best snorkel spot and where snorkel tours stop off at. There is a wall that runs along the shoreline, with a number of stairs built into the wall that lead down to the water. I used one of the stairs just off the Dive Center I’ve added below. You will be able to see a number of boats docked off the shoreline and likely to see snorkelers in the water.
Tours:
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The main snorkeling spot advertised on snorkel trips was on the South East of the island, just around the corner from the harbor. I went at about 9:00 am, which was a stone’s throw from the bungalow I was staying. I rented some fins from the place I was staying at and walked down. I could see a couple of boats docked, which is just off the coral drop-off. There were stairs to get down to the very small beach, as the coastline is raised with a wall.
Coral Reef
The tide was in, although the water was still shallow, only a meter in depth. The start of the shoreline was thick seaweed, which was a vibrant green, there wasn’t much to see apart from a few little camouflaged fish swimming in between the algae and Goby fish hidden. Once you make it 5 meters out you’ll reach the start of the coral reef, which is mostly made up of soft coral. Pink and purple soft coral covers the sea floor.
Within this section, you can spot clownfish within well-hidden, sheltered anemone. The Clownfish were surprisingly territorial and swam out towards my face to scare me off. They had young baby clownfish which I think is why they were so protective.
Marine Life
There was a current in this section of the coast and I do think flippers helped, although it was difficult to manoeuvre when the ocean depth was only 1-1.5 meters. As I swam further out there were different species of coral including Brain and Table. I came across a wreck cage that I think had been put into the reef to encourage coral growth which it had been very successful doing with many colourful corals attaching themselves to the cage.
There were some damselfish within the cage that were territorial which can get a bit annoying. I saw a Batfish which looked very elegant, completely still in the center of the cage. The wreck was covered in unusual corals, including a stunning pink funnel coral.
Top Tip:
Make your way to the coral restoration wreck near the docked boats and drop off. There, you’ll see a lot of life and fish sheltering in and around the wreck. There is another wreck slightly closer to shore that has a large school of fish resting and Clownfish within the restoration wreck.
During the last 20-30 minutes of my snorkel, I came across a Hawksbill turtle feeding on the algae on the coral. It was medium size, eating the algae which looked to be a challenge. In my opinion, Hawksbill turtles are the most visually stunning turtle, with their olive, brown shells. It was magical to see this turtle feeding within the pink coral field. The visibility was ok, made worse by the sand and rock the Turtle was giving off while feeding. I stayed with the turtle until I cruised slowly off up the coast where the coral stops and you’re hit by a sandy dead coral zone.
The Hawksbill Turtle is classed as Critically Endangered by ICUN Red List, so it is a rare and special experience to snorkel with these incredible creatures. If you’re interested in snorkeling with sea turtles whilst visiting Bali, checkout our reviews for the neighbouring Gili Trawangan and Gili Meno islands.
Check out other Gili Islands reviews below:
Safety Tip:
The sea bed was shallow at 1-1.5 metres deep, so I would wear something to cover your feet, preferable flippers as there is a current.
Tour Guide Options
You can swim off the beach on the South-East coast and experience the rich purple soft coral sea bed, and you might be lucky enough to see a turtle. There are snorkel tours that run to the popular snorkel spots around Gili T, Gili Meno, and Gili Air, which cost from $20-$40 per person.
I don’t think all of the trips stop off at Gili Air as it is less popular for snorkeling than the other two Gili islands. Depends on whether you’re going to visit the two other Gili islands, or whether you’d prefer to do a tour and snorkel all the popular spots across all three Gili islands which would also be a great trip.
Best Snorkel Spot
The best snorkel spot was the cage wreck and the other wreck slightly into shore, it was teaming with life, including many colourful Butterflyfish, Damselfish, Parrotfish, Anemonefish, and Corals. I also liked swimming through the sea grass field near the stairs that ran along the shoreline. I spotted the Hawksbill Turtle feeding towards the left-hand side of the reef if you were looking out from the shoreline. There is a sudden stop to the coral reef where it turns to a rocky, dead coral patch where there is nothing to see on the left-hand side.
Best Time Of Year
The best time to snorkel at Gili Islands is during Bali’s dry season, from May-October.
Popular Marine Life
Clownfish
Clarks Anemonefish
Parrotfish
Moorish Idol
Picasso Triggerfish
Klein Butterflyfish
Pufferfish
Butterflyfish
Sergeant Major Damselfish
Rare Marine Life
Hawksbill Turtle
Bat Fish
Feather Duster Worm
Coral Reef
Table Coral
Funnel Coral
Brain Coral
Acroporidae Stoney Coral
Lettuce Coral
What I Saw
(Seen on April, 2023)
| Hawksbill Turtle | Orbicular Bat Fish |
| Clark’s Anemonefish | Orangestriped Triggerfish |
| Clarkii Clownfish | Dash and Dot Goatfish |
| Moorish Idol | Picasso Triggerfish |
| Sergeant Major Damselfish | White-Spotted Pufferfish |
| Longfin Batfish | Hermit Crab |
| Twoline Spinecheek Fish | Ornate Wrasse |
| Trumpet Fish | Honeycomb Grouper |
| Sixbar Wrasse | Klein’s Butterflyfish |
| Speckled Butterflyfish | Feather Duster Worm |
| Teardrop Butterflyfish | Humbug Damselfish |
| Black Sea Urchin | Double Spined Sea Urchin |
| Egg Ribbon Nudibranch | Cauliflower Coral |
| Funnel Coral | Stoney Acroporidae Coral |
| Table Coral | Lettuce Coral |
| Feather Star Coral | Brain Coral |
Frequently Asked Questions
The best way to get to Gili Air is by Fast boat from a port in Bali Mainland. The less expensive fast boats go direct to Gili Trawangan, but you can get direct boats to Gili Air for a little more. Fast boats from Bali take approximatley 2 hours and cost $40-$80 US dollars per person for a return journey.
Free! You can swim off the beach on the South-East coast of Gili Air and see coral from within 5 metres. There are snorkel tours that run to the popular snorkel spots around Gili T, Gili Meno, and Gili Air, which cost from $20-$40 per person. However Air isn’t one of the popular snorkel spots, so isn’t guaranteed.
I was in the water for about 2.5 hours and I did see a Hawksbill Turtle right at the end of my snorkel. So there are turtles that visit Air and you can see turtles, just not in the quantity when compared to Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan.
I didn’t go on a snorkel tour, I snorkelled at 09:00am. I think morning is a good time to snorkel as there are usually less tourists and boats around. There were another two boats stopped during my 2.5 hour snorkel.
I didn’t go on a snorkel tour, I snorkelled at 09:00am. I think morning is a good time to snorkel as there are usually less tourists and boats around. There were another two boats stopped during my 2.5 hour snorkel.
Yes, there are snorkel trips that visit all three Gili Islands, stopping off at the best snorkel spots at all three Gili Islands. From my experience the three islands offer different snorkeling experience, Gili Air’s highlight is the colourful fish, Clownfish, purple coral, and wrecks. Whereas the other Gili Trawangan and Gili Meno are more focussed on Sea Turtles.
