A Guide to Fun Dives in Kuta Lombok
Scuba diving is a great hobby; nothing is more amazing than going from country to country exploring the unique dive sites and swimming alongside the different marine life that each country offers.
If you’ve been diving for a long time, it can be rather hard to find new places that you haven’t explored and though going back to a diving site you’ve dived at before can provide a good time, it wont give you that thrill you get from exploring un-dived territory.
One place I’m sure you’ve not had the pleasure of visiting is Kuta Lombok.
Kuta Lombok
Kuta is a coastal town found in the South of Lombok in Indonesia and is a town that is popular with the surfers due to it’s fantastic beaches and excellent wave breaks but isn’t well known among divers but soon will be due to it’s un-spoiled reefs and rich marine life.
The people of Kuta are a friendly bunch of people who have remained unaffected by tourism and still live in the traditional way of a sleepy fishing village. The Kuta locals live in housing clusters called kampungs and cook their food over a wood fire.
Not only are the dive sites great but Kuta also has some of the best beaches in the whole of Indonesia if not in the whole world, with its pure white sand and crystal clear oceans, it’s the kind of beaches that photographers dream of.
Key Dive Sites
Some of the dive sites you will have the chance of visiting while staying in Kuta include:
The Cathedral – A site for only the experienced diver. It’s a large pinnacle that goes down to about 50 meters and has a steep wall that is covered with Sponges, soft Corals and Tunicates. You will find the bigger marine animals here such as Tuna, Barracudas, Eagle Rays and Grey Reef Sharks.
Gerpuk Bay – This site is a wall that goes down 30 meters deep and is overgrown by amazing hard corals and there are a number of crevices and niches where you can find things such as Crabs and Lobsters. Apart from Crabs and Lobsters you will also see Tuna, Stingrays, Sweet Lips and Parrotfishes.
Gili Medas – A beautiful reef that has a wide range of reef animals such as Sweet Lips, Nudibranchs and Lionfish. This dive starts at 13 meters and reaches a depth of 34 meters and apart from the reef animals that have already been mentioned you will also see Mackerel, Barracudas, Suregonfishes and Eagle Rays.
Boulder City – Made up of a number of big rocks that come together to form hundreds of swim troughs, this diving site will allow you to see Sharks, Angelfishes, Sweet Lips and Napoleon fishes.
The above dive sites are only a few of the many sites you’ll have a chance to visit. Other sites you’ll get to visit include Gili Srang, The Magnet, JJR and Coral Garden.
When you’re not diving there are a number of other things you can do like renting a motorbike and exploring the coastline, relaxing on the beautiful beaches or going on a tour of the village with a local guide.
Reaching Kuta isn’t difficult and is only a 20-minute drive from Lombok International Airport or if you’ve travelled by sea, it’s only an hour drive away from Lembar harbour.
If you are looking for your next diving destination then Kuta Lombok should be at the top of your list. Not only does it have a wide range of diving sites each of which provide a unique diving experience but it also has friendly locals, amazing beaches, great accommodation for all budgets, excellent food and gives you the ability to become one of the privileged few to have taken in its amazing scenery first hand.
