South Lombok – The Undiscovered Pearl of Lombok!
Until recently, due to its challenging reef breaks at BangkoBangko and Desert Point, south-west Lombok was only known amongst surfers. Now this paradise has also been discovered by scuba divers and vacationers searching for white beaches, relaxation, and great scuba dive adventures.
The roads in south-west Lombok are well maintained, and the scenic drive from Mataram or Lembar is fairly relaxing. The price for transport depends on your talent in bargaining and can vary quite a bit therefore. If you calculate around USD 25, you should be able to find a car with a driver without too many problems. In any case, make sure you arrange the price before the journey starts.
Even though the clean white sandy beaches of Sekotong are amongst the best on Lombok, you will not find many travelers on these beaches. Here it’s still possible to take relaxing walks along the beach without meeting annoying sellers trying to sell their watches, necklaces and so on. You also can experience the underwater paradise by snorkeling near one of the beaches or go scuba diving around one of the many small islands in the bay of Sekotong.
The local people in south-west Lombok haven’t been influenced by mass tourism and are very friendly, sometimes curious. The language spoken is “Bahasa Indonesia” and “Bahasa Sasak”. Many people also speak basic English and it’s no problem for the traveler to communicate his needs. The inhabitants’ main source of income in South Lombok is fishing and pearl farming (South Lombok’s pearl farms are the main exporter of quality pearls in Indonesia).
When the tide reaches its lowest level, you can watch women and children collecting clams, crabs and other “treasures of the sea”. On Sundays, the traditional “off day” for the Indonesian community, you can see families with their children enjoying and playing at the beach. Join in the fun and laugh along with them. Discover scuba diving around South Lombok! In South Lombok every diver can find his dive adventure: from relaxed diving in Southwest Lombok up to exciting “adrenalin dives” in Belongas Bay. South Lombok is a highlight for every scuba diver and offers many dive sites for all levels of experience!
South Lombok is uncommon amongst the other dive locations around Lombok. Here one still finds diving as a distinct experience and exclusive dive sites with the chance to explore undiscovered waters. These new dive sites offer even the well-traveled and experienced diver a surprising and breathtaking experience, and due to the great variety of dive sites, there is exciting diving for all levels of training.
“The Magnet”, in South-East Lombok, is a pinnacle in the open sea. It rises from a depth of about 80m and can be reached in approximately 25 minutes from the mainland. Diving there, the seasonable sighting of schooling hammerhead sharks, barracudas, tunas, and other pelagic life is, fairly regular, and also mola mola have occasionally been sighted.
To dive in Sekotong means experiencing the tropics, relaxing and diving, and while scuba diving in south west Lombok you are likely to sight blue spotted stingrays, cuttlefish, scorpion fish as well as an amazing abundance of macro life. A little further south toward Bangko Bangko, also the chances of seeing turtles and white tip reef sharks are fairly high.
