If you’re looking for the perfect place to begin your underwater adventure, Gili Air is one of the best diving destinations in Indonesia. Known for its crystal-clear water, gentle currents, shallow reefs, and abundant marine life, Gili Air offers ideal conditions for first-time divers, Discover Scuba participants, and Open Water students.

Located between Gili Trawangan and Lombok, the island has a calm, laid-back atmosphere that makes learning to dive a stress-free experience. Whether you’re taking your very first breaths underwater or practicing skills for your Open Water Course, the dive sites around Gili Air are perfectly suited for building confidence and having fun.

In this guide, we explore the Top 5 dive sites for beginners around Gili Air, what makes each of them special, and why they’re ideal for new divers.

Why Gili Air is a great place to learn scuba diving

Before diving into individual sites, it’s important to understand why Gili Air is so perfect for beginners.

✨ Warm water year-round: 28–30°C
✨ High visibility: Often 20–30 meters
✨ Gentle slopes and sandy bottoms: Easy for practice and skills
✨ Calm surface conditions: Less stress for new divers
✨ Short boat rides: Most sites are 5–10 minutes away
✨ Rich marine life: Turtles, clownfish, cuttlefish, reef fish, and more

The environment is predictable, safe, and full of color — which means your first diving experiences are both enjoyable and unforgettable.

1. Halik Reef

Depth: 5–18 meters
Difficulty: Very easy
Ideal for: Discover Scuba Diving & Open Water Course

Halik Reef is one of the most popular dive sites around the Gilis, and for good reason: the conditions are consistently calm, the visibility is excellent, and the reef is absolutely bursting with life.

🐡 What makes Halik Reef beginner-friendly?

• Shallow start: Perfect for skill practice
• Soft and hard corals: Beautiful scenery from the very beginning
• Minimal current: Great for nervous divers
• Turtle encounters: Frequent sightings
• Stable conditions: Ideal year-round

Beginners love Halik Reef for its mix of easy diving and exciting marine life. It’s a site where you can drift slowly along the coral garden and get close to turtles without feeling overwhelmed.

2. Frogfish Point

Depth: 6–18 meters
Difficulty: Easy
Ideal for: First open water dives, Discover Scuba, fun dives

Don’t let the name mislead you — while spotting frogfish here is a treat, this site offers far more than its quirky residents.

🌊 Why frogfish point is perfect for beginners

• Sandy training area: Ideal for kneeling during skills
• Lots of macro life: Seahorses, pipefish, and tiny critters
• Gentle slope: Easy descent and ascent
• Calm environment: No stressful currents

New divers particularly enjoy Frogfish Point because it’s a site where you can take your time. You don’t need to rush, and the sandy patches make skill practice extremely comfortable. After mastering the basics, explore the reef where pufferfish, moray eels, and colorful nudibranchs await.

3. Air Wall

Depth: 10–25 meters
Difficulty: Easy to moderate (depending on current)
Ideal for: Open Water dives 3 & 4, fun dives for newly certified divers

Air Wall is a stunning vertical reef that attracts both new and experienced divers. While slightly deeper than other beginner sites, it remains accessible, calm, and incredibly rewarding.

🪸 Highlights that make Air Wall special

• Beautiful drop-off: A dramatic underwater cliff without the difficulty
• Sea fans & soft corals: Vibrant and full of color
• Turtle sightings: Common along the wall
• Great visibility: Perfect for new divers learning buoyancy

Because the site is so visually engaging, many divers find their buoyancy naturally improves here — giving them confidence at greater depths.

4. Meno Slope

Depth: 5–20 meters
Difficulty: Very easy
Ideal for: Discover Scuba Diving, first ocean dives, slow drifts

Situated between Gili Air and Gili Meno, Meno Slope is calm, shallow, and incredibly picturesque.

🐟 Why beginners love Meno Slope

• Slow drift dives: You can relax and let the gentle current carry you
• Turtle paradise: One of the best spots to see green and hawksbill turtles
• Soft corals & healthy reef: Ideal for underwater photos
• No challenging entry: Always comfortable, even for anxious divers

For many newly certified divers, Meno Slope becomes a favorite because of its effortless drift and peaceful atmosphere. It’s also an ideal site for divers who want to take things slowly and enjoy the scenery.

5. Bounty Wreck

Depth: 10–18 meters
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Ideal for: Confident beginners, new Open Water graduates

While the word wreck may sound intimidating, Bounty Wreck is actually one of the easiest wreck dives in Indonesia. It’s not a sunken ship — it’s a submerged wooden pier that collapsed years ago and has since transformed into a thriving artificial reef.

🐠 What makes Bounty Wreck great for beginners

• Shallow depth: Easy to navigate
• Tons of fish: Schools of sergeant majors and snapper
• Artificial reef structure: A unique environment to explore
• Photography heaven: Great for underwater shots
• Safe and accessible: No overhead environments

Beginners enjoy exploring the beams, posts, and coral growth without the complexity of a deep or enclosed wreck. It’s an unforgettable experience that introduces new divers to a different type of underwater landscape.

🌞 Tips for beginners diving in Gili Air

Whether you’re joining a Discover Scuba session or starting your Open Water Course, here are a few essential tips to help you get the most out of your dives:

✔️ Relax and breathe slowly

Calm breathing is the key to buoyancy and comfort.

✔️ Don’t rush your skills

Your instructor will guide you at your own pace, no pressure.

✔️ Stay hydrated

The tropical climate increases dehydration, even underwater.

✔️ Use reef-safe sunscreen

Protect your skin and the reefs at the same time.

✔️ Practice buoyancy around sandy areas

This avoids accidental coral damage and builds confidence.

Protecting the reefs: how beginners can dive responsibly

Gili Air is part of a fragile marine ecosystem. Even as a beginner, you play a crucial role in protecting the reefs:

• Keep good buoyancy
• Avoid touching corals or marine life
• Secure dangling equipment
• Choose eco-friendly sunscreen
• Never stand on the reef

Dive centers around the Gilis, including Gili Divers, work closely with eco-organisations to protect marine life, meaning you'll be trained with sustainability in mind from day one.

Your underwater adventure starts in Gili Air

The dive sites around Gili Air offer the perfect combination of safety, beauty, and accessibility — making them ideal for complete beginners and newly certified divers. From shallow coral gardens to dramatic walls and easy wrecks, every site brings something unique and magical to your first diving experiences. Learning to dive in the Gili Islands is more than a course, it’s a journey into a world of color, peace, and wonder.

👉 Ready to dive into your first underwater experience?

Join Gili Divers for Discover Scuba Diving or the SSI Open Water Course and explore Gili Air’s best beginner-friendly reefs with patient, certified instructors.

📩 Message us today to book your course or fun dives — your underwater adventure begins here!

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