Shore Diving

There is plenty of shore dives around the peninsula. In the north, Sekoting Barat area,  directly in front of the resorts the sea offers perfect conditions for easy and relaxing snorkeling over beautiful intact and colorful coral. For fans of macro- and muck diving there are two locations available directly of off the beach, with frogfish, ghostpipe fish, seahorses, pygmy seahorses, leaf fish, and a multitude of different species nudibranches to discover year round as well as Blue spotted octopus, cuttle fish, moray eels, Turtles, Stingrays and White Tip Reef Sharks.

Boat Diving

A lot of the sites around Sekotong Tengah are reached by a short boat ride from either Sekotong Barat in the north or Belongas Bay in the south.

The area of Belongas Bay is famous for its dive sites “The Magnet“ and “The Cathedral“. Here you’ll find pristine reefs with an abundance of marine life, the seasonable sighting of schooling barracudas, tunas, and other pelagic life is fairly regular. Apart from the mobula- and eagle ray season during September, hammerheads have the tendency to school around the Magnet end June until early November.

As currents and dive conditions in south east Lombok can at times be quite challenging, at some of the dive sites we recommend diving only to the more experienced diver!

The furthest dive site, The Magnet“, can be reached in 25 minutes by boat. A pinnacle in the open sea, that is frequented by schools of barracudas, tunas and hammerhead sharks, waits to be explored. At this dive site we oftentimes experience strong currents and rough seas. Minimum Prerequisites for diving the “Magnet” and the “Cathedral” are an advanced certification and from November until end April, 50 logged dives. From May until end October, 100 logged dives.

Other sites also include Gili Sarang which has many pinnacles and impressive boulders which rise up from a depth of around 35m and offer impressive, colourful soft corals. Here too there is big fish action. Giant trevalies, mackerels, sweet lips, surgeon fish, white tips, black tips, and, grey reef sharks. August/September is the best season for schooling mobula- and eagle rays. BIG FUN!!!

Another favorite dive site is located east of Gili Renggit on the north side of the peninsula called Sunken Island. During the afternoons one can find a unique light an color spectrum on these dives to around 16m. The colorful reef is populated with trumpet fish, anemone fish, groupers, and every now and then by whitetip reef sharks and turtles.

How to get there

South Lombok is a quite remote area which is why it is often overlooked by the mainstream tourists and mostly visited by more adventurous travellers.

Visitors can reach Lombok by air, there is a new interenational airport near the city of Praya in central south Lombok. It is 40km south of Mataram and 55km away from Sengigi. This airport accepts international flights from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and seasonal charter flights from Russia.

There are also daily flights from Bali which take approx 25mins and also daily flights from both Jakarta, taking 2hrs and Surabaya, taking 1hr, in Jakarta.

Visitors arriving in Lombok from a point of origin outside Indonesia and clearing customs and immigration at Lombok's international airport may require the purchase of a visa on arrival (VOA). As of January 2010, the only type of visa on arrival available is US$25.00 for 30 days. Once at the airport you can get to Sengigi or Mataram by an airport bus. There are taxis that can take you elsewhere on the island.

You can also get over by boat from Padang Bai on Bali and leave approximately every hour (24 hr) for the 4-5 hr trip.

To use public buses and bemo serving the southern region a traveller would need to have a good understanding both of the area and the vagaries of the interconnections and services. It would be far easier and more expedient to either use a taxi, rent a car and driver or to use a service such as that provided by Perama tours to access the south of Lombok.

Where to eat & drink

South Lombok  is still somewhat remote, and in some places, such as Belongas Bay you won’t find any pubs, bars or restaurants other than at the accommodation you’re staying at.

Other activities

In the south of Lombok one generally doesn’t really find so many travellers, so the beaches and bays are unspoiled and excellent for snorkeling and swimming, or relaxing after the dive day!

Although this area is remote, it doesn't mean there’s nothing to do. Long white beaches, protected bays and superb coral in pristine waters make Sekotong a excellent place for swimming, snorkelling, diving, surfing, and fishing.

It’s fairly easy to rent local boats for island hopping or fishing trips, and Bangko Bangko (Dessert Point) is only 15 minutes away!

Tips

When flying out of Lombok, you are subject to the airports departure tax which can be paid in cash Indonesian Rupiah only, so save some Rupiah currency for the trip out. The airport departure tax is Rp 25,000 for domestic departures, and Rp 100,000 for international departures.

On Lombok there are a few specific rules that visitors should be sure to know about and try follow, such as not handing over anything to an Indonesian with your left hand. As in most Islamic countries the left hand is considered "unclean" and thus insulting. If this makes the action somewhat cumbersome by having to change hands, take the time to do it anyway, and your sure to reap a hearty smile.

Handshaking is customary for both men and women on introduction and greeting. Indonesians will frequently touch their chest with one or both hands after shaking hands as a sign of sincerity.

Also be aware of where & how you position your feet. Exposing the sole of your feet is considered as impolite as pointing with your foot to indicate an object. Shoes should be removed when entering mosques or, usually, when entering someone's home. If you are unsure, just ask. Also women should avoid wearing halter tops or shorts as well as tight fitting or revealing clothes in public - especially outside the tourist areas.