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Belongas Bay & South Lombok · Indonesia · Pinnacle · Pelagic & blue water

Gili Sarang

Giant trevally working the current lines over open-sea pinnacles

Gili Sarang is a group of pinnacles in Belongas Bay, closer to shore than the Magnet but still in the open sea. It can have big surge and currents, and it is a dive for experienced divers rather than a sheltered reef, with hunting fish on the current lines and soft corals on the rock.

Also known as Gili Sarang (Belongas).

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Gili Sarang: typical dive to 35 m (to 115 ft), deepest point 40 m (130 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit35 m40 m maxtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 50 m (164 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

No published position for this site — the map shows Belongas Bay & South Lombok and its other sites; operators know the mooring.

The dive

Pinnacles and big boulders rise from around 40 m, covered in colourful soft corals and sea fans, and the dive stays on their flanks down to about 35 m. Giant trevally, mackerel and reef sharks work the current lines around the rocks. On calm days with mild current, guides slow down and look for nudibranchs and other small life on the rock.

Marine life and season

  • Trevally & jacks
  • Reef sharks
Month-by-month season rating for Gili Sarang
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimeFair

Season follows Belongas Bay & South Lombok: Hammerheads peak from August to November; Belongas is calmest from March to mid-June and in October and November.

Know before you go

  • Big surge and currents can run over the pinnacles, which stand in open sea.

Dive videos

‘Gili Sarang’ · Wild Scuba Indonesia on YouTube

Sources

  1. Belongas Bay Diving: Hammerheads of South Lombok — Scubalo
  2. The South Coast — Bottles Up Diving
  3. Dive spots Lombok, Kuta, Gili Islands — Scuba Froggy

More dive sites in Belongas Bay & South Lombok

Cave & cavern

Blue Hole

A cave entrance that opens into a huge dark cavern

5–35 madvanced

Wall

Gerupuk Slope

Hard coral formations along a wall near Kuta

10–19 m · max 30 mintermediate

Coral garden

Mawun Slope

A soft coral garden at the foot of a reef slope

8–25 mintermediate

Wall

The Cathedral

A massive cave in the wall of a small island east of the Magnet

to 40 m · max 50 madvanced

Pinnacle

The Magnet

Hammerhead schools around a surge-washed rock in the open sea

to 25 m · max 80 madvanced

Similar dives elsewhere

Pinnacle

Batu Kapal

Banda Islands · Indonesia

Big pelagics turn up on the pinnacles when the current runs.

10–40 madvanced

Pinnacle

Echuca Patch

New Ireland & Kavieng · Papua New Guinea

An isolated ocean ridge whose point pulls in barracuda and jacks

12–31 m · max 45 madvanced

Pinnacle

Rayners Rock

Pulau Aur & Pulau Dayang · Malaysia

Schools of jacks and barracuda just off a lone boulder in open water

17–30 madvanced

Pinnacle

Mansi Reef (Marker 42)

Yanbu & the Seven Reefs · Saudi Arabia

A lone coral column where hammerheads patrol the open water

10–35 m · max 80 madvanced