Gili Islands · Indonesia · Wall · Reef
Meno Wall
Turtles in numbers along a wall that bottoms out at 22 m
The turtle dive, on the west side of Gili Meno. A wall drops to 22 m where it meets sand, and the normal profile works between 10 m and 25 m along it, with a medium current that usually decides which way you swim. Turtles live here in large numbers, and the wall holds bannerfish, batfish, fusiliers, groupers and enough nudibranchs to slow a dive right down.
Where it is and how deep
8.3520° S, 116.0493° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
You enter from the beach on the west side of Gili Meno, so the dive begins shallow and you swim out to the drop. The wall falls to 22 m where it meets a sandy bottom, and the normal working depth is 10 m to 25 m: deep enough to run the base for part of the dive, shallow enough to spend the back half up on the coral. A medium current is the norm here, so establish which way it is going before you commit to a direction.
Turtles are why the site is busy. They live along this wall rather than passing through it, and the number of them is what the site is known for. Eagle rays, groupers and scorpionfish are all listed here, and bannerfish, batfish and fusiliers work the face. Slow down on the way back and the small stuff appears: nudibranchs are abundant, with trumpetfish tucked against the coral. Visibility of 20 m and more means you can pick out a shape and swim over to it.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Eagle rays
- Groupers
- Nudibranchs
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows Gili Islands: Divable year-round; Apr–Nov brings the calmest crossings, and mola mola occasionally appear Aug–Oct on the deeper sites.
Know before you go
- A medium current runs along the wall and the entry is from the beach, so work out which way the water is going before you swim out and plan your exit for it.
Dive videos
Diving Gili Islands - Meno Wall · SamudraVisions on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Where do you see turtles in the Gili Islands?+
Meno Wall. Turtles live along this wall in large numbers rather than passing through, and they turn up anywhere between the 10 m top of the reef and the sand at 22 m.
Can you dive Meno Wall from the beach?+
Yes — it is listed as a shore entry, which means a surface swim out to the top of the wall before you descend. The wall then runs down to 22 m onto sand.
Sources
- Meno Wall dive site — Divezone
Photo credits
- A diver descends past a dark reef silhouette with a small school of fish. by Francesco from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- Where to dive with sea turtlesBig animals · 15 min read
More dive sites in Gili Islands
Wall
A vertical face dropping from 5 m to 30 m off Gili Air
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Pinnacle
Sea mounds rising from sand at 30 m to about 18 m
Juvenile whitetips tucked into small caves along a drifting slope
Sand slope
Broken rubble ground from 5 m to 16 m, then open sand
Sand slope
Macro life on bommies scattered down a sand slope
Reef
Whitetip sharks and turtles on three coral levels at 18-24 m
Reef
Deep reef meeting sand at 30 m off the northern Gilis
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