Bali Dive Sites: Amed – Gili Selang
Amed Dive Sites – Gili Selang
Gili Selang
The small island of Gili Selang lies on Bali’s eastern tip. Seen on a map, it looks inviting however the more exposed areas can have up, down and swirling currents. AquaMarine is very careful when choosing where to dive, using local knowledge, experience, tide charts and common sense. You need to listen carefully to the dive briefing and stay close to your guide underwater in case conditions change unexpectedly.
Diving at Gili Selang
Your dive generally starts on the black sand slope which is dotted with nudibranchs and an abundance of other macro critters including gobies. The slope becomes a healthy, sheltered reef at a mere 4m and is a rich mixture of many, multi-coloured soft and hard corals.
What you will see at Gili Selang
Here we expect visibility of 20-25m, although there can be thermoclines meaning water temp can be between 20-30°C. here you will see Yellow margin morays, schooling Big-eyed trevally, cuttlefish, and pygmy seahorses on the Gorgonian sea fans. The interesting and rich sand slope to the north of the island has some stands of hard branching corals and occasional bommies, the deeper areas of the slope are more protected and therefore home to sea fans, soft corals, barrel sponges and coral bushes.
As you follow the reef downwards, the sand slope on your left becomes a wall which is known for occasional ‘spinning’ currents (a strong down current combined with a horizontal current from the other side of the channel).
Here, and at the other less protected areas of Gili Selang, you may well see Black-tip and White-tip reef sharks, Eagle rays, turtles, Bluefin trevally, barracudas, Napoleon wrasse, Bumphead parrotfish and schooling batfish.
On very rare occasions, we have seen dolphins and Hammerhead sharks, although the former are more frequently heard than seen. Please remember that the conditions often prevent us approaching this area.
On the south side of the island the reef become steeper and has many big coral heads with overhangs where we often find sleeping sharks and big rays. Dotted around are leather corals and bommies with schooling fish such as trevally and often a high number of Blue-spotted rays.
Although Gili Selang can be dived by jukung from Amed, AquaMarine generally uses one of our own custom-made speedboats from Padangbai, about a 40 minute trip, to ensure a higher level of safety and comfort.