A Long Weekend on Gili Trawangan: Diving and Free Diving with Turtles

I had a break from my studies in Indonesia and spent a long weekend on Gili Trawangan, the largest of the Gili Islands. I was in the water most of the time, diving and free diving. The turtles were the reason the weekend worked.

Gili T

People call it Gili T. Warm, shallow water, coral close to shore, and a pace that is slower than the mainland. No motorbikes. You get around by bicycle or horse cart. I was there for the turtles, so I did not need much else.

In the water with turtles

Green sea turtles and hawksbills are common around the island. I saw them on scuba and on a breath hold. The first one I found was just cruising the reef, in no hurry. I tried to match that speed while free diving, which is the closest I got to feeling like I was in their lane rather than visiting it.

On one dive a turtle went up to breathe. A small thing, but it is the reminder that they belong to both parts of this: the reef and the air.

You do not always need a tank. The shallow reefs are close enough that turtles show up on a snorkel from the beach.

Conservation on the island

Gili Trawangan has turtle hatcheries. Local groups protect nests and get hatchlings to the water. That matters. These animals are endangered, and the usual list applies: poaching, lost nesting beach, plastic.

The shallow reefs help the turtles that are already here. Seagrass to graze, coral to rest on. The hatcheries are about the ones that have not hatched yet.

Turtle facts

• Green sea turtles and hawksbills are the two species you see around the Gilis.
• Green turtles can live up to 80 years and grow to more than 300 pounds.
• They are air-breathing reptiles. When they are active they surface every few minutes.
• The hatcheries on Gili T are there to protect nests and get hatchlings into the sea.

Above water

Sandy streets, beach bars, cafes. Evenings went orange and pink, with the water as the background noise. It was a break from studying: swim, eat, sleep, do it again.