Earlier this month our tech instructors Jake and Yvonne took a few days to check out a whole new side of Sekotong South Lombok – and they even found Mola-Mola. We’re super excited to start taking you to these absolutely outstanding dive sites in 2019.

A brand-new side to Sekotong diving

Sekotong and the secret Gilis are known for beautiful soft coral gardens and fantastic muck diving. The dive sites around Gili Asahan, Layar and Ringgit have long been a haven for underwater photographers who wanted to take pictures of “small stuff” whilst being away from the crowds.

Sekotong’s Outer Reefs, however, are a whole different world, and a new experience awaits our divers, both recreational and technical. Even from the surface, you’re treated to stunning landscapes with jagged cliffs stretching as far as the eye can see. Underwater, these jagged cliffs continue and form eerie, outlandish formations. To get a better impression, check out our video from the trip.

Shallow reefs – with surprises

The shallow part of the reefs here are covered in soft coral, with some larger hard corals in between. Some of these rocks are current-swept, others offer relaxed dives.

All of the Outer Sekotong reefs are good for surprises – be it Mola-Mola, Jenkins whip rays or schooling tuna.

Speaking of surprises, there are swim-throughs, too. Some of them start as shallow as 15 m; others cover a larger area and a range of depths. The ones we explored on the recent trip were shallow enough to suit recreational divers and large enough to fit a tech diver comfortably (after all, we had a few additional pieces of equipment with us to give us time to explore as much as possible).

Amazing marine life

One thing all of the dive sites we dived over these days had in common was great pelagic life. Whilst Sekotong’s macro sites are an attraction of their own, the Outer Reefs really add something different to the South Lombok experience.

Granted, the mola-molas were by far our favorite, but there was plenty to see on each and every dive including hunting giant trevallies, olive sea snakes and so much more. These snakes are certainly some of the most graceful creatures you’ll ever see underwater.

Who is it for and when to go?

Reaching Sekotong’s Outer Reefs takes a bit longer from our Sekotong base than the Inner Reefs, but it’s well worth it for certified divers with a few dives under their belt. Divers should ideally be qualified to Advanced Open Water level to allow for more flexibility when choosing a depth.

The Outer Reefs are more easily reached during our low season, between November and March. So if you are heading to South Lombok and are craving some outstanding coral and pelagic species diving, this is the place to come.

To find out more or to arrange diving on these amazing reefs, contact us directly.