Gili Trawangan diving: centres, dive sites and fun-dive costs

Book a Trawangan-based dive, not an island transfer

Gili Trawangan diving works well for certified divers who want short boat outings with time back on the island between dives. Manta Dive explicitly returns to its centre after each regular single-tank trip. Blue Marlin also advertises separate daily fun-dive departures from its harbour-side operation. Neither requires you to move accommodation to the island beside a particular reef.

Choose the centre by its meeting point, return pattern, equipment inclusions and suitability for your recent experience. A site list is not a fixed itinerary: shallow Halik, deeper Halik and the Glenn Nusa wreck are different propositions even when sold from the same beach.

Manta Dive: separate trips with land breaks

Manta boards directly from the beach in front of its Trawangan centre. It advertises a maximum of four divers per guide and typical boat rides of 5–15 minutes, returning between dives. This suits a single morning dive or several dives separated by meals and time with non-diving companions.

Its current programme lists 09:00, 11:30 and 14:30 regular departures, with first-meeting times of 08:15, 10:45 and 13:45 respectively. The corresponding advertised returns are 10:30, 13:00 and 16:00. Treat those as the operator’s published plan, not a guarantee that the boat will return in time for a tightly connected passenger ferry. Night dives are on request and depend on conditions and scheduling.

Blue Marlin: a harbour-side alternative, with conflicting times online

Blue Marlin locates its centre on the main beach road, about a minute’s walk from the passenger harbour. Its named fun-dive product requires Open Water certification or equivalent and displays a base day-dive price of IDR 640,000 when checked on 25 October 2026. The page also displays an enquiry/advance-notice message and unavailable-sale wording; a published price does not establish a reservable place.

The product page lists 09:00, 11:30 and 14:30 Saturday–Thursday, with 09:00 and 14:00 on Friday. Its separate FAQ instead gives 08:30, 11:00 and 14:00. Resolve the meeting time directly with this Trawangan branch before building the rest of your day around it. Do not transfer another Blue Marlin island’s timetable to this operation.

Published Manta prices: read the per-dive column

Manta’s Trawangan price table, checked on 25 October 2026, lists IDR 640,000 for one dive; IDR 576,000 per dive for 3–4 dives; IDR 544,500 per dive for 5–9 dives; and IDR 512,000 per dive for 10 or more. Its night-dive line is IDR 790,000. The package bands are per-dive rates, not total package prices.

The operator says a guided boat dive and basic rental equipment are included. Dive computers and cameras cost extra; bringing at least your own BCD and regulator can qualify for an equipment discount. It states a separate IDR 100,000 marine-park payment once per calendar year. That is the centre’s published collection term, not independent confirmation here of a statutory fee or every visitor’s liability. Compare written totals including your actual equipment and extras, rather than only the headline dive price.

Halik, Shark Point and Glenn Nusa are not interchangeable

Halik is a useful reef to discuss when you want coral formations without automatically selecting a deep dive. Blue Marlin’s site description separates shallow Halik from Deep Halik, whose canyons extend towards 40 metres. Agree the actual route and depth; the shared name does not mean an Open Water diver is being offered the deeper section.

Shark Point is west/northwest of Trawangan and has a sloping reef leading into deeper water. The operator explicitly notes possible strong currents. Its popularity and mixed-level label do not make every section or tide suitable for every diver, and the name is not a shark-sighting guarantee.

Glenn Nusa is the wreck near Shark Point, described at about 30 metres with deeper parts. Blue Marlin recommends it for advanced divers because of depth and current. Choose an appropriately qualified guided plan rather than assuming a general fun-dive booking includes the wreck; this guide does not recommend penetration or provide a technical dive plan.

Show your certification and recent dive history before paying

Manta accepts recognised certifications including PADI and SSI, asks for proof and lists diving within the last 12 months among its prerequisites. Tell the centre if you have been out of the water, feel rusty or need a refresher. Your certification, actual experience, conditions and the agreed route determine the dive, not a website’s maximum site depth.

If you have never dived, choose an introductory programme or an entry-level course instead of a certified fun dive. Complete the medical screening early enough to obtain any required clinical clearance before arrival. Keep your final dive separate from flight and altitude plans: the general diving guide explains the relevant DAN guidance and why a Rinjani extension needs its own assessment.