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Green turtle while diving in Gili Islands
A day at the spa · CC BY 2.0 · source

Guides · Price overview

PADI Open Water Course in the Gili Islands: Price, Duration, What's Included

Every operator we track on Gili Trawangan, Air, and Meno certifies PADI Open Water, and four of five price it within IDR 925,000 of each other: IDR 5,975,000-6,900,000. Course length varies more than price, 3 to 4 days depending on the shop. The real differences are in what isn't on the headline number: whether the marine park fee is itemized separately, and whether pre-booking with a deposit earns you a free fun dive.

Open Water course prices across our tracked Gili Islands operators, plus the marine park fee and pre-booking perks that actually vary once you look past the headline price.

Prices shown in

  1. hawksbill turtle underwater
    Franziska_Stier · Pixabay Content License · source

    Indonesia / West Lombok

    Gili Islands

    Beginner-friendlyBudget

    Open Water course from IDR 5,975,000 · Day trip from IDR 545,000

    Gili Island Diving Center is the cheapest listed at IDR 5,975,000 and states park fees don't apply. Gili Divers, Dive Central Gili, Trawangan Dive, and DSM Dive all list IDR 6,900,000; Dive Central and Trawangan Dive itemize a one-off IDR 100,000 marine park fee on top (IDR 7,000,000 all-in), and Trawangan Dive gives a free fun dive at course end if you pre-book with a IDR 1,000,000 deposit. DSM Dive and Gili Divers don't mention the fee on their Open Water listing specifically, so it's worth confirming directly. Course length runs 3 days (Dive Central, Trawangan Dive, DSM) to 4 days (Gili Divers, Gili Island Diving Center).

Before you book

Coral reef
joakant · Pixabay Content License · source

Gili Islands

Season

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Also good: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.

Getting there

  • Fast boat from Bali (Padang Bai or Amed, ~2 hr) or from Lombok (Bangsal harbour, 15 min by public boat or 30 min by fast boat).
  • The three islands.
  • Gili Trawangan, Gili Air, Gili Meno Have their own docks.
  • No cars or motorbikes on any island, horse carts and bicycles only.

Minimum stay

2 nights

Good for your first trip if

Open Water minimum. No special certification needed for any standard site. One of Indonesia's most popular learn-to-dive destinations, with widely available, competitively priced PADI Open Water courses.

Know before you go

  • Relatively low-risk diving, no strong thermoclines, manageable currents, warm water.
  • The main risk is surface currents between the islands catching snorkellers out, stick close to the reef.
  • Nearest recompression chambers are in Bali and Mataram (Lombok).
  • Most dive shops carry oxygen.
  • No serious medical facilities on any island; evacuation to Lombok takes 45 min.

Top dive sites

Top sites in Gili Islands

sea turtle underwater
Pexels · Pixabay Content License · source

Turtle Heaven

Beginner-friendly

Depth5–18 m

Shallow reef with multiple resident turtles resting and grazing on coral. One of the most reliable turtle encounters in Indonesia, calm and accessible.

  • green turtles
  • hawksbill turtles
  • coral gardens
  • reef fish
blacktip reef shark underwater
Franziska_Stier · Pixabay Content License · source

Shark Point

Intermediate

Depth8–25 m

Channel site between Gili T and Meno with resident reef sharks often resting on the sandy bottom. Calm conditions make this a relaxed, approachable shark dive.

  • whitetip reef sharks
  • blacktip reef sharks
  • sandy bottom
  • coral outcrops

Common questions

How much does PADI Open Water certification cost in the Gili Islands?

IDR 5,975,000-6,900,000 across our tracked operators, before any marine park fee. Gili Island Diving Center is cheapest at IDR 5,975,000. The other four cluster at IDR 6,900,000; Dive Central Gili and Trawangan Dive add a one-off IDR 100,000 marine park fee on top (IDR 7,000,000 all-in).

Is there a marine park fee on top of the course price?

Depends on the operator, and it's not consistently disclosed. Dive Central Gili and Trawangan Dive itemize a one-off IDR 100,000 marine park fee separately from the course price. Gili Island Diving Center states park fees don't apply at all. DSM Dive and Gili Divers don't mention it on their Open Water course listing, so ask before you book if it isn't shown.

How many days does the Open Water course take on the Gili Islands?

3 days at Dive Central Gili, Trawangan Dive, and DSM Dive; 4 days at Gili Divers and Gili Island Diving Center. Price doesn't track neatly with duration: the 3-day and 4-day options both include operators at the cheap and expensive end of the price range.

Do any Gili operators offer a perk for pre-booking the course?

Trawangan Dive gives a free fun dive at course end if you pre-book online with a IDR 1,000,000 deposit. That's the only pre-booking perk we've found documented on an operator's own course listing among our tracked Gili operators; ask directly if you don't see one stated.

How this guide was built

Every fact above is pulled live from the same destination and operator records used on Dive Curated's destination pages. It can never drift out of sync with what those pages say.

Beginner-friendly
Rated on the destination's own current strength, depth range, and visibility.
Budget tier
Verified accommodation, food, and diving costs; not marketing claims.
Price
Lowest tracked operator listing at time of publish. Check the destination page for current pricing.