The Nest underwater statues, located in Gili Meno, are hauntingly beautiful and surreal. They consist of 48 life-size figures in a circle underneath the water. You will wonder how they got there, what they are doing there, and how you can go see them! This location is rapidly growing into a popular snorkeling and diving spot.
Contents
Hours
There are no set hours for the underwater statues but you will need a boat or a tour to get to the location. We recommend going earlier in the day to avoid the crowds.
Directions
The statues might seem so close to the shore that you can swim out to them but in reality, they are much further. There are also warning signs to not attempt to swim to the statues.
The Gili Islands (Gili Meno, Gili Trawangan, and Gili Air) are small islands and traveling to and from each island is relatively quick. It only took us 15 minutes by boat to get to the statues.
Admission
You don’t need to pay any fee to see these statues except to the boat/tour guide.
Nest Underwater Statues
The underwater sculptures are an art installation called “Nest” from Jason DeCaires Taylor. The idea he had was that the statues would create a healthy environment for coral and fish. It also lured in locals and tourists and now dually acts as a dive and snorkeling spot!
After we got off our ferry from Bali via BlueWater Express, we immediately were surrounded by numerous tour guides offering a boat ride to the different Gili Islands.
If you walk around more, you will see booths set up specifically for tours and equipment rental. The guide that we picked actually took us to a few other spots for snorkeling while waiting for the crowd to die down at the statues. He also had snorkel gear for me to borrow – Brea brought her own.
The different tours can range from 150,000 IDR to 350,000 IDR. There are also daily local boats for cheaper that leave from Gili Trawangan to Gili Meno at 9:30AM and 4PM. Those tickets cost 35,000 IDR.
Before we actually visited the underwater statues, we visited a few other spots first. This one had really pretty coral so we just snorkeled around for a while.
The second spot had other statues on the floor that you had to dive down to see.
When we finally decided to visit the Nest underwater statues, there were still a lot of people there but we managed to each take our turns diving down to get photos. The underwater statues are not that deep in the water – you can see them from the surface if the water was more clear. You don’t need to be an experienced diver or swimmer either to enjoy this wonderful attraction.
Brea even took selfies with the statues!
Visiting the Nest underwater statues was spectacular and unique. The Gili Islands has so much to offer and you can easily spend days on the three tiny islands. The next time we visit, we will definitely allot more time!
[…] The Gili Islands are made up of 3 tiny islands – Gili Air, Gili Trawangan, and Gili Meno located in Indonesia. They are known for their island vibes and magnificent diving/snorkeling locations. This is also the location of the Nest underwater statues! […]