Diving the Gili islands: 7SEAS Gallery Dive Site
For those looking to dive into an underwater world unlike anywhere else, Indonesia, and Bali in particular, is home to many sculptors making original and reproduction statues to grace underwater shrines and gardens. The 7SEAS Gallery, a beautifully carved underwater-statue depository, is the latest site to offer divers a unique subaquatic experience. Arlie Haft describes the beauty of this development:
White sandy beaches and stunning shades of beautiful blue water is just a taste of what’s on offer on the idyllic island of Gili Air. But getting below the surface is where the real magic happens. Over many years, the Gili islands off Lombok have been committed to conserving their reefs and offering something new for their divers.
“The Gallery”, sponsored by 7Seas Dive Gili, is one such project that is dedicated to this idea. Perfect for both day and night, this shore dive not only serves up a vast healthy reef, but also strategically placed statues to surprise and delight the underwater explorer. While watching a turtle swim by, you might just run into Buddha himself or even Ganesh. Look around a little more and you can find an entire terracotta army!
After only a few months, the marine life has also welcomed these new additions. You will often find nudis and their eggs, feather stars and even frogfish making these statues their home.
The concept was created to be not only an art project but also transform into an artificial reef. “The Gallery” is an example of how to encourage the regeneration of the reef while making divers smile.
For more information, visit: www.7seasdivegili.com