Dive shops
Manta Dive
One of the longest established dive operators with international staff. 5-star SSI Diamond Instructor Training Facility. All PADI and SSI courses are provided in main European languages, including introduction dives and Scuba Ranger courses for children. Daily dive trips around all 3 Gili Islands and frequent muck-dive trips to neighbouring Lombok. The dive school has direct access to the beach and boat. 8 traditional and 3 modern bungalows, café serving breakfast and lunch, free WiFi and freshwater swimming pool. A rustic beach bar is scheduled to open on 1 August 2012.
Trawangan Dive
New gear, good boats and a saltwater pool for training. They also have half a dozen well appointed bungalows US$55/60 single/double with A/C, flat-panel TV/DVD and hot and cold showers.
Blue Marlin Dive
PADI and TDI licensed with professional instructors and well maintained gear. Has its own large pool and a fully equipped dive shop. Also a full technical dive centre with Closed-Circuit Rebreather training and Tri-Mix. Behind the centre there are eight bungalows and three newly renovated rooms. In front an open air cafe which is often busy. On Monday nights Blue Marlin hosts a very loud party up on the second level above the dive shop.
Dream Divers
As it is German owned and run, this is the preferred choice of most German visitors to the island. A PADI centre with the same courses and services as all the others.
Big Bubble Diving
This newish operation on Gili Trawangan has quickly built a stellar reputation for professionalism and being extremely friendly. British owned and run with native English and French speakers as instructors. Large purpose built dive pool and good quality bungalows behind the diveshop. A full range of PADI and SSI courses plus daily fun dives offered.
Gili Trawangan is the centre of a thriving dive industry on the Gili Island. All of the operators have their main dive shops located here. There are about a dozen active dive sites, and all of the shops run a regularly rotating program of daily fun dives to one of more of these.
Fun dives are not really what Gili Trawangan is about though, and it is much better known as a teaching centre. The operators are very professional, the warm waters relatively unchallenging although some sites have fairly strong currents, and the visibility usually good. All of that makes for an ideal teaching environment, whether you are a first timer, or a diver looking to extend your qualifications.
Has a very nice Yoga class at 5:30pm behind the central Dive Shop which says "free dives". The class lasts 90 minutes for 100,000 Rp.
surfing
Gili Trawangan has a fast right hander which can really pump with the right conditions. The best waves are at high tide, and the underlying reef can be sharp so booties can come in handy. The surf break is off the south coast - just follow the locals who will be out and jogging with their boards whenever the surf is decent. You will find no shortage of locals eady, willing and able to rent you board. There are a few breaks off Gili Air and Gili Meno, but they are more difficult to reach and smaller. The best season is the January-June wet season, with swells from 1-2 m. Daily conditions can be checked out at Magic Seaweed (http://magicseaweed.com).
snorkeling
The easiest spot to find some productive snorkeling is off the main beach, north of the boat landing. If you start north of the beach about where you can see seaweeds growing at low tide about level with Gili Meno's northern extent, and go with the current back towards to the most crowded sunbathing area, you will likely need to kick only when you want to stop to look at something! The healthy corals are around the area where the wall drops off and the deeper water begins. Nearer the shore you will find only dead coral. Turtles can be seen often, and also the occasional trigger fish amongst the more common reef inhabitants. At low tide it is dificult to get in without reef shoes. Always watch out for the waves smashing you into the coral that are just below water level.
A better coral reef is off the northwest coast, but you have to be very keen to go through the hardship of getting out there. The only access to the reef involves walking over a substantial area of dead, sharp coral, and back again when you have finished. If you are a keen snorkeler the effort is worth it, and you are very likely to have the waters to yourself.
Small, purple jellyfishes are sometimes plentiful around the island, and they seem to love stinging snorkelers. The reaction is one of considerable irritation, but the stings cause no serious harm.
walking
There are some lovely walks to be had on the island, although the perimeter coastal track is perhaps not as scenic as those on Gili Meno and Gili Air. A leisurely stroll all the way around will take 90-120 minutes, depending on just how leisurely you are.
The hill in the south can be easily reached by taking one of the tracks that lead west or southwest from the back of the village. Dawn and dusk are the best times to climb up here. The sunset views back towards Bali are quite lovely, and in the mornings the sun rises over majestic Mount Rinjani on Lombok. On the top of the hill there is the remains of a World War II Japanese gun bunker.