Barracuda Point

The northwest tip of Gili Trawangan where a reef promontory channels the Lombok Strait current into an accelerated flow that concentrates schooling fish in numbers unseen at the calmer inshore sites. A resident school of great barracuda — typically 50 to 100 individuals — hovers mid-water in the current at 12 to 20 metres, holding station in a slowly rotating tornado formation that is one of the most photographed spectacles in the Gilis. Blacktip and whitetip reef sharks appear on most dives, hunting the edges of the school, while giant trevally patrol from below. The coral slope drops to 30 metres with dense sea fans and large barrel sponges, and the current — when running — creates an effortless drift finish back toward the boat.