Some holidays are measured in cocktails. Others are measured in sunsets. Mine was measured in turtles (and a few cocktails).
Before visiting Gili Air, I’d seen all the brochures advertising turtle snorkelling tours. Boats full of excited tourists, guides pointing enthusiastically into the water, everyone hoping to tick “swim with a turtle” off their bucket list.
As it turns out, my favourite activity on the island didn’t require a boat, a guide or even spending any money.
Just me, a snorkel, a mask and a slightly questionable amount of optimism.
Every morning, I’d wander down to the north-east side of Gili Air, pop on my snorkel and mask (which I’d wisely packed from home), shuffle carefully over the coral in my glamorous reef shoes, and simply… walk into the sea.
Five minutes later, I’d be swimming alongside sea turtles.
For free.
It almost felt like I’d discovered the island’s best-kept secret.
The funny thing is, I kept trying to explain this to other travellers.
“You know you don’t need to book a tour, right?”
Some looked genuinely shocked.
Others looked mildly suspicious, as though I was trying to lure them into shark-infested waters.
Nope.
Just turtles.
Lots of them.
The Early Bird Gets the Turtle
One of the first things I discovered was that turtles are definitely morning creatures.
Head out early and the reef seems to come alive. The water is usually calmer, visibility is incredible, and before long you’ll spot that unmistakable shape gliding effortlessly beneath the surface.
By late afternoon, I still enjoyed swimming, but turtle sightings were definitely less predictable.
The turtles clearly know something about mornings that the rest of us should probably pay attention to.
Turtles Are Surprisingly Photogenic...
…once you work out their good angle.
Like every aspiring wildlife photographer, I initially tried taking photos whenever a turtle appeared.
The results?
Mostly blurry shells.
Occasionally half a flipper.
Sometimes what looked like an underwater potato.
Eventually I realised turtles look absolutely magical when they’re swimming upwards towards the surface for a breath of air. The light catches their shell beautifully, the water glows behind them, and suddenly your photos start looking like they belong in a travel magazine instead of your phone’s “Delete Later” folder.
Timing, as they say, is everything.
My GoPro Taught Me a Valuable Lesson
I’d imagined myself capturing National Geographic-worthy turtle portraits.
Reality had other ideas.
Trying to take still photos while floating in gentle waves, adjusting your breathing, avoiding coral and keeping an eye on a moving turtle is… harder than it sounds.
So I changed tactics.
Instead of trying to snap the perfect photo, I simply filmed everything with my GoPro.
Best decision ever.
Back on dry land, I could pause the footage and capture beautiful still frames from the video. Not only did it take the pressure off in the water, but I ended up with both gorgeous photographs and videos that brought the whole experience back to life.
Sometimes the easiest solution is the best one.
No Two Turtle Swims Were Ever the Same
That’s probably what kept me coming back every morning.
Some days I’d find one turtle lazily grazing on seagrass, completely unbothered by my presence.
Other mornings there’d be three or four, gliding effortlessly through the reef like they owned the place.
Sometimes colourful reef fish would steal the show.
Other days the water was so unbelievably clear it felt like swimming through glass.
Every snorkel brought something different.
Every swim felt like its own little adventure.
And every time I spotted that familiar lump of shell emerging from the blue, I got exactly as excited as I had the day before.
