Two mandarinfish in the Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi

Photo: Rickard Zerpe, cropped, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Mandarin City

Southeast coast, Lombok, Indonesia

  • Beginner
  • No current
  • Best Apr to Oct

Mandarin City is a beginner dive site in Southeast coast, Lombok, Indonesia. Dives run from 3 to 18 m, with little or no current. The best months are April to October. Marine life here includes mandarinfish and hawksbill turtle. One dive shop on Scubalo runs trips here.

Updated

Conditions at Mandarin City

Max depth
18 m
Depth range
3–18 m
Current
None
Level
Beginner
Depth profile: dives from 3 m to 18 m.

Safety

Etiquette
The turtles here are shy; fin carefully and give them space.

About Mandarin City

Mandarin City is a sheltered bay on Lombok's southeast coast, 3 to 18 metres, where mandarinfish hide in healthy staghorn coral beside a pearl farm, with hawksbill turtles nearby.

Mandarin City lies on the edge of a pearl farm on the southeast coast of Lombok. The bay is sheltered from the current, so visibility tends to be lower than on the open coast.

The site is named for the mandarinfish, a dragonet and one of the most colourful fish in the sea, which hides in some of the healthiest staghorn coral in the area. Hawksbill turtles live nearby and are still shy of divers. Shops usually dive it on request, mainly for the mandarinfish.

When to dive Mandarin City

Best months: April, May, June, July, August, September, October.

Season

Right now
Best months
April to October, the dry season, with calmer seas and the best visibility.
Good to know
The south coast faces the Indian Ocean, so swell and current decide which sites can be dived on the day.

Marine life at Mandarin City

What divers report seeing here. Tap one to see where else it turns up.

Type of diving

Questions about Mandarin City

What is Mandarin City known for?

Mandarinfish in healthy staghorn coral.

How deep is Mandarin City?

From about 3 to 18 metres, around 12 metres on average.

Is Mandarin City good for beginners?

Yes. It is shallow and sheltered from the current.

Which dive shops go to Mandarin City?

Dive shops in Kuta Lombok visit on request on their Telong Elong day trips. The shops that go there are listed on this page.

Reviews

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Dived here? Tell other divers what it was like: the visibility, the current and what you saw.

Dive shops that go to Mandarin City

One shop in the directory runs trips here.

See the shop