Few ways of spending a morning are as direct as this one: you go out on the water, hold your breath, hunt for your own lunch, and a couple of hours later you are eating it. This private spearfishing and catch-and-cook experience around Gili Trawangan is part sport, part food adventure and completely hands-on.
The session opens on land with a thorough briefing. Your instructor explains how the speargun works, how to load and handle it safely, how to approach fish without spooking them, and which species are worth taking and which should be left alone. You are fitted with a mask, snorkel, fins, wetsuit or rash guard and weight belt, and beginners get a run-through of breath-hold technique, equalisation and relaxed descent before anyone gets in the water.
Then you head out on a boat reserved for your group alone to reefs and drop-offs around the island. Your instructor stays with you in the water throughout, pointing out fish, showing you how to read the terrain, and coaching your approach dive by dive. Spearfishing here is selective and patient rather than fast, which is exactly what makes it satisfying: you take one fish at a time, and every successful shot is the result of a decision you made yourself.
- Experienced spearfishing and freediving instructor
- Private boat with crew for your group only
- Speargun, mask, snorkel, fins, wetsuit and weights provided
- In-water coaching for beginners and improvers
- Your catch prepared and served as lunch
Back on shore, the catch is cleaned, seasoned and grilled fresh, usually with rice, sambal and simple local sides. Eating fish you took yourself an hour earlier is a genuinely different experience from ordering it from a menu, and it is the part most guests talk about afterwards. If the sea is quiet and the catch is small, lunch is still provided, so nobody goes hungry.
The trip is designed for beginners as much as experienced freedivers. You do not need a certification or any prior spearfishing background, just reasonable comfort in the water and the ability to swim. Confident freedivers can push deeper and work independently while the instructor focuses on technique and fish-finding. Bring swimwear, a towel, sunscreen and a sense of curiosity.
Plan on about four hours from start to finish, leaving the rest of the day free. Sea conditions dictate where you dive, so the exact sites are chosen on the morning. Get in touch with your preferred date and experience level and we will set the trip up around you.