Snorkelling the underwater statues
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Forty-eight figures standing in a circle on the seabed off Gili Meno, four metres down.
Nest is an underwater sculpture by Jason deCaires Taylor, installed off Gili Meno in 2017: forty-eight life-size figures arranged in a circle on the sand, cast in pH-neutral marine cement so that coral and sponge can take hold. It is an artificial reef as much as an artwork, and it is working — the figures are furred with growth and the fish have moved in.
It sits in around four metres of water, so you do not need to dive. A snorkel and one good breath is enough. The light is best early, before the day boats arrive. Fifteen minutes by boat from Gili Air, usually run together with the turtle points on the way.
Good to know. Around four metres deep and easy to free-dive down to. Early morning is the calmest and the quietest. Please look without standing on the sculptures — the coral growing on them is the point.
