The Lombok Strait lies between the Indonesian islands of Bali and Lombok and serves as a deep-water alternative to the Malacca Strait.
The strait connects the Bali Sea with the Indian Ocean. It is about 60 kilometres long, roughly 40 kilometres wide at its northern opening, and about 20 kilometres wide at its narrowest southern section near Nusa Penida. Its minimum depth is approximately 250 metres, making it suitable for large “post-Malaccamax” vessels that may be too deep-draught for parts of the shallower, busier Malacca route.
The Lombok Strait is also an important passage for the Indonesian Throughflow, the movement of water from the Pacific Ocean toward the Indian Ocean. Strong currents, tides and deep water make it oceanographically significant as well as commercially useful. Its waters are part of the Coral Triangle, a region known for exceptional marine biodiversity.
A frequent mix-up is the Bali Strait, which separates Bali from Java. The Lombok Strait is east of Bali, between Bali and Lombok. The Makassar Strait, another major Indonesian route, lies much farther north between Borneo and Sulawesi.