SSI ITC Dive Resort Oceans 5 Gili Air Blog Posts
SSI ITC Dive Resort Oceans 5 Gili Air Blog Posts
The Ultimate Guide to Scuba Diving Around Gili Air, Indonesia If you are searching for the best diving Gili Air experience, you have come to the right place. Located just off the northwest coast of Lombok, Gili Air is one of Indonesia’s most beautiful tropical islands and …
Let’s Debunk the Biggest Myths One of the most common questions we hear from Divemasters considering the next step in their diving career is: “Am I ready for the Instructor Course?” Unfortunately, many Divemasters are held back by misconceptions and advice that is often based …
Every diver remembers that first breath underwater. The excitement, the nerves, and the feeling of entering a completely different world. But if you ask experienced divers what they wish they had known when they started, the answers are often surprising.
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, we asked our instructors, divemaster candidates, and dive professionals one simple question:
“What is the one piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you started diving?”
Here are their answers.
For many divers, the biggest regret is not starting sooner.
Diving opens doors to experiences that most people never get to see. Coral reefs, turtles, sharks, wrecks, and underwater landscapes become part of your life. The sooner you start, the more adventures you can enjoy.
Many people spend years thinking about learning to dive. Then, after their first dive, they often say the same thing:
“I wish I had done this years ago.”
It starts with one dive.
Then you want another one.
Before you know it, you’re planning holidays around diving destinations, buying equipment, taking specialty courses, and spending your evenings watching underwater videos.
The truth is that scuba diving has a way of capturing people’s imagination. Every dive is different. Every dive site has its own surprises. There is always something new to discover.
Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
For Putri, diving became much more than a hobby.
The diving industry exists all over the world. From Indonesia to Thailand, the Maldives, Egypt, Mexico, and beyond, diving creates opportunities to explore new places and meet people from different cultures.
What starts as a recreational activity can become a passport to adventure.
Diving can also create professional opportunities.
Many people begin diving for fun and later discover careers they never considered before. Divemasters, instructors, underwater photographers, marine conservation workers, liveaboard crew, and dive center managers all started with that first certification.
For Ebi, diving is not only about exploring the ocean—it is also about creating opportunities for the future.
Many non-divers think scuba diving is an extreme sport.
The reality is that scuba diving is an activity built on training, procedures, and safety standards. When divers are properly trained, use well-maintained equipment, and stay within their limits, diving is a very safe recreational activity.
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, we believe that quality training, proper buoyancy control, and never rushing students through a course are the foundations of safe diving.
Knowledge and skills create confident divers.
Perhaps the most powerful answer came from Instructor Yunus.
The underwater world operates by different rules. Fish move in schools, turtles glide effortlessly through the water, and coral reefs are filled with life and color.
The noise and stress of daily life disappear. Breathing slows down. Time seems to move differently.
For many divers, this is what keeps them coming back.
The ocean is not just another place to visit.
It is a completely different world.
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, we hear amazing stories from divers every day. Some discovered a lifelong hobby. Some found a career. Some found a passion for conservation. Others simply found peace underwater.
So now it’s your turn:
What’s the one piece of diving advice you wish someone had given you when you started?
Let us know when you visit Oceans 5 Gili Air—the place where many divers begin a journey that lasts a lifetime. 🌊🐢🤿
Discover the Favorite Local Foods on Gili Air! Visitors often ask us where they should eat on Gili Air. While the island has plenty of international restaurants and cafés, the real flavors of Gili Air are found in the local warungs where island residents eat …
Learn to dive One of the most common questions we receive at Oceans 5 Gili Air is: “Can I learn to dive in just 3 days?” The simple answer is yes, you can. The SSI Open Water Diver course is designed so that most people can …
If you are looking for one specialty course that will improve almost every dive you make in the future, the SSI Enriched Air Nitrox course should be at the top of your list. It is the most popular diving specialty in the world for a good reason: Nitrox allows divers to reduce nitrogen absorption, extend no-decompression limits, shorten surface intervals, and add an extra safety margin to many dives.
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, we highly recommend combining the Nitrox course with your SSI Advanced Open Water program. The deeper dive sites around the Gili Islands are exactly where Nitrox becomes most valuable.
Nitrox, also known as Enriched Air Nitrox (EANx), contains a higher percentage of oxygen and less nitrogen than normal air. Because your body absorbs less nitrogen during the dive, you can often stay underwater longer before reaching your no-decompression limits.
The most common recreational Nitrox mixes are EAN32 and EAN36.
The biggest advantage of Nitrox is more time underwater. By reducing nitrogen loading, Nitrox can significantly increase your no-decompression limits compared with diving on air.
More bottom time means:
Because you absorb less nitrogen, your body can off-gas more efficiently between dives. This can allow shorter surface intervals on repetitive diving days.
For divers doing two or three dives per day around the Gili Islands, that is a huge advantage.
Many experienced divers choose Nitrox not because they want longer dives, but because they want to dive more conservatively.
When you dive Nitrox while staying within the limits you would normally use for air, you reduce nitrogen loading and increase your safety margin against decompression sickness.
The SSI Nitrox course is one of the easiest specialties to combine with the SSI Advanced program.
During your Advanced training you will visit deeper dive sites where nitrogen loading becomes more significant. Learning to use Nitrox at the same time gives you practical experience and immediately shows you the benefits of enriched air diving.
Instead of learning Nitrox and then waiting months to use it, you can apply your new knowledge immediately on some of the best dive sites around the Gili Islands.
One of the deepest recreational dive sites around the Gilis. Nitrox can significantly extend your available bottom time while exploring the deeper reef sections.
Famous for turtles, healthy coral formations, and occasional reef sharks. Nitrox allows you to spend more time enjoying the deeper portions of the site.
One of the most popular dive sites in the region. Whether you’re looking for turtles, reef sharks, or schooling fish, Nitrox helps maximize your underwater time.
A fantastic site with beautiful coral formations and abundant marine life where Nitrox allows longer exploration.
Known for its stunning coral structures and marine biodiversity. Nitrox is ideal for divers who want to fully enjoy this deeper site without rushing their dive.
Unlike some specialty courses that you may only use occasionally, Nitrox is something you can use on almost every dive vacation, liveaboard trip, and diving adventure.
Whether you are diving in Indonesia, the Maldives, Egypt, Thailand, or the Caribbean, Nitrox is widely available and often becomes the preferred gas for experienced recreational divers.
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, our SSI instructors will teach you:
Combine your Nitrox certification with your SSI Advanced Adventurer course and start enjoying longer dives on world-class dive sites such as Deep Turbo, Deep Halik, Shark Point, Simon’s Reef, and Takat Malang.
More bottom time. More marine life. More diving.
That’s why the SSI Enriched Air Nitrox course remains one of the smartest specialty certifications any diver can earn. 🌊🤿
Supporting Future Marine Scientists In celebration of World Oceans Day, Oceans 5 Gili Air is proud to support the next generation of Indonesian marine conservationists by offering 24 SSI Ecology Specialty courses to eight Indonesian university students participating in our Conservation Internship Program. Each student will complete three SSI Ecology …
Have You Booked Your Diving Yet? The Gili Islands are preparing for one of the busiest diving seasons of the year. With June, July, August, and September traditionally bringing thousands of visitors to the islands, dive centers across Gili Air, Gili Meno, and Gili Trawangan …
Imagine this: you finally arrive on the Gili Islands, book your first scuba dive, jump into the crystal-clear blue water, and start descending onto a beautiful coral reef. Within minutes, a sea turtle glides effortlessly past you.
Sounds like a dream? Around the Gili Islands, it is often reality.
But here is the question many visitors ask:
Can you actually miss seeing a turtle while diving on the Gilis?
The honest answer is: yes, it is possible—but not very likely.
The waters around Gili Air, Gili Meno, and Gili Trawangan are famous for their healthy populations of Green Sea Turtles and Hawksbill Turtles. Divers and snorkelers regularly encounter multiple turtles during a single dive, making the Gili Islands one of the best places in Indonesia to see these amazing animals.
Many people choose the Gili Islands for their first scuba diving experience because of three simple reasons:
No thick wetsuits. No freezing temperatures.
Water temperatures usually stay between 28 and 30 degrees Celsius, making diving comfortable throughout the year.
The reefs around Gili Air offer excellent visibility and a huge variety of marine life. New divers can focus on enjoying the experience rather than struggling with difficult conditions.
Let’s be honest.
Most people secretly hope to see a turtle on their first dive.
And around the Gili Islands, that dream often comes true.
Local dive professionals regularly see turtles resting on the reef, feeding on seagrass, or swimming calmly alongside divers. In fact, many divers report seeing multiple turtles during a single dive.
Many dive centers joke about having a “turtle guarantee.”
Of course, nobody can control wild animals.
Sea turtles don’t work for dive shops. They don’t check the dive schedule every morning.
But the reality is that turtle sightings around the Gilis are so common that many visitors leave wondering if there is a turtle behind every coral bommie.
At dive sites such as Shark Point, Turtle Heaven, Halik, Simon’s Reef, and many of the reefs around Gili Air, turtle encounters are part of everyday diving.
If you somehow manage to miss turtles on your first dive, don’t panic.
Most divers stay for multiple dives, and the chances increase dramatically with every dive you make.
Many visitors arrive for a single try dive and end up completing a full Open Water Course because they fall in love with the underwater world after meeting their first turtle.
Choosing the right dive center makes a difference.
A knowledgeable dive guide knows where turtles like to rest, feed, and clean themselves. Experienced instructors also teach divers proper buoyancy so turtles are not disturbed and feel comfortable staying nearby.
If you’re looking for the best dive shop on Gili Air to see turtles, many divers choose Oceans 5 Gili Air.
Located directly in the harbor of Gili Air, Oceans 5 takes divers to the most productive turtle sites around the Gili Islands every day. With small groups, experienced instructors, and a strong conservation philosophy, the team focuses on creating unforgettable underwater encounters while protecting the marine environment.
Technically, yes.
Realistically?
You might have a harder time avoiding turtles than finding them.
The Gili Islands are famous worldwide for turtle encounters, and for many divers, their first turtle experience becomes the moment they fall in love with scuba diving forever.
So grab your mask, jump in the water, and keep your eyes open.
There is a very good chance a turtle is already waiting for you. 🐢🌊
Booking a Dive Course on Gili Air Gili Air is one of the most popular places in Indonesia to learn scuba diving. Every day, travelers walk around the island comparing dive shops, checking prices, and trying to decide where to start their underwater adventure. With …