SSI ITC Dive Resort Oceans 5 Gili Air Blog Posts
SSI ITC Dive Resort Oceans 5 Gili Air Blog Posts
Technical diving often brings to mind multiple cylinders, deeper dives and detailed decompression plans. But some of its most useful lessons apply just as well to a recreational dive along a shallow reef. You do not need to become a technical diver to improve your …
Gili Trawangan Takes a Step Towards Becoming Its Own Village Gili Trawangan has reached an important stage in its move towards becoming a separate administrative village. However, its current status is Desa Persiapan Gili Trawangan—a preparatory village—rather than a fully established independent village. What Has …
Completing your Open Water Diver course is a moment worth celebrating. You have learned how to use scuba equipment, practised essential skills and explored the underwater world with your instructor.
But what happens next?
For many newly certified divers, the first dive after the course feels slightly different. There are no longer specific training exercises to complete, and you may be diving with a new buddy or a guide you have not met before.
You might wonder whether you will remember everything, keep your buoyancy under control or use more air than the other divers.
These are understandable concerns. Your certification marks the beginning of your diving experience, and confidence develops through practice, honest communication and dives that suit your ability.
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, we encourage newly certified divers to enjoy this stage. You do not need to rush towards deeper dives or another certification. There is plenty to discover while becoming more comfortable with the skills you have already learned.
Before your first fun dive, tell the dive centre how recently you completed your course and how many dives you have logged.
Your certification level provides useful information, but it does not tell the whole story. Two Open Water divers may have very different levels of experience and confidence.
It helps to explain:
You do not need to pretend to be more experienced than you are. Giving your guide accurate information helps the team choose an appropriate site and organise a suitable group.
Our guided fun dives around the Gili Islands welcome newly certified divers. We use your experience, the conditions and your comfort to help plan your dive.
After certification, it can be tempting to ask for the most famous dive site or the deepest dive available within your training limits.
However, the best dive for building confidence is one where you have enough attention available to enjoy yourself while maintaining awareness of your equipment, buddy and surroundings.
Depth is only one consideration. Current, visibility, surface conditions, entry procedures and the underwater environment also influence how demanding a dive feels.
Around the Gili Islands, conditions vary between sites and throughout the day. A site that suits your experience one morning may present different conditions on another visit.
Discuss the plan with your guide. Ask about the expected conditions, planned depth and any procedures that are unfamiliar to you.
Choosing a manageable dive is a sensible way to build experience. A relaxed reef dive can teach you a great deal without taking you to the edge of your comfort.
Confidence often begins before the dive.
Arrive with enough time to assemble your equipment, check its fit and ask questions. If you are using rental equipment, make sure you understand its controls and can locate the items you need.
Complete the equipment and buddy checks you learned during your course. Having a guide does not replace your responsibility to check your equipment and communicate with your buddy.
Listen carefully to the briefing, particularly the instructions about:
If something is unclear, ask before entering the water. You do not need to remember an unfamiliar procedure after hearing it only once.
Your first fun dives do not need to become a series of self-imposed tests.
Trying to perfect every part of your diving at once can make it difficult to enjoy the experience. Instead, identify one area you would like to improve and discuss it with your guide.
Perhaps you want to maintain a steadier depth, move with less unnecessary effort or become more aware of your buddy’s position.
Keep all your normal safety responsibilities in place, but give yourself one practical learning goal. After the dive, ask for feedback.
A useful question is:
“What is one thing I could work on during my next dive?”
Specific feedback gives you something achievable to practise. Over several dives, these small improvements can make a noticeable difference.
Buoyancy deserves attention from the beginning of your diving journey.
Being able to maintain your position helps you observe marine life without touching the reef, remain close to your buddy and move through the water with greater control.
You may notice that your buoyancy feels different when you change equipment or dive in different conditions. Ask a professional for help checking your weighting and equipment configuration rather than assuming the same setup will always work.
During your dives, aim to move thoughtfully and maintain space between yourself and the reef. If you find yourself repeatedly sinking, rising or kicking to stay in position, mention it to your guide.
For divers who would benefit from focused instruction, the SSI Perfect Buoyancy Specialty provides an opportunity to work specifically on weighting, body position and buoyancy control.
You do not have to wait until you have many logged dives to ask for help with these skills.
During your course, your instructor was a strong point of reference underwater. After certification, you also need to develop your role as an attentive buddy.
Before the dive, agree on communication and review the procedures explained in the briefing. Underwater, keep track of your buddy rather than concentrating only on the guide or marine life.
Communicate your gas pressure as instructed, and signal early if you feel uncomfortable or need assistance.
Avoid hiding a problem because you worry about interrupting the dive. Clear communication gives your buddy and guide the opportunity to respond before a small difficulty becomes more demanding.
Being a good buddy is a skill you develop on every dive.
Seeing a turtle for the first time as a certified diver can be exciting. It is easy to become so focused on the animal that you stop noticing your depth, buddy or position above the reef.
Give wildlife space and allow encounters to happen naturally.
Avoid chasing animals, blocking their movement or following them away from your group. Keep your fins and equipment clear of coral, and observe without touching.
If an animal swims away, let it go. There will be other things to discover.
Learning to pause and look closely can make familiar reefs more interesting. A small fish sheltering in coral or a well-camouflaged creature may be just as memorable as a larger animal passing by.
Your logbook can help you understand your progress.
Alongside the site, depth and duration, write a few notes about the dive:
These details are useful when you visit another dive centre. They also help you recognise improvements that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Confidence does not always arrive in one dramatic moment. Sometimes you realise that an equipment check feels familiar, that you are maintaining your position more comfortably or that you have more attention available to enjoy the reef.
Further training can be valuable, but there is no single timetable that every newly certified diver must follow.
Some divers want to enjoy several guided dives first. Others benefit from structured coaching soon after their Open Water course.
Think about what you want to learn.
If buoyancy is your main concern, focused buoyancy training may be useful. If you want to explore different types of diving under instructor supervision, speak to our team about the SSI advanced diving course.
A course should help you develop relevant skills and experience. Choose it because the learning suits your needs, rather than feeling that you must collect another certification immediately.
If some time passes between your course and your next diving holiday, tell the dive centre when you last dived.
Being certified does not mean every skill will remain equally familiar without practice. A refresher gives you an opportunity to review equipment use and essential skills with a professional.
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, divers whose last dive was six months or more ago must complete a Scuba Skills Update before joining regular fun dives.
You can also discuss a refresher after a shorter break if you feel uncertain or would appreciate additional support.
You do not need to look like an experienced diver immediately after completing your Open Water course.
Be honest about your experience. Choose suitable dives. Check your equipment carefully, communicate with your buddy and ask questions when you need help.
Most importantly, give yourself permission to enjoy being a new diver.
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, we welcome you to continue your journey through guided fun diving in the Gili Islands, focused skills training or further courses when you are ready.
Your certification is a beginning. The dives that follow are where you put your learning into practice, discover your interests and gradually become a more confident diver.
Oceans 5 Gili Air offers more than dive trips and beginner courses. Our work now includes Divemaster internships, instructor training, technical diving and marine conservation. We have developed dedicated websites for these areas so you can find detailed information about the program that interests you. …
How Far Can Scuba Diving Take You? For many people, scuba diving begins with one simple idea: I want to see what is underwater. Maybe it starts with an introduction dive while travelling through Indonesia. Maybe it is an Open Water Diver course on Gili Air. …
The Gili Islands are famous for scuba diving.
Every year, divers travel to Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan to explore warm tropical waters, coral reefs, walls, wrecks and dive sites where encounters with sea turtles are part of everyday diving.
But there is another side to diving around the Gili Islands that deserves just as much attention.
Marine conservation.
The underwater environment that attracts divers from around the world cannot simply be taken for granted. Coral reefs face pressure from climate change, coastal development, pollution, marine debris, irresponsible tourism and the cumulative impact of thousands of people using a relatively small marine environment.
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, we believe divers can be part of the solution.
Marine conservation doesn’t necessarily begin with a major scientific project. It can start with something as simple as controlling your buoyancy, keeping your fins away from coral, refusing to touch marine animals and understanding the protected area in which you are diving.
For divers visiting the Gili Islands, responsible diving should simply be part of good diving.
Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan are surrounded by the Gili Matra marine conservation area.
This means that when we go diving around the three islands, we aren’t simply visiting recreational dive sites. We are entering a marine environment that has been designated for conservation and managed through regulations and zoning.
For a deeper introduction to the area, read our guide to the Gili Matra Marine Park.
Understanding this is important.
Marine protected areas don’t protect themselves.
A line on a government map cannot stop somebody standing on coral. A regulation cannot physically prevent a diver from chasing a turtle. A protected status cannot remove plastic from a beach or automatically prevent pollution from reaching the ocean.
Protection depends on people.
That includes government authorities, local communities, businesses, dive centres, scientists, conservation organisations and visitors.
It also includes you as a diver.
For more information about conservation, regulations and environmental issues affecting the three islands, visit Gili Conservation Dive.
Sometimes we make conservation sound complicated.
It can involve scientific surveys, water-quality analysis, coral monitoring, species identification and long-term datasets.
Those things are important.
But there is another form of conservation happening every day on the reefs around the Gili Islands:
responsible diving.
Imagine hundreds of divers visiting the same reef every week.
One diver accidentally touching coral may seem insignificant. One pair of fins kicking the reef might appear to cause little damage. One person holding onto coral for a photograph may not look like a major environmental problem.
Multiply those actions by thousands of dives.
Suddenly, diver behaviour matters enormously.
That is why Oceans 5 places so much emphasis on neutral buoyancy.
Our students are taught skills while neutrally buoyant rather than routinely kneeling on the bottom. Certified divers are expected to maintain good buoyancy and avoid contact with the reef.
The philosophy is simple:
Look, enjoy and photograph — but don’t touch.
Divers who want to understand this approach in greater detail can read the guide to responsible diving in the Gili Islands.
One of the most valuable conservation skills a diver can develop is excellent buoyancy.
A diver who has good control can hover comfortably above the reef without using the bottom for stability.
This protects coral, but it also makes you a better diver.
You use less energy.
Your breathing becomes more relaxed.
Your air consumption can improve.
Your photographs become easier to take.
And you are much less likely to accidentally damage the environment.
This is one reason Oceans 5 doesn’t see buoyancy as something students should learn after becoming certified.
It should be part of learning to dive from the beginning.
Marine conservation and good diver training are directly connected.
The Gili Islands are particularly well known for sea turtles.
For many visitors, seeing a green or hawksbill turtle underwater becomes one of the highlights of their holiday.
But seeing an animal doesn’t give us the right to interfere with it.
Divers should never chase, touch, grab, feed or block marine animals for photographs.
The same applies to sharks, rays, octopuses, moray eels, nudibranchs and every other animal we encounter.
A good wildlife encounter is one where the animal can continue behaving naturally.
Instead of asking:
How close can I get?
Try asking:
How can I observe this animal without changing its behaviour?
That small change in attitude makes a considerable difference.
Responsible divers should also understand that marine conservation isn’t based solely on voluntary behaviour.
Protected marine areas have rules.
These can relate to zoning, fishing, anchoring, tourism activities, environmental protection and the ways different parts of the marine area can be used.
Visitors don’t need to become experts in Indonesian environmental law before going diving.
But understanding the basic principles of the protected area you’re visiting is part of responsible tourism.
You can learn more through the Gili Matra Marine Park rules and conservation information.
The important point is that marine park rules exist for a reason.
The Gili Islands are simultaneously a home, tourism destination, business environment and protected marine ecosystem.
Finding the balance between those different uses is essential for their future.
It is easy for divers to think of marine conservation as something that happens underwater.
Unfortunately, the ocean doesn’t work that way.
What happens on land can eventually affect the sea.
Waste management, wastewater, coastal construction, groundwater, rubbish and development can all potentially influence the surrounding marine environment.
That is why Oceans 5 believes marine conservation should include prevention, not simply repairing environmental damage afterwards.
We explored this subject in detail in From Reaction to Prevention: Why Marine Conservation Must Start Before a Reef Collapses.
Coral restoration can be valuable.
Beach clean-ups can be valuable.
Reef restoration can be valuable.
But we should also be asking:
Why was the ecosystem damaged in the first place?
If we can identify and reduce environmental pressures before major damage occurs, that can be far more effective than trying to repair an ecosystem afterwards.
People who have been diving around the Gili Islands for many years have seen changes underwater.
Some are natural.
Others may be connected with global or local environmental pressures.
Climate change, increasing sea temperatures, coastal development, tourism pressure, pollution and extreme weather can all influence coral reef ecosystems.
Oceans 5 has been operating on Gili Air since 2010, which means our team has had the opportunity to observe the reefs over many years.
We discussed some of those observations in Why Coral Reefs Around the Gili Islands Are Changing.
Observation isn’t the same as scientific proof.
That distinction matters.
Seeing algae somewhere doesn’t automatically tell us why it appeared. Seeing coral decline doesn’t immediately identify the cause.
But observations can create questions.
And questions can lead to research.
Marine conservation needs evidence.
Without data, it becomes very easy for discussions about environmental problems to become based on assumptions, anecdotes or personal interests.
That is why Oceans 5 supports marine research around the Gili Islands.
Our cooperation with the University of Mataram gives Indonesian university students opportunities to gain practical experience collecting marine data around Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan.
Oceans 5 can provide resources that would otherwise be expensive for students and researchers to access: boats, scuba equipment, tanks, compressors, facilities and experienced dive professionals.
You can read more about the development of this cooperation in Oceans 5’s partnership with the University of Mataram.
Supporting research doesn’t mean deciding what the research should conclude.
Quite the opposite.
Good conservation requires independent data.
Indonesia contains some of the world’s most extraordinary marine ecosystems.
Their long-term future should involve Indonesian scientists, students, conservationists and dive professionals.
This is one reason education has become such an important part of Oceans 5’s conservation philosophy.
Indonesian university students participating in conservation programs at Oceans 5 receive opportunities to improve their diving abilities and marine-species knowledge while developing practical experience in the field.
Oceans 5 has supported students with SSI Ecology training covering subjects such as coral identification, shark ecology and sea turtle ecology.
You can read more about how Oceans 5 is supporting future Indonesian marine scientists.
For more information about the broader education and community programs connected with conservation around Gili Air, visit Community & Education at Gili Conservation Dive.
Conservation isn’t only about coral.
Long-term conservation works best when local communities are involved and benefit from protecting their environment.
Education, professional dive training and access to employment can therefore be part of a broader conservation strategy.
Oceans 5 provides a Divemaster internship opportunity for Indonesian citizens, helping Indonesians develop professional-level diving experience and potentially build careers within Indonesia’s diving industry.
More information about this initiative can be found through Gili Conservation Dive’s Indonesian Divemaster Internship information.
Developing local dive professionals matters.
People who live and work around Indonesia’s marine environments can become some of their strongest long-term advocates.
Not every conservation action requires a university, laboratory or research vessel.
Sometimes you simply need a pair of gloves and a rubbish bag.
Oceans 5 has been organising beach clean-ups on Gili Air since 2010.
Every Friday at 17:00, our team, Divemaster candidates, visitors and volunteers meet at Oceans 5 and clean sections of the beach and surrounding areas.
Sometimes we collect relatively small amounts.
Sometimes we collect tens of kilograms.
The next week, we do it again.
And again.
And again.
That consistency matters.
A single beach clean-up makes a beach cleaner for a day.
A conservation culture can change people’s behaviour for much longer.
If you’re on Gili Air on a Friday, you’re welcome to join us.
There is another issue that the diving industry shouldn’t avoid.
Dive centres make money because people want to experience the ocean.
We sell scuba courses.
We organise fun dives.
We train Divemasters.
We train SSI instructors.
We take people to coral reefs.
Healthy marine ecosystems are therefore economically valuable to our industry.
At Oceans 5, we believe that creates responsibility.
This is why we invest our own resources into conservation activities rather than making every project dependent on outside donations or grants.
We explain that philosophy further in Why Oceans 5 Invests Its Own Money in Marine Conservation.
Our boats, tanks, compressors, swimming pools, classrooms, equipment and staff exist primarily because we’re a dive centre.
But those same resources can also support students, scientists and conservation activities.
For us, the two shouldn’t be separated.
You don’t need to become a marine biologist to make a difference.
Start with your own diving.
Develop excellent buoyancy.
Keep your fins away from coral.
Don’t kneel on the reef.
Don’t touch marine animals.
Don’t chase turtles or sharks for photographs.
Don’t take anything from the ocean.
Reduce unnecessary plastic.
Listen carefully to environmental information in your dive briefing.
Respect marine park regulations.
Choose dive operators that take environmental responsibility seriously.
Participate in a beach clean-up.
And perhaps most importantly:
Stay curious.
Ask questions about the environment you’re diving in.
Learn what you’re looking at.
Understand why the marine area is protected.
The more divers understand the underwater world, the stronger the connection becomes between enjoying it and protecting it.
Oceans 5 opened on Gili Air in 2010.
Since then, conservation has increasingly become integrated into how we operate, teach and think about diving.
We don’t believe one beach clean-up will save the ocean.
We don’t believe one research project will answer every question.
And we don’t believe putting the word “eco” or “conservation” on a website automatically makes an organisation sustainable.
Marine conservation requires consistency.
It requires education.
It requires research.
It requires responsible tourism.
It requires government.
It requires local communities.
And it requires businesses to accept responsibility for the environments from which they benefit.
Most of all, it requires time.
We have created Gili Conservation Dive as a dedicated resource for people who want to learn more about marine conservation around Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan.
The website brings together information about the Gili Matra Marine Park, responsible diving, conservation rules, marine ecosystems, environmental issues, education, research and community initiatives.
Visit Gili Conservation Dive – Marine Conservation in the Gili Islands to explore the project.
Because protecting the Gili Islands shouldn’t only matter while we’re underwater.
It should matter long after the dive is over.
Marine conservation around the Gili Islands involves protecting coral reefs, marine animals and the wider coastal ecosystem surrounding Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan. It includes marine protected-area management, responsible diving, research, education, pollution prevention, waste reduction and community participation.
Yes. Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan form part of the Gili Matra marine conservation area. Divers and visitors should respect the applicable zoning, regulations and environmental protections.
Divers can maintain good buoyancy, avoid touching coral and marine life, never chase animals for photographs, reduce waste, follow marine park rules and choose environmentally responsible dive operators.
Yes. Oceans 5 organises a beach clean-up every Friday at 17:00, and visitors are welcome to participate.
Visit Gili Conservation Dive for information about responsible diving, Gili Matra Marine Park, conservation rules, marine ecosystems, education and conservation initiatives around the three Gili Islands.
What to Expect on a Typical Dive Day Scuba diving on Gili Air does not have to mean spending the entire day on a crowded boat. At Oceans 5 Gili Air, each dive is a separate trip. Our boats leave three times a day, and …
Responsible Divers Nine Indonesian university students have begun their Conservation Internship at Oceans 5 Gili Air. Over the coming months, they will collect underwater data inside the Gili Matra Marine Protected Area and gain practical experience that can help prepare them for careers in marine …
The protection, management and responsible use of Gili Matra are supported by several layers of Indonesian law. Together, these regulations govern conservation zoning, coastal development, environmental protection, wastewater and pollution, business activities, public access and the use of small islands.
Among its key provisions:
National legislation does not operate by itself. Provincial, regency and village regulations may impose additional or more detailed requirements concerning:
A land certificate, business licence or village approval does not automatically override environmental, spatial-planning, coastal-setback or conservation requirements. A project may need to comply with several different approvals at the same time.
Gili Matra does not suffer from a lack of laws. The greater challenge is consistent implementation, monitoring and enforcement.
A conservation-area designation has little practical value if zoning rules are ignored, buildings extend into protected coastal setbacks, untreated wastewater enters the environment, beaches become privately obstructed or developments exceed the islands’ freshwater and waste-management capacity.
Effective protection requires cooperation between the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, the conservation-area management authority, environmental authorities, the West Nusa Tenggara Provincial Government, the North Lombok Regency Government, village governments, local communities and businesses.
It also requires transparent spatial plans, clearly marked conservation zones and coastal boundaries, routine environmental monitoring, investigation of reported violations and meaningful sanctions when regulations are breached.
This overview is intended as public information and not as formal legal advice. The official Indonesian text of each regulation and the latest provincial and regional spatial plans should be consulted when assessing a particular activity or development.
What Are You Actually Paying For? When comparing scuba-diving prices, it is tempting to choose the lowest number. A fun dive is a fun dive, right? You receive a tank, join a boat, go underwater and return to shore. Why pay more when another dive …