SSI ITC Dive Resort Oceans 5 Gili Air Blog Posts
SSI ITC Dive Resort Oceans 5 Gili Air Blog Posts
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 …
Experienced Divers: What’s the ONE Piece of Advice You Wish Someone Had Given You When You Started Diving? 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 …
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 every day.
So we asked some of the Oceans 5 staff a simple question:
“What is your favorite local meal on Gili Air?”
The answers show just how diverse and delicious the local food scene really is.
Yunus doesn’t hesitate when asked about his favorite meal. For him, it’s the famous Ayam Geprek at Warung Muslim.
What makes it special? The crispy fried chicken is covered with a spicy sambal that will definitely wake up your taste buds. Add plenty of fresh vegetables and delicious fried eggplant, and you have the perfect Indonesian meal.
“The spicier, the better!” says Yunus.
Yani’s favorite is Nasi Campur from Warung Parida.
The beauty of Nasi Campur is the variety. Every plate can be different, with a selection of vegetables, meats, fish, tempeh, tofu, and other Indonesian specialties.
Yani loves having so many choices and appreciates the large selection of vegetables available every day.
For Ziki, nothing beats a giant plate of Nasi Goreng from ZzZ Warung.
The portions are big, the flavors are rich, and the spice level is exactly how he likes it. After a long day of diving around the Gili Islands, a large plate of fried rice is the perfect reward.
Yudi’s favorite meal is another Lombok classic: Nasi Puyung from Warung Muslim.
This traditional Lombok dish combines rice with spicy shredded chicken, peanuts, and sambal. Simple ingredients, but packed with flavor.
If you want to try authentic Lombok cuisine, Nasi Puyung is a great place to start.
For Dul, comfort food means one thing: Bakso from Warung Pong, located right in front of Oceans 5.
This Indonesian meatball soup is a national favorite, and according to Dul, Warung Pong serves one of the best versions on Gili Air.
Warm, filling, affordable, and perfect after a dive.
For Oceans 5 owner Sander, the winner is Nasi Kuning at the harbor near the jetty.
Served fresh every morning, this Indonesian yellow rice dish is packed with flavor and accompanied by a variety of side dishes. Watching the boats arrive and depart while enjoying breakfast at the harbor is one of the simple pleasures of island life.
According to Sander:
“The best Nasi Kuning on Gili Air is found right at the harbor.”
What’s interesting is that no two staff members chose exactly the same meal.
Some prefer spicy chicken, others fried rice, meatball soup, Nasi Campur, Nasi Puyung, or Nasi Kuning. Different dishes, different warungs, different flavors.
And that is exactly what makes Gili Air special.
Whether you’re staying at Oceans 5, learning to dive, joining a Divemaster internship, or completing your SSI Instructor Course, take some time to explore the local warungs. The island may be small, but its food scene is surprisingly diverse.
Gili Air is not only a paradise for diving—it is also a paradise for local food. 🌶️🍛🏝️🍜🇮🇩
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 …
SSI Enriched Air Nitrox Course Is One of the Best Dive Specialties 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. …
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 Specialties:
The courses officially start today and will be delivered by our experienced Indonesian instructor team, led by Ary and Yunus.
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, we believe that education is one of the most powerful tools for marine conservation. Many of these students dream of becoming marine biologists, conservationists, or marine scientists. By providing them with professional ecology training, we hope to give them a stronger foundation for their future careers and a deeper understanding of the marine ecosystems they are passionate about protecting.
The SSI Ecology Specialty programs teach students about the importance of coral reef ecosystems, the role of sharks in maintaining healthy oceans, and the conservation challenges facing sea turtles throughout Indonesia and the wider Indo-Pacific region.
The internship combines classroom-based theory with real-world observations in the waters surrounding the Gili Islands. Students will gain practical knowledge about reef health, marine biodiversity, and conservation challenges while learning from instructors who work with these ecosystems every day.
As a dive center that has always been committed to environmental awareness and sustainable diving practices, Oceans 5 is proud to create opportunities for Indonesian students to expand their knowledge and gain valuable experience in marine conservation.
The current group consists of eight university students, but this is only the beginning. Following the success of this year’s program, the next Conservation Internship will start in September, when 12 Indonesian students will join Oceans 5 Gili Air for another opportunity to learn about marine conservation and ecology.
By investing in education today, we hope to help create the marine scientists, conservation leaders, and ocean advocates of tomorrow.
This World Oceans Day, Oceans 5 Gili Air is not only celebrating the ocean—we are helping to build the future generation that will protect it.
Interested in joining the next Conservation Internship at Oceans 5 Gili Air? Contact us for more information about the September intake and how you can become part of this unique marine conservation experience. 🌊🐢🦈🪸
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 …
Turtles around the Gili Islands 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 …
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 so many options available, how do you know which dive center is right for you?
The truth is that not all dive shops are the same. While many offer the same certifications, the quality of training, facilities, equipment, and safety procedures can vary enormously. Before you book your scuba diving course, there are a few important questions you should ask.
Here are ten questions every future diver should ask before booking a dive course on Gili Air.
Your instructor will have the biggest influence on your diving experience.
Ask how experienced the instructor is. How long have they been teaching? Are they working legally? Do they receive regular updates and continuing education?
A professional dive center invests heavily in training its instructors. At Oceans 5 Gili Air, all instructors work as part of a long-term team and receive continuous training and support through the dive center’s instructor training programs.
Small groups create better divers.
In a large group, instructors simply cannot give every student the attention they deserve. Learning to scuba dive is not a race. Everyone learns at a different pace.
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, courses are conducted in small groups, allowing instructors to focus on each student’s progress and comfort underwater.
This is a question many students never think about.
The pool is where you will learn the fundamental skills that keep you safe underwater. A proper training pool should be spacious, comfortable, and deep enough to conduct all required exercises correctly.
Oceans 5 has two large training pools specifically designed for scuba training, providing students with a comfortable environment to learn and practice before entering the ocean.
Scuba equipment is life-support equipment.
Ask how often equipment is serviced and maintained. Professional dive centers invest heavily in maintenance because safety always comes first.
A dive center that takes pride in its equipment is usually a dive center that takes pride in its training.
This may be the most important question of all.
Some dive shops focus on getting certifications completed as quickly as possible. Others focus on creating confident and capable divers.
The goal should never be simply receiving a certification card. The goal should be learning skills that you can confidently use anywhere in the world.
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, the philosophy is simple: teach people how to dive, not how to buy a certification.
Safety should never be an afterthought.
Ask about emergency oxygen, first aid equipment, rescue plans, boat procedures, and instructor training.
Professional dive centers will happily explain their safety systems because they understand their importance.
Take a look around.
Are the classrooms organized? Are the toilets clean? Is the equipment room tidy? Are the boats well maintained?
The condition of a dive center often reflects the professionalism of the entire operation.
When visiting Oceans 5 Gili Air, many guests are surprised by the spacious facilities, large training pools, dedicated classrooms, and well-organized equipment areas.
This is a question that can reveal a lot.
Unfortunately, some dive centers cut corners to save time or money. This may not always be visible to beginners, but experienced divers often recognize the warning signs immediately.
A professional dive center follows standards because they exist for a reason: to keep divers safe and create competent divers.
A dive center should do more than simply take people diving.
Ask what the dive shop contributes to the local community and marine environment.
Oceans 5 Gili Air has organized beach cleanups since 2010, supports marine conservation projects, works with local universities, and actively promotes environmental awareness through its courses and conservation programs.
This is perhaps the simplest question.
If you were sending your partner, your children, or your best friend to learn scuba diving, would you trust that dive center completely?
When a dive center earns that level of trust, you know you have found a good one.
Of course, every dive center on Gili Air will tell you they are the best. But instead of listening to marketing slogans, ask the ten questions above and judge for yourself.
When divers compare instructor experience, training facilities, equipment maintenance, safety procedures, conservation efforts, group sizes, and overall professionalism, one dive center consistently stands out.
That dive center is Oceans 5 Gili Air.
With its experienced instructor team, world-class facilities, two dedicated training pools, strict adherence to standards, conservation initiatives, and commitment to creating confident divers, Oceans 5 has built a reputation that speaks for itself.
Many dive shops can issue a certification card. Fewer can truly teach you how to become a skilled, confident, and responsible diver.
If you are looking for the best dive shop on Gili Air, there is no doubt that Oceans 5 Gili Air deserves to be at the very top of your list. The real question is not whether you should dive on Gili Air—the real question is whether you want to learn from a dive center that prioritizes quality, safety, and professionalism every step of the way.
SSI Instructor Training Course Have you ever dreamed of leaving your office job behind and turning your passion for scuba diving into a professional career? On 15 June, Oceans 5 Gili Air will start another SSI Instructor Training Course (ITC), giving divers the opportunity to become internationally …