Fitness and Diving
Fitness and Diving: How to Use the Oceans 5 Gili Air Gym Safely Between Dives
Did you know that Oceans 5 Gili Air has a modern, fully equipped gym at the back of its spacious premises?
While most divers finish their dives and relax with a coconut or coffee by the pool, some guests and professional divers take advantage of the opportunity to stay fit during their dive holiday. But that leads to an important question: how do you safely combine gym workouts with daily scuba diving?
Many divers are unsure whether they can train before diving, after diving, or if they should wait a few hours like they do for surface intervals. Understanding how exercise affects the body — especially after being exposed to pressure underwater — is key to staying healthy, preventing decompression sickness (DCS), and keeping your diving performance at its best.
This article will guide you through:
- When to train if you’re diving daily
- What exercises help divers the most
- Why fitness plays such an important role in safe and enjoyable diving
The Modern Gym at Oceans 5 Gili Air
Hidden behind the dive shop’s peaceful courtyard, Oceans 5 Gili Air’s gym offers a bright, air-conditioned training space equipped with:
- Free weights and resistance machines
- Cardio equipment such as treadmills and bicycles
- Mats and functional-training tools for stretching, yoga, and core stability
It’s a perfect complement to the dive center’s holistic approach to health and professionalism. Whether you’re a fun diver, divemaster candidate, or instructor in training, the gym provides a safe environment to maintain or improve your physical condition.
However, diving and working out place different kinds of stress on the body. Understanding how they interact helps you use the gym effectively without compromising your safety underwater.
Exercise Before Diving: Warming Up or Wearing Out?
Exercising before a dive can be both beneficial and risky — depending on the type and intensity of your workout.
✅ Light exercise before diving — good idea
Gentle stretching, yoga, or a short warm-up routine can improve flexibility, breathing, and circulation before you gear up. For example:
- 10–15 minutes of yoga or stretching can loosen your shoulders and back, making it easier to reach your tank valve or manage your buoyancy.
- Slow cardio like walking or cycling for 10 minutes can enhance blood flow and oxygen delivery without producing excess nitrogen uptake.
This type of light activity can actually reduce the risk of decompression sickness because it helps blood circulate smoothly and prepares muscles for movement.
⚠️ Intense workouts before diving — not recommended
On the other hand, high-intensity training — such as heavy weightlifting, long-distance running, or HIIT — just before diving increases your metabolic rate, produces micro-trauma in muscles, and causes dehydration. These effects can potentially increase the risk of nitrogen bubble formation during a dive.
When your muscles are fatigued or sore, they also have poorer circulation, which makes it harder for your body to off-gas nitrogen after a dive.
In short:
If you want to work out before diving, keep it light and gentle. Save intense workouts for non-diving days.
Exercise After Diving: How Long Should You Wait?
The timing of post-dive exercise is critical. After a dive, your body still contains excess dissolved nitrogen from breathing compressed air. It takes time — your “surface interval” — to eliminate that gas safely.
🕓 The rule of thumb
Most dive medicine experts recommend waiting at least six hours after diving before engaging in strenuous physical activity. For deep or repetitive dives, waiting longer (8–12 hours) is even better.
Why? Because intense exercise can:
- Increase blood flow, which may move nitrogen bubbles from tissues into the bloodstream.
- Cause micro-bubbles to expand or merge, raising DCS risk.
- Dehydrate you further — another DCS risk factor.
🧘 What you can do after diving
During the first few hours post-dive, it’s better to focus on recovery-based movement such as:
- Gentle yoga
- Light stretching
- Walking or cycling slowly around Gili Air
- Hydration and breathing exercises
Later in the evening, after several hours and a good meal, moderate gym sessions are usually fine.
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, many professional divers train in the evening after completing all dives for the day, allowing plenty of surface interval time before the next day’s dives.
Diving Days vs. Non-Diving Days
If you are on a divemaster internship or an IDC program, you might dive almost every day. Planning your fitness routine then becomes even more important.
Here’s how to balance it:
On diving days
- Morning: Light stretching or mobility exercises before the first dive.
- Between dives: Rest, hydrate, and eat small balanced meals.
- After the last dive: Wait 6–8 hours before heavy workouts; light stretching is fine.
On non-diving days
- Great opportunity for strength and cardio sessions!
- Focus on full-body movements that mimic diving posture — squats, lunges, rowing, planks, and resistance training for the back and shoulders.
- Maintain hydration and nutrition to support recovery.
A steady, moderate training routine will make you a better diver without compromising safety.
The Benefits of Fitness for Divers
Being physically fit doesn’t just make you look good on the beach — it significantly improves your safety, comfort, and longevity as a diver. Let’s look at why fitness matters underwater.
1. Better Air Consumption
A fit diver breathes more efficiently. Stronger cardiovascular conditioning allows your heart and lungs to deliver oxygen with less effort, reducing your breathing rate.
Better breathing equals longer dives, less fatigue, and calmer reactions to stress underwater. It also improves your buoyancy control, since you can use your breath more effectively for fine adjustments.
2. Easier Equipment Handling
Scuba tanks, weights, and gear can easily exceed 20 kg. Loading boats, climbing ladders, or walking across the beach can strain your back and shoulders.
Strength training — particularly core and leg exercises — makes these movements easier and safer. It also helps prevent injuries during daily dive operations, especially for instructors and divemaster trainees who handle equipment every day.
3. Improved Buoyancy and Trim
A strong core and flexible lower back make it easier to maintain a streamlined horizontal position underwater. You’ll kick more efficiently and use less energy.
Exercises such as planks, Pilates, and yoga are excellent for developing this kind of functional stability. That’s why you’ll often see Oceans 5 Gili Air’s staff divers combining yoga or stretching routines with their dive preparation.
4. Faster Recovery and Fewer Cramps
Muscle fitness and flexibility help prevent cramps during long dives or surface swims. Fit muscles have better circulation, which means they also eliminate nitrogen more effectively after dives.
When you stay hydrated and keep your muscles supple, you’ll recover faster from repetitive diving days — and enjoy every dive without soreness or stiffness.
5. Stress Management and Mental Resilience
Diving is not only physical; it’s mental. Unexpected situations underwater — a mask flood, a strong current, a missing buddy — require calm decision-making.
Regular physical activity reduces stress hormones, increases endorphins, and enhances focus. A fit diver is often a calm diver, which is essential for safety and for setting a professional example if you’re working in the diving industry.
The Best Types of Workouts for Divers
Not all exercises have equal benefits for scuba divers. The most effective training combines strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance — the same elements required for safe and efficient diving.
Here are some top recommendations for divers using the Oceans 5 Gili Air gym:
1. Core and Stability Training
Focus on exercises that strengthen your abdomen, lower back, and hips:
- Planks and side planks
- Bird-dogs
- Stability-ball crunches
- Dead bugs
These help you maintain perfect trim and buoyancy underwater.
2. Leg Strength and Endurance
Strong legs mean powerful, controlled fin kicks:
- Squats and lunges
- Step-ups
- Leg presses
- Stationary cycling
Avoid going to muscular failure on leg days if you’re diving soon after — tired legs can cramp underwater.
3. Shoulder and Back Strength
Your shoulders stabilize your gear and control your arms while swimming. Focus on:
- Pull-ups or lat pull-downs
- Dumbbell rows
- Reverse flys
- Shoulder rotations with resistance bands
4. Cardio and Breathing
Diving is a low-intensity endurance activity. Build cardiovascular health with:
- Rowing machine
- Moderate treadmill jogging
- Stationary bike intervals
Combine cardio with breathing control exercises, such as pranayama or diaphragmatic breathing, to strengthen your lungs and improve air management underwater.
5. Flexibility and Recovery
Always finish with stretching or yoga. Oceans 5’s spacious open areas are ideal for post-workout relaxation. Flexibility reduces risk of injury and helps with donning gear or performing rescue exercises smoothly.
Hydration and Nutrition: The Invisible Factors
When combining diving and gym sessions, don’t forget the two biggest allies of performance and decompression safety: hydration and nutrition.
- Drink plenty of water before and after every dive. The tropical climate of Gili Air can easily dehydrate divers, especially after multiple dives.
- Avoid alcohol before workouts or dives — it worsens dehydration and impairs decision-making.
- Eat balanced meals with lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and fresh vegetables to support recovery.
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, healthy meal options and refreshing drinks are available right next to the dive center — perfect for keeping your body fueled throughout the day.
When Not to Exercise
Even the most disciplined diver-athletes need rest. Skip the gym if you experience:
- Excessive fatigue after multiple dives
- Dehydration or sun exposure symptoms
- Joint or muscle soreness
- Any sign of DCS, such as unusual joint pain or dizziness
Remember, recovery is part of training. Rest days are vital, especially during intensive dive courses such as the PADI Divemaster Internship or PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) offered at Oceans 5 Gili Air.
Fitness as Part of the Oceans 5 Gili Air Philosophy
Since opening in 2010, Oceans 5 Gili Air has believed in a holistic approach to diving: environmental awareness, safety, and personal well-being.
The on-site gym is an extension of that philosophy. It allows guests, staff, and students to build healthy habits that support their underwater lifestyle.
By promoting fitness alongside dive education, Oceans 5 Gili Air ensures divers not only learn skills and standards but also develop the physical and mental strength to handle real-world situations confidently.
For professional divers — instructors, guides, or conservation specialists — maintaining fitness is part of career longevity. Healthy divers are safer divers, and safer divers protect both themselves and the marine environment they love.
Final Thoughts
So, can you use the gym while diving every day? Absolutely — as long as you train smart.
- Do light stretching or mobility work before diving.
- Wait at least six hours after your last dive before heavy exercise.
- Use non-diving days for strength or cardio sessions.
- Stay hydrated, eat well, and listen to your body.
Combining diving with fitness at Oceans 5 Gili Air’s modern gym can make you a stronger, more efficient, and safer diver.
You’ll not only feel better underwater — you’ll also be ready for any adventure the ocean throws at you.
So next time you surface from a dive and walk past the gym at the back of Oceans 5, remember: your next great dive might start with a good stretch, a mindful workout, and a healthy respect for your body’s limits.