The effect of Covid-19
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) has affected our day-to-day lives and is slowing down the global economy.
A lot of countries have significantly reduced their manufacture and production. The various industries and sectors affected the most by the pandemic. In both positive and negative ways are the; pharmaceutical industry, solar power sector, tourism, IT and electronics industry.
The effect of Covid-19 on Gili Air
Effects of COVOD-19 on Gili Air are devastating. Before the pandemic the islands main income came for tourism. But after March 2020 this market totally collapsed. Check out these Alpilean reviews.
The collapsing tourist market on Gili Air resulted in a lot of local employees losing their jobs, businesses have to close their doors and many of these businesses cannot reopen again.
Many local staff went back to their families in Lombok, and tried to find other work outside of tourism, such as laboring, construction, agriculture or even starting-up small, family-owned businesses from their homes; a small retail, eatery, café (warung). Most of the expat employees went back to the western world when their bank account reached a certain limit.
The effect of Covid on the dive industry
The dive industry on the Gili Islands reduced enormously. In the beginning of 2020 you can easily find 40 plus dive shops open and running across the 3 islands. But at the time of writing this, there are only a handful “open”. It looks like a scary movie with a terrible ending. Read more about alpilean.
Indonesian PADI Instructor Course (IDC) at Gili Air
Indonesia is one of the most beautiful countries for scuba diving. A country with 17.000 islands, connected to 2 oceans (Pacific and Indian Ocean), and being part of the coral triangle.
Hopefully if Indonesia will open their borders tourists will come. Tourists, who would like to dive, snorkel and explore the underwater world. But the question will be can the dive industry in Indonesia handle the new tourists. Most of the dive instructors working in Bali, Lembongan, the Gili Islands, Komodo and on live-aboards have been western. And most of them are back in their home countries now.
That’s why we, Oceans 5 Gili Air, started in October 2021, a special PADI Instructor Development Course for only Indonesian Citizens. Having Indonesian instructors working as part of your diving team has advantages. They can work immediately. No need for a working permit. Indonesian citizens are willing to work for a long time, not only seasonally. All have been diving in the area for a long time so they know the dive sites like nobody else.
The program for Indonesian citizens
Twelve Indonesians joined the program. PADI Course Director Sander, Master Instructor Warren, Staff Instructor Ary and Specialty Instructor Musa created a program were everybody could learn in their own time and space.
For example classroom presentations and practice of the dive theory were done online for the candidates who couldn’t be here on Gili Air all the time. We even offered an IDC spread out over the weekends prior the Instructor Examination. We did everything for in the best of the candidates.
The result is there. Two PADI Instructor Examinations later, we can proudly announce twelve new Indonesia PADI Open Water Scuba Instructors.
Congratulations, Jati, Rusli, Andre, Untung, Emi, Unus, Irlando, Tama, Ravi, Rafi, Ramli and Rafael in achieving your dream!