Diving for everyone!

Diving with people who have disabilities? Contrary to what some people may think, scuba diving is adapted to most disabilities. 

Scuba diving activities with people who have disabilities

Scuba diving for disables has become a fashionable, prestigious and very interesting spare time activity. Scuba diving can be seen be as a multidimensional therapy in water, which allows people with and without disabilities to share common activities.

Classes

Classes taking place in water and diving help to break the barriers resulting from being in a new environment, i.e., water, to regain the awareness of one’s own body and movements that one can make, feel the position of one’s own body, feel the possibility to give directions to movements and benefit from being able to increase independence in water.

Aquatic environment

The aquatic environment enables the relaxation of muscles, which may have a positive effect on spasticity and increase the joint range of motion often significantly limited in the natural environment. 

Summarized

In short, it enables improve movement and coordination in a way that is much easier than in a terrestrial environment. Such exercises have a positive effect on the respiratory system and blood circulation as a result of learning how to breathe correctly. An individual who takes up diving has got an opportunity to learn and demonstrate independence by taking care of her/his own safety, as well as the safety of her/his companions. Diving encourages you to spend time with other people and, thus, gives an opportunity to be in a group whose members are people without disabilities, as well as people with disabilities, giving the sense of affiliation with a group and responsibility for its members.

Everybody can dive?

A person, who likes to start a course, needs a medical clearance of a doctor. The medical has to tell the scuba diving instructor that the person is fit for diving. 

During a course everybody, disabled and abled students, have to meet the same performance requirements. A PADI Scuba Instructor can only certify students as all performance requirements are met for that course.

Some disabled divers will never met the performance requirements for a PADI Scuba Diver Course and/or PADI Open Water Diver Course. But this doesn’t mean that they can’t dive. For the persons who cant meet the performance requirements of a Scuba Diver or Open Water Course, there are other options to dive. Under direct supervision of a PADI/DDI Instructor the disabled person can participate in a PADI Discover Scuba Diving Program, or a DDI Try Dive Program. The difference is that the programs, PADI Discover Scuba Diving and the DDI Try Dive, are not certification levels.

It’s a first time scuba diving experience in a safe environment with a scuba dive instructor. First there will be a theory session, followed up by a pool session. There is an optional dive in the ocean till 12 meters for the divers who are confident enough and the instructor agrees to it.

Oceans 5

Dive centre Oceans 5 Gili Air became in 2014 a Disabled Divers International Instructor Training center. They offers DDI courses for disabled recreational scuba diver as DDI professional courses.

Disabled Divers International

Disabled Divers International (DDI) is a non-profit organization, with the aim to promote, develop and conduct disabled scuba diving training programs for professional and non-professional students. All board members are volunteers, dedicated to promoting and developing disabled scuba diving internationally.

Since its introduction in 2010, DDI has gathered extensive support and recognition within the diving industry and conducted both professional and non-professional programs all around the world. DDI professionals and DDI Dive Centers can now be found in 58 countries with more on the way, enabling disabled diving worldwide.

DDI programs are designed to work in cooperation with existing scuba diving training organizations and their training programs. DDI programs adds a new layer on top of the existing diver training, allowing individuals who would have difficulties fulfilling all requirements and standards to experience diving safely with modifications and enhancements to their training and or equipment.

DDI professional training adds to the diving professional a new set of tools and knowledge to train disabled divers safely and certify their students as a scuba diver, with varied levels of limitations depending on the student’s ability to perform program requirements and standards.

“When will the Indonesian borders be open for tourists?” or “Is Indonesia open for tourists?” is the most asked question from people who like to visit us.

During the last 2 years lots of countries in the world have put themselves in lockdown. Reasons behind the lockdown where flatten the curve, protecting their health system, and protecting the vulnerable groups in the society.

Indonesia is currently implementing a more restrictive form of lockdown wherein non-essential and non-critical commercial activities are not allowed. Domestic travel is permissible only with a vaccination certificate and a valid negative COVID-19 test result.

For update information about the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, the government launched a risk-zone map and a map for local transmissions.

As of September 15, 2021, foreigners or Non-Indonesian citizens are allowed to enter Indonesia as long they have been completely vaccinated for COVID-19.

It should be mentioned that Visa-On-Arrivals (VOA) are still not granted until such time that the Indonesian government has deemed the COVID-19 pandemic to be over.

Visa to enter Indonesia

The following foreign travelers may enter Indonesia under the new regulations:

1. Diplomatic and Official visa holders 
2. Diplomatic and Official stay permit; 
3. Holders of Indonesia Temporary Residence Card (KITAS) and Indonesia Permanent Residence Card (KITAP). 
4. Visitor visas, including but not limited to:

a. ​​​211 A Visa;

​​​​This visa includes tourist, emergency, business, film, medical visit, official visit, yachters and G20 or the 144^th International Parliamentary Union (IPU) meetings.

b. ​211B Visa;

This visa includes foreign workers in probation.

• Limited stay visa, including but not limited to:
• C312 Visa (work visa);
• C313 Visa (1-year foreign investment projects in Indonesia);
• C314 Visa (2-year foreign investment projects in Indonesia);
• C316 Visa (educational visits);
• C317 Visa (family reunification)​
• All non-immigrant crew members or cabin crews arriving any vessel or aircraft from any port or place outside Indonesia.
• Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Travel Card holder; and
• Traditional Border Crossing pass/card holder.

Entry point in Indonesia

Effective October 15, 2021, the Indonesian Government designated the following entry points for international travelers, namely Jakarta (Soekarno Hatta International Airport and Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport) and North Sulawesi (Samratulangi International Airport – Manado).

What are the pre-departure requirements to enter Indonesia?

There will be stricter health protocols for both Indonesian and foreign travelers entering the country. They will need to comply with the following requirements before traveling:

• Foreign nationals must be fully vaccinated before entering Indonesia and must show their vaccination certificate to immigration officials upon arrival;
• Indonesia citizens are still permitted to enter the country without being fully vaccinated but will be vaccinated upon completion of their quarantine — this is compulsory;
• In addition to a valid work or resident visa, the foreign traveler must present a PCR test result stating that they are free of COVID-19, taken within 72 hours from the time of departure;
• Foreigner travelers must have health insurance (coverage of at least US$100,000) and can cover the needs for COVID-19 treatment; and 
• They must also fill the electronic Health Alert Card (e-HAC) through the PeduliLindungi application, which can be downloaded for free in the Google Play Store or the App Store.

Can foreign travelers enter Indonesia without vaccines?

International travelers that do enter Indonesia without presenting evidence of vaccination will be vaccinated during their quarantine, provided that their COVID-19 test results are negative.This also applies to the following groups:

• Diplomatic visa holders or official visa holders who are with an official ministerial-to-presidential level delegation to Indonesia;
• Children aged 12-17; and
• Holders of an Indonesian residency permit (KITAS, KITAP).  

Foreigners already in Indonesia and wish to travel domestically are required to be vaccinated (first dose) through the Indonesian government-initiated vaccination program. 

Summarized:

Indonesia is at this moment not open for tourists. The government has not mentioned a date in the future when this will happen. People who like to visit Indonesia in 2022 has to visit the government website for more updated information. The answer on the question ““When will the Indonesian borders be open for tourists?” is: We don’t know. Oceans 5 Gili Air is open for domestic visitor in the meanwhile. Hoping that the “old” time will come back soon.

What is Muck Diving?

Muck diving in Lombok is not that famous. When people hear about muck diving, people will think about Lembeh Strait and Bali in Indonesia or the Philippines. But Lombok has amazing muck dives sites. But what is muck diving and why is the diving so different comparing to “normal” scuba diving?

The term Muck Diving actually takes its name from the sediment that lies on the bottom. This can be a mix of sand, silt, and all kind of debris. The dive sites have large patches of rich volcanic black sand with small patches of life on it. It is not a reef full of coral with lots of reef fish. 

What kind of marine life?

Muck dive site are most of the times located in sheltered bays, places where the current cannot affect the eco system. The creatures and critters are interacting with the black volcanic sand and the thrifty coral bommies and are hiding from predators. Most likely divers can spot at these dive sites all kind of Frogfish, Shrimps, Nudibranch, Pipefish, and strange critters that are found nowhere else. 

Different kind of diving

After entering the water it will takes the eyes of the divers to adjust to the environment. Divers dont see reefs and reef fish, but volcanic sand where the creatures are hiding. 

Scuba diver should swim slowly and closely to the bottom searching for all these interesting creatures. The divers can use the “frog kick”. This is a way of kicking where the divers displace less as sand as possible.   Buoyancy is the most important skill of diving on muck dive sites. Divers don’t want to ruin the visibility of their buddies, but also not of their own dive.

Most likely if the divers are underwater photographers they want to go back to the dive site to make more pictures of all these special creatures.

Muck Diving around the Gili Islands

Kecinan (Frogfish Bay)

Kecinan is one of the most popular muck dive sites in Lombok. It is just 20 minutes away from the dive centre. Seahorse Bay or Kecinan is a sheltered bay with a sandy slope where mooring blocks and barrels can be found.

The shallow part of the dive site is a coral restoration dive site. The local community tries to recover the reefs by artificial reefs.

Kecinan is a paradise for seahorse lovers. Seahorses can be spotted in the sea grass area and on the sand patches. The Common Seahorse, the Zebra-Snout Seahorse and the Thorny Seahorse have made their territory there.

Frogfish are most of the time around the barrels, mooring lines and on the artificial reefs. Kecinan has Griant Frogfish, Painted Frogfish, Warty Frogfish and Hairy Frogfish.

Teluk Nare (Magic Pier)

Teluk Nare is dive site around jetties. The main jettie is still operating for the speedboats to the Gili Islands. The other jettie is broken and can be found on the sea bottom next to the existing operational jetty.

Teluk Nare is famous for the silt bottom. Having good buoyancy is a must for every diver who will visit this place. On both of the jetties the divers can find lots of different nudibranch.

The dive site is full of rubbish. Rivers in Lombok are the biggest contributors of the rubbish. But also divers will see also rubbish from fisher boats and boat maintenance. The combination rubbish and pier constructions creates an unique diving environment.

Harbor Gili Air (Oceans 5 House Reef)

A few steps out of the dive shop lays the Oceans 5 House Reef: a sandy bottom that slopes down to 18 meters. A large pinnacle forms the middle point of the reef. The dive site is a combination of coral reefs and sandy patches. And has 3 sunken wooden boats, which attacks a lot of different fish. 

Oceans 5 House Reef is famous for the Mandarin fish, Frogfish and all kind of Pipefishes. 

Oceans 5 Gili Air

PADI Career Development Centre Oceans 5 Gili Air is specialised in the muck diving around the Gili Islands. Regulary they will visit these divesites with photographers and divers who are interested in small creatures. One thing is for sure. Divers don’t have to go to Lembeh Street to spot them. Special creatures can be found in Lombok!

 “Do you have to be a strong swimmer to start scuba diving?” is one of the questions people ask who like to scuba dive for the first time as scuba diver.

The Gili Islands are located on the North West side of Lombok. And these islands are popular for scuba diving and snorkeling. The crystal clear water, the amount of fish life and the amount of turtles around the islands are famous all around the world. There is a reason why the Gili Islands are called as “the turtle capital of the world”.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Gili Islands were a popular holiday destination for western tourist. And the tourist visited them for 4 till 7 days. They came to the Gili Islands for relaxing, yoga, cooking classes, the beautiful beaches, horse riding or snorkeling.

One of the other main activities on the Gili Islands is diving. On every island, Gili Air, Gili Trawangan or Gili Meno, are diving centres. These dive centers offer diving courses and fun divers for tourists who are interested to scuba dive.

Diving for the first time

But most of the tourist never dived before. And they like to experience scuba diving around the Gili Islands.  “Do you have to be a strong swimmer to start scuba diving” is one of the questions when people pop in the dive shops.

There are a few answers for this question:

The people can start scuba diving at 3 different ways; as a:

Introduction Dive

PADI Scuba Diver Certification

PADI Open Water Diver Course

Summarise:

The answer to question, ““Do you have to be a strong swimmer to start scuba diving?” is NO. Being a strong swimmer is not a requirement of one of the entry level scuba diving programs/courses.

The PADI Discover Scuba Diving program and the PADI Scuba Diver Course the students do not even to have swimming skills.

The PADI Open Water Diver certification has swimming skills requirements, but doesn’t mention that the students have to be strong swimmers.

Oceans 5 recommends that everyone who likes to become a diver or participate in a Discover Scuba Diving program has diving skills. Part of the program or diving course takes place on a diving boat, and for safety reasons it is a great if all the persons on the boat can swim. 

“What does a scuba dive instructor earn?” is one of the most asked questions by people who like to become a dive instructor, by people who are like to live on a tropical island, like Gili Air, or by people who are taking a gap-year.

This question is not easy to answer. Indonesian archipelago has 17.000 islands, reaching from Sumatra to Timor. And all dive shops on these islands have different contracts.

Starting to work in Indonesia

Starting at the beginning, an instructor who likes to work in Indonesia should have a valid temperate stay visa (KITAS) based on the Indonesian immigration rules and they should have a valid working permit (IMTA) based on the rules and regulations of Manpower Indonesia. 

Because the working permit is related to the company that sponsors the instructor, the dive instructor can’t work for other companies to freelance.

If the instructor found a job and all the above-mentioned requirements are met, the instructor is allowed to work. 

Salary as a scuba dive instructor 

Most of the instructors will find jobs in dive shops. The instructor’s job will be teaching the students how to dive or educate the divers to become better divers. Most likely the instructor will earn his salary in provision base. This means if the instructor is good in marketing himself, having a positive attitude, being the most passionate dive instructor as he can be, his sales will go up and also his salary.

Seasonal Influences

If the salary is based on provision, think also about the seasonal influences during the year. Indonesia has a dry and a rainy season. Most of the tourists will visit Indonesia during the dry season. In the months July till October tourists from the western world who like to spend their holiday in Indonesia come Indonesia. During the holiday they like to experience the beauty of the underwater world by scuba diving. In these months the salary will be almost double compared to salary earned during the rainy season. The average salary of a scuba dive instructor in a busy dive center before COVID-19 started was IDR25.000.000 a month, like EURO1500.

Fixed salary

If the dive instructor is looking for a fixed salary, working on a live-aboard is the best option. Dive instructor will work as cruise director on most of the live aboards in Indonesia. The advantage of working on a live-aboards is that the instructor will go to amazing diving places like, Komodo, Ambon, Raja Ampat or Sulawesi where it is hard to go without a ship. The disadvantage of a live-aboard is that the scuba instructor has to stay a minimal time on the boat. On a live-aboard the salaries will be a bit higher, and also all the other expenses are covered, like costs of accommodation, food and drinks.

Why people want to be a dive instructor in Indonesia?

Tropical islands, friendly people, crystal clear water, amazing diving are the main reasons to work as an instructor in Indonesia. It is most likely that people enjoy the lifestyle in Indonesia. And be honest, who doesn’t want to live on a tropical island with a cocktail inn your hand!

Why would you like to work as a divemaster in Indonesia? Indonesia is a beautiful country. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Sulawesi, Java, and parts of Borneo and New Guinea. Indonesia is the world’s largest island country and the 14th-largest country by area, at 1,904,569 square kilometres. With about 270 million people, Indonesia is the world’s fourth-most populous country.

Indonesia is an archipelagic country located in Southeast Asia, lying between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. This strategic location gives Indonesia a marine life that other countries can’t offer and is one of the main reasons why Indonesia is so popular amongst scuba divers.

Quote of the divemagazine.co.uk: “Indonesia has been voted as the world’s best scuba diving destination every year the DIVE Travel Awards has been held – and by a clear margin each time.”

Working in Indonesia

Some of the scuba divers, who are visiting Indonesia, fall in love with the beauty of Indonesia. They like to build their life here, by living here and working here. But is it so easy as these divers are thinking?

The Indonesia law is very clear about when non-Indonesian citizens can work in Indonesia. 

First the person has to be affiliated with a business, a PMA to get a temperary stay permit (KITAS).

Second the person has to get permission from Manpower (IMTA) to work in Indonesia only for the affiliated company.

Third an Indonesia citizen, because of the lack of knowledge and/or experience in Indonesia, can’t do the work that the person applies for.

When a person fulfill all these criteria it is possible to get a KITAS and IMTA.

Work as a divemaster in Indonesia

The main question for the scuba divers, who are not an Indonesian citizen, will be: “Can a person work as a divemaster in Indonesia?” 

Looking at the criteria in the Indonesian law, this has to be answered negative. 

There are many Indonesian divemasters or dive guides in Indonesia, that the Indonesian government has no choice. Instead of giving the work to foreigners, the Indonesian government makes clear that only Indonesian citizens can work as divemaster. When your employer is discriminatory, a lawyer can engage in negotiations or mediation to reach a settlement that addresses the discrimination and compensates you for any harm suffered.

Other options

If it is not possible to work as a divemaster in Indonesia, what are the other options to work in the dive industry?

The first option is to become a scuba diving instructor. Diving is one of one of the biggest tourist attraction in Indonesia. And teaching diving is a part of that. Western tourists are visiting Indonesia and like to do the scuba diving course in their own language. 

The second option is to become a manager, marketing manager or diving managers of a dive shop or dive resort. If you do decide to start your own business, you’ll want to get the cheapest card machine since customers tend to spend more when paying on credit cards, especially on impulse purchases, resulting in increased sales and revenue for your business.

How to become a PADI Instructor?

Oceans 5 Gili Air is a PADI Career Development Centre located on the Gili islands in Indonesia. They conduct nine PADI Instructor Development Courses (IDC) in 2022. The diver should be already a divemaster, has 100 logged dives, and should be minimal 6 months certified from their open water diver certification.

The course at Oceans 5 takes 20 days and will be fully conducted by PADI Course Director Sander Buis. 

Oceans 5 is a multi-award winning PADI Dive Resort. They opened their doors in April 2010 and quickly they became a PADI Instructor Development Centre. In 2014 Oceans 5 got rewarded by PADI with the PADI Career Development Rating.

PADI Course Director

Sander Buis will conduct the PADI Instructor Development courses in 2022 at Oceans 5 Gili Air. Since 2013 Sander is a PADI Course Director and in 2017 he became a DDI Instructor Trainer Examiner. The knowledge of both organization blends into an unique way of teaching methods, which he will use during the PADI IDC.

Weekly Beach Clean Up in the harbor of Gili Air

Oceans 5 presents a weekly beach clean up, that will take place every Friday at 16:00. The beach clean up is a result of the rubbish that end up at the beaches on Gili Air during the rainy season.

Who can join?

Everyone, young, old or diver, non-diver can participate in the beach clean up.  The beach clean up takes place in the harbor of Gili Air. Oceans 5 Gili Air provides for all participants bags and gloves. After and during the beach clean up all rubbish will be sorted for recycling. The collected sorted debris will be taken to a special recycling centre on the main land Lombok.

Creating environmental awareness

By creating a weekly event Oceans 5 likes to create awareness for the debris problem in Gili Air. Tourists who are arriving on Gili Air expecting beautiful beaches and crystal clear water. When the opposite happends it will results in bad advertisements for Gili Air and the tourist industry on Gili Air. If Gili Air want to stay as a tourist destination, the island has to adapt to the needs and expectations of their tourists.  Everybody on Gili Air, locals, western and tourists have to work together to keep Gili Air clean and attractive for visitors.

“Creating environmental awareness is the starting point to generate a substainable stable economy for the future generation of Gili Air.” Quote Owner Oceans 5 Gili Air, Sander Buis

Plastic

While plastic has many valuable uses, people have become addicted to single-use or disposable plastic — with severe environmental consequences. Around the world, one million plastic drinking bottles are purchased every minute, while 5 trillion single-use plastic bags are used worldwide every year. In total, half of all plastic produced is designed to be used only once — and then thrown away.

Researchers estimate that more than 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced since the early 1950s. About 60% of that plastic has ended up in either a landfill or the natural environment. An some of this plastic ends up at the beaches of Gili Air.

About 270,000 tonnes of plastic float on the surface of our oceans and many more drift between two waters. Their impact on marine life is well identified: turtles, birds or marine mammals often die after ingesting plastic residues from can bags or packing rings that we dump into the environment. Every year, plastics kill 1.5 million animals. However, the impact of plastics on reef-building corals had been ignored until now, perhaps because of their alleged distance from plastic sources. However, analysis of plastic debris in the oceans has shown that it can carry many bacteria, including some pathogens that cause coral disease

Practical information:

• Every Friday at 16:00
• Starting point: Oceans 5 Gili Air, Harbor Gili Air, 
• WA: +6285333397823
• Oceans 5 is located straight in the harbor of Gili Air. The location is in the front of the new build ticket office
•  It is free to join

PADI IDC Resort Oceans 5 Gili Air

Oceans 5 dive resort opened their doors in April 2010. Quickly they became a PADI Instructor Development Centre. By focussing on their quality of teaching they received in 2014 the PADI Career Development Centre status by PADI and the DDI Instructor Training Centre status by DDI. 

In 2017 Oceans 5 partnered with the Gili Shark Conservation. Together the create programs for a substainable tourism destination. 

Oceans 5 Gili received another PADI Award

PADI Career Development Centre Oceans 5 has won in 2020 the PADI Award for Outstanding Contribution to Diver Education. PADI Regional Manager Neil Davidson presented the award last year, during his visit to Gili Air in Indonesia.  

PADI IDC Oceans 5 Dive Resort Gili Air

Oceans 5 opened their doors in April 2010. In a few years they became a PADI Instructor Development Centre by focusing on their teaching qualities. According to the industry sources Oceans 5 is one of the main Career Development Centers in Indonesia. There is only a handful Career Development Centers in Indonesia. 

Oceans 5 offers quality training over quantity training. Not only PADI awarded Oceans 5 with the PADI Career Development Centre rating in 2014, also DDI (Disabled Divers International) awarded them with a DDI Instructor Training Centre rating.

Reactions of the Staff of Oceans 5 Gili Air

Manager Michele McLean is very honored to receive the award.  Quote: “We have continued to provide courses at the highest level and have been able to help uplift the local community by offer free courses and education programs”

PADI Master Instructor Warren Beyers feels valuable recognition. Quote: “Years of focusing on our teaching quality, even during the difficult times as earthquakes and the pandemic has resulted in this reward. I am proud to be part of the Oceans 5 team”

PADI Instructor Unus. Quote: “ As a new qualified PADI Instructor I went through the Oceans 5 Scholarship program to become first a Divemaster and now a Scuba Diving Instructor. Oceans 5 gave me the opportunity to achieve my dream, working on Gili Air as a PADI Instructor”

Top Tips For A Healthy Diet & Lifestyle

After being diagnosed with TTP most people make positive changes in their food and lifestyle. Find out what your body needs to stay in good health and avoid getting overtired, this is the time to look after yourself and avoid infections as much as possible. Check these ikaria lean belly juice reviews.

Eat A Balanced Diet

Base your meals on starchy foods that should make up one third of the foods you eat; these include pasta, rice, bread and potatoes. Have this with protein such as fish or lean chicken and cut down on red meat. Aim to eat two portions of oily fish a week such as salmon, mackerel, trout, herring, fresh tuna, skate or hake that contain the most Omega-3 fats which are good for you. For vegetarian diets include pulses, soya, tofu and nuts. Have plenty of fluids, such as water in your diet to stop your body from getting dehydrated. Pace yourself during the day to drink in the region of 1.6-2 litres every day and that is in addition to the water from the food you eat. That’s about 8-10 glasses (includes water, tea, coffee and milk) but you could need more if you exercise or during very hot weather. These are the best weight loss pills.

Cut Down On Saturated Fats

These are usually found in hard cheese, cakes, biscuits, sausages, pies, butter, lard, ghee and cream. These fats can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which could increase the risk of developing heart disease. Choose other options such vegetable oil (with a spray bottle so you use less). Read more about prostadine.

Get Your 5-a-day

This is a great source of vitamins and minerals that your body needs; one portion is equivalent to 80g or 3oz. A glass of juice is counted as one portion no matter how many glasses you drink. Try juicing your vegetables and fruit and find out what combination works for you. You could try apple, beetroot and carrot, add some fresh ginger or spinach. This is how alpilean works.

Cut Down On Sugar

These foods include sugary fizzy drinks, alcohol, cakes, biscuits, pastries and sugary breakfast cereals. Try porridge made with oats in the microwave, just add milk, heat and stir then add flaxseeds, blueberries or a banana to make a high powered long-lasting breakfast. Try checking the food label of at least one thing you buy in the next week and if you spot more than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g this means the food is too high in sugar content. 5g or less per 100g is more preferable.

Cut Down On Salt

There is so much salt in food already including bread, cereals, sauces and soups that are bought from the shop. Look at food labels next time you shop and if there is more than 1.5g of salt per 100g that is too high. Generally, adults and children over 11 should eat no more than 6g of salt for the whole day. Younger children should have less. Try using lemon or spices to flavour food with less salt and your appetite will get used to it.

Get Moving

You may have the healthiest diet in the world but if you are overweight or underweight and don’t do much exercise (this does not mean going to the gym, it could mean taking a 15-minute walk every day) then you will not feel the benefits in your body.

Why not starting your PADI IDC at the Gili Islands in Indonesia? With so many different locations offering PADI Instructor Development Courses (IDCs) it can be overwhelming to know which location is best for you. Nowadays you can become a PADI Diving Instructor in almost any country around the world. But how do you pick the best place to begin your career as a diving instructor?

We know that the PADI IDC is a big investment. But we strongly believe you should decide where based on which location and centre is best for you and your future, not on price. Selecting the right place to do your IDC will help you kick start your life as an instructor and ensure a return on that investment. Here’s a few questions you should ask yourself when choosing where to do your PADI Instructor Development Course.

What are the diving conditions like at this IDC location?

Do you want to be diving in warm or cool waters? Is the water fresh or salt water? What is the visibility like? Are conditions calm or are there large swells? Is there strong current? Will you be diving from the shore or on a boat? Do the boats come back between each dive or are you out all day?

These are all questions you want to ask when selecting a location for your IDC. Diving varies greatly around the world. It’s important to consider what type of diving you enjoy and what conditions you want to be learning to teach in. We will be honest, we prefer tropical climates, but we understand that’s not for everyone.

The diving conditions around the Gili Islands

Gili Air in Indonesia is the whole year open for diving. The water temperature is between the 27 and 30 degrees Celsius. In the dry season the visibility will be around 30 meters. During the rainy season 15 meters. 

Most of the dive sites are suitable for all level of divers, from beginners till advanced. And all dives are drift dives. This means we don’t have to dive back to the boat, but the boat will pick us up.

Where do you plan to work as a dive instructor after your Instructor Course?

As well as considering the conditions you like to dive in, it’s also beneficial to complete your Instructor Development Course in conditions similar to those you plan to work in. At least when you first start teaching. For example, if you plan to teach in Northern Europe where it’s often low visibility and requires a dry suit, you might not want to do your IDC in warm, crystal clear tropical waters. Before, during and after your IDC you have the opportunity to network and build connections in that location. You will also already be familiar with the dive practices specific to that area. You can then gain valuable experience in familiar dive conditions before moving on to a location.

What other professional dive training is available at this Instructor Training location?

In addition to the PADI Instructor Development Course, you often have the chance to complete further training to enhance your skills and employability. Have a look at what additional courses different IDC locations offer you, for example team teaching, Instructor Specialities, Master Scuba Diver Trainer Programs. All of these can help stand out from other new instructors and are often offered at special rates for IDC candidates. If you know you want to work towards becoming a PADI Staff Instructor, and perhaps Course Director, check out whether the IDC location or Course Director offer these opportunities.

PADI IDC Gili Islands and Master Scuba Diver Trainer program

PADI Course Director Sander offers a variety of extra training from free prep workshops to Instructor Specialities, MSDT training and even Disabled Divers International (DDI) Instructor training. 

The diving around the Gili Islands gives Sander the opportunity to teach you all different kind of instructor specialties. If you are interested in wreck diving, Sander can take you to the wreck “Glenn Nusa” located at the North West side of Gili Trawangan. Would you like to know more about diving with disabled persons, remember that Sander is a Disabled Divers International Instructor Trainer Examiner. He can teach you all kind of different teaching techniques when you are diving with disabled persons. Or would you like to become sidemount specialty instructor, a self reliant diver specialty instructor, drift diver instructor or more, Sander will help you.

What is the experience of the PADI Course Director teaching the IDCs in this location?

One factor to consider is how experienced is the Course Director who will be teaching you. But experience is hard to quantify. It’s not just about the length of time someone has been a Course Director or how many IDCs they’ve taught. It’s also good to know where your Course Director has worked, do they experience teaching a variety of courses in different conditions?

Your Course Director plays a pivotal role in your development as an instructor. So it’s important you find the right one for you. Not only will you spend a couple of weeks training with them, but they will continue to be your mentor throughout your career. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with your potential Course Directors. They are there to answer your questions. If you don’t feel comfortable or reassured corresponding with your PADI Course Director, then it’s probably a sign to look for a different one.

PADI IDC Gili Islands with PADI Course Director Sander Buis

Not only does our Course Director Sander Buis have over 15 years of experience, he has also dived and taught in a huge variety of conditions. From the strong currents of Indonesia to the open ocean off Mozambique. Sander doesn’t teach you to pass the PADI Instructor Examination. He teaches you to become a confident scuba dive instructor!

What are the IDC facilities and accommodation like at this location?

To learn effectively, you need to be in the right environment. A spacious classroom, quiet areas for independent study and easy access to the water are all beneficial to your training. Does the location you are considering have adequate and spacious facilities?

• Is there a suitable training pool on site or do you prefer confined sessions to take place in the ocean?
• How good is the WIFI connection?
• Would you find adequate accommodation at this location?
• Do you want to stay at the IDC Centre or would you prefer offsite accommodatio

PADI IDC Gili Islands with Oceans 5 Gili Air

At our PADI IDC centre we have dedicated facilities specifically designed for teaching IDCs with air-conditioned classrooms, areas for independent study, large swimming pools and specific IDC boats. We strive to ensure you can train in a comfortable and relaxed environment. Oceans 5 Gili Air can offer accommodation onsite at our IDC location, or we can support you in finding different options offsite.

What is the location itself like?

You’re going to be living in this location for at least a few weeks, so you want to like the town, island or city you’ll be based in. Do you prefer a quiet tropical island, or do you like somewhere with more amenities and activities? As well as the actual PADI IDC centre, have a look at the location in which it is situated and make sure it suits your personality. 

PADI IDC Gili Islands on Gili Air

Oceans 5 Gili Air is a beautiful coconut paradise island. You can find Gili Air at the North West dide of Lombok. Gili Air is part of the island group Gili Indah, or the Gili Islands.

Gili Air is famous because we don’t have cars and motorbikes on the island. 

Take time to find the right IDC location for you.

The PADI Instructor Development Course is a big investment, not only financially, so it’s important you pick a location and Course Director that is right for you personally. Take time to consider what you want and need during your IDC, and when in doubt, go with your gut. It’s normally right.

PADI IDC Gili Islands in Indonesia

With a passionate Course Director Sander, Oceans 5 Gili Air offers an IDC location to suit everyone’s tastes and career aspirations. Choose from an extensive range of additional training including Speciality ratings, MSDT programs and even DDI Instructor training.