PADI IDC Dive Resort Oceans 5 Gili Air Blog Posts
“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 …
“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. …
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 …
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 …
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 …
You’ve just passed your PADI IDC and Instructor Examination and are eager to start teaching people to scuba dive as a PADI scuba dive instructor. Massive congratulations by the way! Having finally recovered from the celebrations, we’re guessing that you’re now excited to get going with your …
What you need to consider when buying dive gear to work as a Scuba Diving Instructor.
As a scuba diving instructor, your dive equipment is more than your life support underwater. It is the tool that enables you to work and teach. Having the right dive equipment allows you to concentrate solely on your students and provides you with the necessary gear to be able to teach successfully and efficiently. Your dive gear needs to be the right fit for you. But also fulfil your needs as an instructor.
Dive gear is a big investment. But if you make the right investment and your equipment will serve you well year after year. There are a few different considerations when buying dive gear as an instructor rather than a recreational diver. Whether you are thinking about becoming a scuba diving instructor, already booked on to an upcoming PADI IDC or have just qualified, you want to make sure that you have the right dive gear for your new career. Here are our top tips to help you make the right choice when buying your dive equipment as a scuba instructor.
As a scuba diving instructor, you have the opportunity to work all over the world, but it is much more important that your dive gear is durable rather than lightweight. If you can find equipment that is both, great! But often travel light equipment is designed for a recreational diver rather than professional. When you are diving up to 4 times a day, almost every day, you want to be sure your dive gear will last. Where possible try to invest more in key pieces, such as regulators and BCDs, that will continue to serve you well for many years.
You are probably already aware that a BCD is very personal. It is critical that you get the right fit for your body and diving needs. We recommend you try before you buy and if possible, try out friends and mentors BCDs on a dive to see what works for you. As a scuba diving instructor, there’s a few aspects you should also consider when choosing your BCD.
The buoyancy of the BCD is important, not only does it need to give enough lift for you to stay positive, it also needs to be able to support your students if required. In this case, look for a BCD that provides significantly more lift than your weight. If you plan to teach in colder locations, where thick exposure suits or even dry suits are required, you will also need a more buoyant BCD.
Make sure that your BCD has a power inflator. Some models inflate much faster than others. As a dive instructor you want to be able to establish positive buoyancy as quickly as possible. Ideally, the inflator should be located where students can easily see when you inflate/deflate. Some models of BCD has their inflator button right at the bottom, where students struggle to see when you are demonstrating skills.
Check that there are enough D-rings on the BCD to attach required all the accessories you will require when teaching (slates, pointer, torch, SMB, SPG etc). Are they located appropriately for you?
Pockets are also highly useful on a BCD. You can store additional materials such as slates, spare equipment and ropes, as well as being able to pick up any plastic you might encounter during a dive.
This is personal preference. As an instructor you need to be comfortable in the gear that you are using. If you are most comfortable with integrated weights, then we recommend sticking with these. But remember when teaching courses, especially entry level, you will need to wear a weight belt to demonstrate skills. It’s also useful to carry your extra weights on your weight belt so you can easily hand them to student divers if needed, without throwing off your own weighting.
As with the weight systems, this is also personal preference. A jacket style does allow you to stay vertical in the water more easily which can aid supervising and teaching. But this is also possible with practice and correct weight placements on a wing style BCD. As above, we recommend choosing a style that you are most comfortable in. If possible, try it out a few different options in the water.
As a tip, during a Rescue course, it’s always worth getting your students to practise the scenarios with different styles of BCD and weight systems. So they will be confident whatever gear they encounter in a real emergency situation in the future.
This is something many new dive professionals forget about when buying dive gear. Some brands are very well supported in some regions, but not worldwide. You want to make sure that the dive gear you buy can be serviced in the areas you wish to work. Otherwise, it could be very difficult and costly to replace a broken part and look after your dive gear properly. If you plan to work in different locations, look for brands with good after sales service worldwide. If you are not sure, ask a PADI Course Director, email the PADI Regional Manager or even get in touch with a dive shop in that area, they will be happy to answer your queries.
As a dive instructor, you need to have both an audible (a simple whistle will suffice) and visual (SMB) signalling device. We highly recommend purchasing a larger SMB (Surface Marker Buoy) over a more compact model to ensure that you and your group are easily spotted even in rough surface conditions. If possible, look for an SMB with an opening at the bottom and oral inflation. This allows you to quickly inflate manually with your alternate but also have the option to orally inflate in the unlikely event of an out of air situation. A self-sealing valve at the bottom ensures that the air stays inside the SMB and a dump valve will allow you to easily deflate and store the SMB. Models with poppers, elastic bands and Velcro are also useful for keeping the SMB rolled up.
Although you may already know what exposure suit you are most comfortable in, don’t forget to consider that as a dive instructor you will be spending much more time in the water. Additionally, even in tropical locations the water temperature can vary throughout the seasons. Therefore, you might want to consider purchasing a few different options, including individual pieces that can be used alone when it is warmer or layered when it is colder. It is helpful to have shorts and a rash guard for protection in the confined water sessions, but also thicker options for the open water where the temperatures can vary greatly.
As a PADI instructor, you’ll want a good snorkel as you’ll be wearing it pretty much every day! Make sure that you have a good clip to connect the snorkel to your mask. It’s not so fun having to replace the snorkel every few weeks.
A torch is always a useful part of your gear. Not only for night diving. But also for pointing out marine life to students or having a peak at what’s hiding underneath that overhang. Something compact and lightweight that you can always have clipped on to your gear is handy.
As a dive instructor you must have a knife and compass with you whenever you are in open water. You’ll also need to have this with you on the PADI Instructor Exam. Look for a knife with a sturdy case that can be easily attached to your gear.
Blank slates are highly beneficial. You can use these to keep track of your student’s skills, to map areas or communicate if signals fail you! It’s a lot easier to be able to scribble something down on the slate than to keep going back up to the surface to talk.
It doesn’t matter how great your gear is if you don’t look after it properly it is not going to last you very long! Make sure that you rinse and clean your dive gear properly after every use. Follow the manufacturers’ recommendations and have your equipment serviced regularly. Your dive gear is what allows you to do the thing you love most, diving, and to be able to earn a living doing what you love, teaching diving, so don’t neglect it!
If you are still unsure about what dive gear is best for you as an instructor, ask for advice from people you trust. Speak to your PADI Course Director and other experienced instructors around you. If they let you, try out their gear on a dive or in a teaching scenario to see how it feels to you. There is nothing like first-hand experience. Make sure you consider outside factors such as location and water conditions and this will greatly affect your choice of dive gear. Ultimately you need to be comfortable, don’t be swayed by brand names, colours or trends. Carefully consider what you need to be the best scuba diving instructor you can be.
We know it can be a bit overwhelming to choose between the wide array of dive gear available. As PADI Course Directors, we’ve pretty much tried every piece of dive gear there is available, both recreationally and in a professional setting. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us either before, during or long after your IDC to ask about dive gear.
What did you eat for lunch today? And what did you have for breakfast? Are your meals a balance of essential food groups, are your meals planned well or are they quick fixes that contain fewer nutrients and comprise mainly of packaged foods. Do your …