Dive Master and Research Diver Internship in Indonesia

I completed my 8 week divemaster and research diver internship here. It has given me so much knowledge and experience to go out and start a career in marine conservation. I have a lot of fieldwork experience now. The diving is incredible and so is the diving support. I had the best time and feel supported since leaving the project in my future career choices and help with CV. I did 60 dives in 8 weeks which was plenty. I had to change my start date numerous times due to covid and family issues and IOP was very accommodating for this. So glad I finally made it!

I completed my IOP internship with no background in marine biology or any related field, but a lot of motivation as well as professional and diving experience. The program helped me to get more insights into the daily life of dive professionals as well as the science side of things. The learning curve is very steep for every one but its very valuable lessons that make you better divers as well as provide you with experience to add to your "toolbox" for future employers. Reeflex divers is a great dive center with a strong focus on being eco friendly.

I was searching for an internship for completing my master degree in marine sciences and I found this program on the social network. My experience with IOP was amazing, in two month I learned so much regarding both conservation and diving and at the same time I had so much fun with my fellow interns. The IOP staff is amazing, especially regarding all the workshops related to the marine life and diving techniques. During my 10 weeks program I learned different techniques in order to collect useful data, like survey dives, BRUV deployment and analysis and coral restoration techniques.

IOP is unique in a lot of ways, but what makes it special is the focus on marine conservation and the passionate staff that deliver the workshops. The team at IOP are so supportive, knowledgeable and open to sharing all of this with the interns. Reeflex divers is a fantastic, efficient, environment-conscious dive centre with high standards in their equipment and teaching. All of the interns are there to learn and grow as divers and individuals, and it was amazing to come back into this world again after years away.
You will meet wonderful people, become a much better diver and discover a whole new world of marine life that will make you an asset as a divemaster and/or instructor if that is the career path you choose.
The parts of the internship I appreciate the most are the high standards of teaching, the focus on marine conservation and engagement with the local community, being taught by Indonesian divers and scientists, meeting a community of like-minded people, diving in challenging conditions (at times), and the support network around interns before, during and after the internship.

I competed my Divemaster in Nusa Penida over the course of 2 months alongside Indo Ocean Projects and Reeflex Divers. Words cannot describe how incredible my experience was. The staff were fantastic, knowledgeable and helpful from the offset and throughout my time there. They paid so much attention to detail as well as being extremely professional. The equipment and the dive shop were superb. The instructors and dive guides were phenomenal and I have gained so much knowledge from doing my DM internship here. As I was interning, I got a behind-the-scenes view of the dive shop and saw how passionate the crew who work there are about diving and saw how much they put their customers first. The classes lead by Serena, Pascal and Michaela were so thorough and made so much fun, they were around to support and help you with any questions or concerns, no matter how big or small. I’d like to thank each and every person for their patience and guidance. Honestly, if I could I would just do it again and again and would never get tired of it. It was made to feel like home. 100% would recommend doing their DM with them!

I am forever grateful I leapt into this experience. After two years with no diving, I was just excited for 3 months of being in and talking about the ocean every single day. It wasn't until I arrived I truly understood what I was part of. What an inspiring group and purposeful body of work to immerse yourself in. You develop skills and discover new interests you never knew you had. As a marketer, I didn't come from a science background so I was worried about whether or not Id be a valuable member of the team which I quickly let go of. I could not be more grateful for the connections, new dive buddies and renewed sense of self and purpose driven by becoming a divemaster and ocean advocate through IOP 🙌

The Indo Ocean Project is completely mind blowing & life changing. I’ve been asked after graduating with my divemaster if i would really recommend someone to complete theirs and the answer is a million times YES! This is the most welcoming program that exists. Anyone can join with any number of dives, even zero, and achieve truly miraculous feats. There is so much guidance and understanding along the way, you will never feel alone!
I personally, really enjoyed the conservation that we as interns, were able to be apart of. The workshops are so well organized and educating. It’s very fulfilling to see the change that you’re making. By spending so much time in the water, your diving skills will improve immensely! I came out of the program a completely different and more confident diver than I could have ever imagined.
The experience that you’ll have during your divemaster program with Indo Ocean Project is priceless. It’s one of those choices that you’ll never regret and only wish you could do it over and over again because it changed you as a person. It connects like minded people in a beautiful atmosphere where you can add to each other’s knowledge and have amazing experiences together. I feel incredibly honored to call IOP family. 💙

I can easily say that interning with Indo Ocean Project at their Nusa Penida has been one of the seminal events and experiences of my life. The confluence of scuba diving and conservation makes this a unique experience. I was trained not just to be a fantastic divemaster but also trained with the tools and techniques to be a true conservationist. The divemaster program is very well structured to ensure that fatigue is limited and more time and exposure is given. I was allowed to lead more dives than strictly required by the SSI divemaster course requirements, I did multiple boat briefings and debriefings, dive briefings and debriefings. I assisted DSDs, open water course divers, and advanced open water divers with some great instructors. During the training I was glad to see special attention given to buoyancy and we had specific buoyancy training sessions which were very helpful to me figuring out my diving style. Diving with strong currents and in fast changing conditions made me a much better diver than I expected. It is obvious that Indo Ocean Project expects high standards from itself and trains their interns to rise above the regular divemaster programs and prepares them for professional diving careers.

The research and scientific diver training was what really elevated the program from its already high standards. Detailed fish identification classes, along with in depth ecology classes on sharks, rays and turtles elevated my understanding of these mysterious creaturesa and the marine ecosystem in general. I was trained to perform roving survey dives, BRUV drops, understand data collection, data entry and data parsing for research purposes which has given a strong boost to my research capabilities. I am particularly proud of the numerous Citizen Science initiatives that we were made a part of from dives against debris, to elasmobranch project, turtle and ray identification projects etc.

The training staff are true educators. They are patient, kind and enthusiastic about diving and conservation. They instill their passion and love for the ocean into their interns. They are always available for any issue and are truly compassionate people that I am humbled to have known.

My fellow interns were also all fantastic. The people who come to Indo Ocean Project to learn are diverse people from different nations and backgrounds but are all intelligent people drawn together by a love for the world they live in. I am enriched as a human being to have known and interacted with them and truly honoured to have them call me a friend.

I would highly recommend this project to anyone who wants to be a consummate dive professional and particularly for those who are interested in conservation of our world.