Gili Shark Conservation Project

I spent 4 weeks at Gili Shark conservation, and they were amazing. We went diving 8 times a week, which was tiring but awesome. There is so much biodiversity in the Gili Islands you get to see so many different species. I had barely dove before I go there and improved immensely with the support of the staff at Gili shark. After diving you got to go through any data you collected, including turtle and shark IDing or listened to presentations about marine conservation. For dinner you got to explore the island and eat some local food! the food was pretty good and the locals were always so nice! You have your weekends free to explore the island or explore the other Gili islands or even Lombok. I made friends at this program I know I will keep in touch with forever and am planning on going back to Gili hopefully soon!

My six weeks with Gili Shark Conservation on Gili Air as a Reseach Assistant were amazing. 🌟 This was my first time volunteering and diving, both of which had been dreams of mine for a while. Joining the team turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made. The team's commitment to ocean and marine life conservation is deeply inspiring, and their infectious positivity and smiles quickly made me feel at home. 🤩

As a advanced diver, I continued my diving with the rescue diver course at Blue Marlin. The instructors were very professional and supportive, making the experience unforgettable. From there, I did various activities, including a scientific diving courses, fish, turtle and shark ID dives, EMP survey dives and coral restoration dives, beach clean-ups and fun family dinners.🍛

The program was well-structured, providing a balance between learning, diving, and free time to explore the island.🏝️ The team was always available, answering questions and ensuring everything ran smoothly. The headquarters were surrounded by nature, and the staff there were both welcoming and skilled—plus, Mira's pancakes are amazing!🥞

This experience not only deepened my understanding of marine conservation but also had a profound impact on my personal and professional outlook. I returned with a greater appreciation for the ocean and a renewed focus on contributing to its preservation. 🪸🌎🌱

If you’re passionate about the ocean and want to combine learning with adventure, I wholeheartedly recommend Gili Shark Conservation—it’s an experience you’ll never forget.

The Gili shark conservation Program was an amazing experience to get first hands insights on ocean conservation. The team of researchers and staff members of the headquarter were super nice, always helpful and amazing teachers during my stay there. I am happy that I got the opportunity to support, have a positive impact on the environment / ocean, the possibility to learn and grow with amazing people! I am impressed by the achievements of the project and hope to come back one day to see their future progress

I spent two amazing weeks with Gili Shark Conservation. Before this, I had never volunteered or gone diving, but both were things that I had wanted to do for such a long time, so I was very excited to find this opportunity. And it turned out to be the best decision to join the team in Gili Air. The dedication and care of these guys for the ocean and marine life are truly inspiring. Their positive attitude that surrounds their everyday life on the island is infectious; very quickly, I found myself involuntarily smiling during each dive and thoroughly enjoying all the presentations and activities we participated in.
As I had never dived before, I first completed the open water course, which was a very good experience. The Blue Marlin staff made us feel completely comfortable, and the first dive experience was something I will never forget. Then, in the following days, we participated in various diving activities, including a scientific diving course where we learned fish and turtle identification and collected trash from the ocean.
The entire program was very well organized; we received a personalized schedule with many activities, but we still had free time in the afternoons and weekends to enjoy the island. Rose and the team always responded very quickly to all our questions and were always ready to help and find a solution. The headquarters are beautiful and comfortable, surrounded by nature! The staff working there are super nice, and they make the best pancakes for breakfast.
I gained so much more from this experience than I expected. This program taught me a lot about marine life conservation while having a lot of fun diving, and it shaped my outlook. I certainly came home with a clearer message about what we need to do to preserve the oceans and with a clearer objective to contribute to this conservation through my work in plastic recycling and in my everyday life.

I had the most wonderful 3 weeks at GSC. The staff are so friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable and made HQ feel like home. The dives sites are incredible and you get to learn different types of surveys like roving diver surveys, measuring coral health index, turtle and shark identification. Definitely recommended to those interested or are already in marine biology!

The island itself has so much to offer, nice locals and incredible food to start with. Just chilling at the beach after dives is wonderful!