Indo Ocean Project

I arrived in Raja Ampat on 8 Oct to start the Divemaster program with IOP. It was a bit too much to take in the first time I arrived, considering the basic facilities in place for the IOP interns. We were hosted at the Scuba Republic Base Camp in Waisai, Waigeo island, Raja Ampat. My initial thoughts were that it was going to be a long 7-8 weeks here.
Fast forward 7 weeks later, and now back in the comforts of home, I have nothing but fond memories of my time with the IOP team in Raja Ampat.

The people that run the IOP program in Raja Ampat i.e. Selene and Mario are top-class Diving Instructors, and coupled with the academic background in Marine Sciences, they made the whole 7 weeks there filled with so much learning.

Apart from the required SSI, PADI content, what was good for me was the experience sharing from Sel and Mario in handling real-life diving situations. Be it equipment issues, people not feeling well, a difficult 'diver', personality issues and so on. The informal sessions on top of the course content were what I found valuable. A lot of support also from the IOP staff at Raja i.e. Shae, Mike and later Jon. Being a senior intern from day-1 (I'm 52 years young) was one of the concerns I had when I arrived, but everyone there was very supportive, and I had no problems fitting in early on and really be part of the family. But seriously, there was a lot of content to absorb, and this was no holiday camp. Assignments and knowledge reviews were frequent and had to be submitted on time. Those in Raja would know what "BRUV LUV" means very well by now :).

Looking back, I came home a much better diver than when I started. The Divemaster certification allows me to pursue opportunities to further my training to work with disabled people that want to experience diving. The learnings on the science content makes me more knowledgeable on the different fish species identification when I'm in the water ( I've had the opportunity to see a Red Emperor Snapper hiding under a coral (go guess if this a Snapper or Emperor!). The workshops and practical session with corals will allow me to participate actively on future coral restoration work in Malaysia.

The final week was the hardest for me at least, starting with the Stamina test, the final Skills sessions and the Stress test (doing the equipment exchange underwater with a buddy 2 sizes smaller than me was a definite challenge !).

I ended my 7 weeks with a fantastic party! The customary "Snorkel Test" to finish of the program was one I would not forget in a long time.

To Mario, Sel, Shae, Jon.. A big thank you to guys. Thanks for taking care of us interns and ensuring that we were always motivated, making the learning sessions on land and in the water enjoyable, interesting and most importantly SAFE.

I spent two months in Bira with the Indoocean project, and it was one of the most amazing experiences I ever did.
I really loved to be part of the IOP family, sharing all the moment with the other interns and the staff..
I learned a lot of new stuff about the marine environment that I did not know and that I will remember because was really well explained.
I also loved to do my divaster with IOP.
The staff is really competent and really good people - I’m really glad I had the chance to meet them.

I chose the IOP in Bira at Blue Planet Dive Resort beacuse it was a bit remote and in an area that is not so easy to reach, and I was right with my choice: pristine house reef, amazing sunsets, amazing people, nice village and super dive resort with amazing owners. Moreover you may have the chance to see Mobulas, Whalesharks, Threshershark and Hammerheads, without having the dives sites crowded by many boats, since there are only few dive center in the area :D

If you are looking for a new experience, don’t hesitate to apply, you will not regret it :-)

I was looking for a place to do my Dive master internship and I found out about Indo ocean project from a prior intern and I am more than happy to be a part of this project. The instructors are super nice and they train you to be the best. The project gives you a head start in the conservation world. You dive everyday with a purpose of giving something back to the ocean even if it is a tiny effort. No dive is just a dive at the Indo ocean project. You are always doing some type of surveys, research, collecting trash from the ocean, maintaining and planting coral nurseries. With Indo ocean project you get much more than the bare minimum in every aspect of dive master training. I would love to be a part of the project again in future and contribute in whatever way possible.

I did my zero to hero program with IOP. I started out from scratch with 2 dives under my belt and I finished my program as a divemaster with over 100 dives. It is really difficult to put into words the incredible journey that the program had to offer. Even though I had no marine biology background, I had no problem keeping up with the program. The staffs are wonderful and are extremely knowledgeable. My instructors from reeflex also really helped me out with my certifications. My confidence and skills improved so much with time. All the research and science blew my mind. This program was a wonderful start to my diving journey and I fell in love with the marine life in Penida. It was incredible, challenging at times but absolutely worth it. The people, the experience and the culture in Indonesia, everything is absolutely incredible! If anyone’s thinking of doing their divemaster and research program, this is the right place.
I would say, the only thing that they could improve upon is the stay, with things getting fixed on time.

I loved my time there and had the best time. This internship provided a great opportunity to learn about marine research and there’s no perfect place to do it other than Raja Ampat. Learnt a lot as a diver and as a research diver. Ended up making life-long friends and walking away with beautiful memories of that place… The Scuba Republic local staff were really great and always going above and beyond to ensure we have a good time on land and on the boat. I will definitely recommend this program to anyone interested.