Why did you choose this program?
I chose this program because it pairs serious, skills-first training with real conservation work and a clear path to employment. I’d already seen the standard here during my Divemaster—small groups, two instructor trainers on staff, and uncompromising, neutrally buoyant skill evaluations - so coming back for my Instructor made sense. The coaching is direct and practical, the ocean conditions in Nusa Penida make you genuinely capable, and you get to shadow live courses instead of simulating them. Adding coral restoration and turtle ID sharpened my portfolio, and graduates from this program actually get hired. In short: high standards, real experience, and outcomes that matter.
What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?
The provider handled all the training and operational pieces: pre-course onboarding, SSI app setup, study materials, daily schedules and coaching, neutrally buoyant skills and evaluations, guidance and paperwork for the Instructor Exam, access to conservation projects (coral restoration and turtle ID), course-shadowing, and the day-to-day diving logistics (boats, sites, tanks, weights). They also offered local guidance on housing options, SIM cards, and sourcing gear. I organized my own flights, visa, insurance with scuba coverage, accommodation and meals (using their recommendations), full professional dive kit for the Instructor phase (renting a couple of items short-term) plus medical clearance and personal expenses.
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?
Start early and show up buoyancy-ready. Do the e-learning before you arrive, then spend a week dialing in horizontal trim, frog kick, and other proper finning techniques. The program evaluates all skills neutrally buoyant - if you’ve already got control, you’ll learn faster, conserve gas, and get far more value from every dive.
What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?
Tuesday to Saturday is the workweek, with Sunday and Monday off. A typical day starts with a briefing and a pool or skills block, then a boat dive focused on fish ID surveys or coral restoration—teams split into wet (in-water deployment, maintenance, photo transects) and dry (prep, data logging, gear). Afternoons rotate between a second conservation dive, turtle identification and database work, or classroom modules (theory, video review, dive briefings). Evenings are for e-learning, kit maintenance, and planning the next survey. Over a week you’ll cycle through coral tasks, fish ID transects, turtle photo-ID processing, pool skills, and classroom sessions so you’re building both in-water capability and solid conservation data habits.
Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?
I was worried I wouldn’t meet pro-level standards in Nusa Penida’s conditions; holding neutral trim, running briefings, and demonstrating skills mid-water in current. I tackled it with brutal clarity: pre-reading done before arrival, daily video review, and extra pool time to hard-wire a 60–90s hover, frog/reverse kick, mid-water mask skills, and rescue sequences in surge. Shadowing real courses and rotating between wet/dry conservation teams forced me to plan, brief, execute, and debrief like an instructor, not a student. The fear shifted from “these conditions will expose my weaknesses” to “these conditions are my advantage.” By the end, currents felt like a training tool, high standards felt like a framework, not a barrier, and employability became a function of evidence: logged demos, references, and a conservation portfolio I could show employers.
Why did I decide to return to do my instructor course with project laut?
Because this is where standards and outcomes aligned. I’d already done my Divemaster here and knew the bar: small groups, two instructor trainers on staff, and every demo evaluated neutrally buoyant on video. That precision matters when you’re interviewing for work. I also wanted real teaching time; shadowing live courses, running briefings/debriefs, and getting actionable feedback, not just pool simulations. Add the conservation track (coral restoration, fish ID, turtle ID) and Nusa Penida’s conditions that force proper trim, propulsion, and gas planning, and the choice was clear. On top of that, the group at Project Laut just felt like family, after spending so much time with them during the DM I was very happy to come back and pursue the next level with them!
