Indo Ocean Project Reviews

My experience at IOP was life changing. I walked away not only being a dive master, but someone who was more confident and capable. The knowledge I gained is absolutely invaluable and I couldn’t have asked for better people to learn from. Everyone at IOP became like family and made every memory even more special. I think this program is truly one of the best out there. Coming in, I didn’t know if I would have it in me to be a good dive master but I walked away knowing how to handle myself and others underwater and I know exactly how to handle stress. That is one of the most valuable things to learn in diving and I am so grateful to everyone at IOP who guided me to get there.

If you are thinking about doing your divemaster or you have any interest in conservation/marine biology and want to have some experience in a safe learning environment with the best nerds and nature lovers, than Bira is the place to go! As DMT you get the lovely experience of assisting real courses (season depended), assist on fun dives with BP's DM and lead science dives, which is some of the amazing opportunities Bira gives you all while being together with your new friends in a remote paradise.

Participating in the Divemaster Conservation Program IOP in Bira, Indonesia, was an incredible adventure, both personally and professionally. From the first days on the Blue Planet site, I felt that this experience was going to be much more than just training. It was a real immersion in the world of diving, conservation and collective learning.

I would particularly like to thank Grégoire Bouillon and Kert, who played an essential role throughout this program. Their know-how, their experience and above all their constant good mood have transformed every dive, every workshop and every exchange into a unique and rewarding moment. With them, learning has never been only technical: it has always been tinged with passion, pedagogy and a spirit of camaraderie that makes you want to surpass yourself.

Grégoire, with his ability to transmit his knowledge in a clear and motivating way, was able to accompany me step by step in the progress of the program. His professionalism and attention to detail were invaluable in understanding the importance of every gesture, every procedure and every underwater reflex. But beyond the instructor, it is above all the person who marked the experience: always available, attentive and encouraging, he made the training fluid and pleasant.

For his part, Kert brought an incredible energy and a dose of daily good mood that was able to weld the group and create a positive atmosphere, even in the most intense moments. His vision of diving, focused on sharing and passion, gave an additional meaning to this adventure. With him, each dive became a new opportunity to learn, laugh and become aware of the fragile beauty of marine ecosystems.

The Bira executive and the Blue Planet site have, of course, played a huge role in the magic of this program. The seabed is exceptionally rich, and participating in a project that links Divemaster's training to marine conservation gives an even stronger dimension to the experience. Diving is no longer just a personal pleasure: it is also a responsibility, a commitment to protect what we like to explore. And this is exactly what Grégoire and Kert were able to transmit: the passion for diving, but also the awareness and respect necessary to preserve this unique environment.

Beyond the skills acquired and the incredible dives, what I remember above all are the shared moments: briefings, debriefings, discussions around a meal, laughter after a long day, little advice given at the right time. All these moments are an integral part of the experience and will remain engraved in my memory.

By leaving Bira and the program, I leave not only with a solid technical background and a new step in my diving training, but above all with immense gratitude to those who made it possible. Thanks again to Grégoire Bouillon and Kert for their support, energy and passion. This adventure at Blue Planet would not have been the same without them, and I will keep in mind for a long time the richness of everything I learned, lived and shared with them.

I combined the Divemaster and Research Diver program with the Research Fellowship for my master's thesis with Indo Ocean Project. For this, I got to spend 6 months in Bira, South Sulawesi. During the first 2 months, I've been trained to be a Divemaster, improving my underwater skills, from buoyancy to skills, to assist and lead dives. In parallel, I've learn so much thanks to the ecology workshops, in particular, I've learn how to do BRUVs (Baited Remote Underwater Video), the focus of my thesis, from planning, deployment, retrieval and analysis. During the last 4 months, I focused on collecting data for my thesis on the population of Whitetip Reef Sharks of Kambing Island, through BRUVs and Unite Bira, the citizen science program of IOP.

I really want to thank the IOP team; they've been amazing with me. The sweet Yuly, who helped me analyse the first BRUVs and let me help her with the Benthic Survey's footage analysis. Sudar has been a wonderful scientific supervisor, always ready to answer my questions and help me develop a laser structure to measure sharks. Greg made it all possible, organizing the dives and schedule and giving me valuable advice and guidance. Kert is one of the best instructors that I've had, always by my side and ready to help me when I was leading the dives.

This program is so much more than a normal internship: you learn a lot, but you also meet amazing people on the way, who share your passions and enthusiasm. No space for complaints or laziness, on our days off we would always find an adventure or a side quest: from cliff jumping, to visiting underground caves, to building a volleyball field using a ghost net, and to visiting the Phinisi boats building sites. You never get bored, and you're never alone. I'm so grateful to have experienced this, and I really, really recommend it.

I did the research diver programme with IOP, which took 6 weeks. The 6 weeks were filled with many dives, a lot of new information, and great experiences. I recommend this programme to anyone interested in learning more about ecology and conservation.

Thanks to my great instructors Greg, Kert, Yuly, and Sudar for the interesting and helpful classes and dives.
Bira is a great programme location, because of the amazing dive sites, great visibility, beautiful beaches, nice community, friendly locals, and great dive school.

Spent 3 months with IOP and it was probably the best 3 months of my life. I study marine biology at Uni and love diving, so finding a course that included both the qualification of a DM as well as a heavy emphasis on conservation was perfect for me. Gregoire, Kert, Sudar and Yuly have perfected a blend of fun, education and experience and their input and care into the interns is what gives Bira this feeling like you are home. Can’t recommend Bira enough as a place it’s such an amazing place to experience some culture and really immerse yourself in the language and some incredible indonesian food. Tennis courts, volleyball court, chess tournaments, a dartboard and more board games than i can count you will have so much fun with the fellow interns and staff here. I will miss this place so much, but will miss the people more.

My experience with Indo Ocean Project in Bira was truly amazing and unforgettable. The team at IOP and Blue Planet have a great dynamic offering the perfect fusion of scientific and recreational diving on some of Indonesias most pristine reefs. The comprehensive dive training and conservation education programme in such an exclusive environment provides a valuable, unique, and personal learning experience. If you yearn for adventure away from the crowds, Bira awaits to welcome you to its warm and wonderful community.

Just do it, you won't regret it! I did the 8 week programme and learned so much in a short time. Every day is packed with diving, conservation and diving workshops, activities, and gaining experience as a dive professional. The IOP and Dive Hub staff Marina, Marine, Sel, Aria and Qinthan, to name just a few of the amazing team, are doing such a great job and one can see the passion and dedication they are putting into the programme every single day. The programme also gave me such valuable insights and experience in doing research and conservation work and I became a much more confident diver.
I did the programme in Nusa Penida and loved the island and it's dive sites.
I would do it all over again!

I really recommend this course in every way. Learning about marine biology, quality of teaching for the divemaster, super interesting education program! Plus the environment is just incredible: the living space is super pleasant, the partner diving club is really good and all the IOP team and the general atmosphere are great. Go for it!

What I really loved was that the biology component and the divemaster program were really well balanced.

Bira is also a great place for diving: a little paradise, very quiet. We were the only ones at the dive sites, and the marine biodiversity is incredibly rich and preserved. It also allowed us to experience diving with currents, which is a great benefit for the training.

Thanks to my amazing instructors: Gregoire, Kert, Yuly, and Sudar!

I recommend this internship for everyone.

You will live something really special there, you will make memories for life, and meet amazing people. You do something that matters in this world. You understand better the importance of protecting the ocean. You learn so much cool stuff about the corals, the fish, and other species.

You see some special marine animals, and I really felt privileged to live this experience. And trust me with the people and the staff, it's so much fun. Go there, you will see it's amazing, trust me.