Program Reviews

I stayed at Blue Planet, Bira, for 8 weeks. These will forever be part of the most amazing weeks of my life.

Every step leading to my trip to Bira (IOP application, payment, visa submission, and travel planning) was incredibly smooth thanks to the support and impressive reactivity of the IOP coordination team. The instant I stepped out of the taxi in Blue Planet, I felt at home. Sylvain (Blue Planet owner) has created a comfortable little paradise that homes only wonderful people, the two most lovely dogs (Luffy and Puji), and that is part of a super cool community. We would hang out with the neighbours all the time. And the village is pretty cute, with a well-supplied open market taking place every second day, 24h 7/7 open grocery stores with all the sweets you want, and the convenient laundries. Even though Bira is quite isolate compared to bigger cities, it got everything one needs. There, not much scooter wailing, but bird songs, waves, and occasional monkey commotions. I had rarely, or maybe never, be such at peace.

The IOP course material are very well thought and complete, giving a thorough insight into the science of marine conservation. Even with a background in Biology and Conservation, I have learnt plenty. And the workshop would have never been that great without the knowledge of the IOP staff, Jeffri (instructor and manager) and Qinthan (coral expert and great human). Their passion, hard work, and professionalism will remain a source of inspiration. It was also very rewarding to be able to apply the theory in different projects (coral nursery, Coral Watch, mangrove nursery, dive against debris…) taking place at Blue Planet and around Bira.

I started the internship with a rescue diver certification and quickly realised that there was a lot to learn and practice to become a divemaster! Jeffri and Rafi (Blue Planet instructor) made us work hard, and that was awesome. Thanks to them, I jumped straight into a divemaster job with confidence. I am really glad to have learnt from such talented instructors. Also, the Blue Planet crew is exceptionally sweet and competent. It was a real pleasure to be accompanied by Pa Asda’s enthusiastic smile and witness Pa Swan Dang’s captain skills. About the dives, well, Bira sites are gems. Every single dive was a new experience, mix of mind-blowing colours, species, and topographies. Sharks, sharks, and sharks. That is the pure truth. We were lucky enough to even swim with a whale shark! And for the adrenaline addicts, Bira has its fair share of current to offer. The diversity of the sites and dive types that I experimented there made me a quite complete diver comfortable to explore the world’s reefs.

I would never thank the Bira people enough!
Thank you Sylvain, Phoebe, Jeffri, Rafi, Qinthan, all the awesome interns, Luffy, and Puji for the countless precious memories.

Alice.

Indo Ocean Project's Divemaster internship is such a mind blowing experience. Throughout my training the staff were extremely supportive and always valued my skills, accompanying me throughout my growth as a diver. The amazing network of relationships built in and around the program goes hand in hand with an unmatchable level of professionalism and availability that characterizes all of the staff. IOP instructors go the extra mile to provide the best training possible (instead of leading 1 mandatory Dive i was able to lead 10+). Additionally, the internship allowed me to gather important data to better protect the marine park around Nusa Penida (scientific dives are AMAZING!!!)
I arrived at Indo Ocean Project with 3 logged dives. 12 weeks later I've been on more than 100 dives and I feel ready to walk confidently into the diving industry. Thanks IOP 🤙🏽🦈

Indo Ocean Project give you more than what is required to be a good divemaster --- you get trained assisting multiple courses and lead plenty of dives (I lead 9 dives!) plus all the conservation courses given by the amazingly wonderful and passionate staff & crew members. They are very professional, experienced, extremely organized, and some of the friendliest people you'll meet. You would get all the support that you need.

Nusa Penida itself is a heaven to dive in. I've dived along with manta rays, turtles, and even got myself hooked into macro photography. The sites themselves are very diverse; in the north you could expect a ton of fishes and sea turtles with occasional shark sightings, while in the south you could reliably expect multiple manta rays in one dive. You'll often be diving in currents and surges so you'll be able to dive pretty much everywhere once you've gotten used to such challenging conditions.

You'll also get to immerse yourself in Indonesian and Balinese culture, while have fun and party on your days off. You'll also have plenty of chance to explore the island with a motorbike, all the scenery is wonderful and to die for. Local villagers are very friendly, engaging and love to get to know you. You won't regret coming here for your divemaster training.

Info Ocean Project is a truly remarkable program on the beautiful island of Nusa Penida. It’s the kind of program that you fall in love with immediately. You’ll feel like you’ve found a little family with IOP. The management staff are super supportive and encouraging. They create an environment that promotes learning and personal development. This is the type of place where you’ll make career connections and great friends.

The dive master training is thorough and comprehensive, going beyond the basic requirements to create confident dive masters. Additionally, the conservation training produces data that actually goes towards protecting the marine ecosystem, which is something you won’t find everywhere. This program is committed to, and actively working towards, creating better conservation practices. During your training you’ll get the chance to participate in dropping BRUVs (awesome), doing coral watch, and fish surveys. Some of the things you might see include stunning reef manta rays, sting rays, sharks, mola, dolphins and even pilot whales.

IOP engages the local community with both coral gardening and mangrove planting. They do frequent dives against debris for ocean cleanup, and go out for community cleanups as well. In your down time, you’ll get the chance to explore the beautiful island by scooter, seeing places like Kelingking, Crystal Bay, Lembongan, Diamond Beach, and so many more. The local food is fantastic and inexpensive, and the local people are wonderful. I highly recommend this program to anyone looking for career advancement and/or new experiences. Whether you’re starting from zero or coming in already certified, this program will set you up for success. In short, I absolutely love the IOP program!

I spent 10 weeks with Indo Ocean Project, and here is what I liked: the quality of the training (with the divemaster program as much as with the marine conservation aspects), the staff that is really supportive, the quality if the dive center with who they work (Reeflex is super organized, with great diving material and great logistic).
Of course you'll have to work hard, but you won't regret spending your energy on it!
When diving after in Komodo, I noticed that my level in diving had really (really!) improved during these 10 weeks, and that I actually knew a lot about marine science (I was just a beginner when I arrived).

This was a great program with passionated and kind instructors, passionated manager, great diversity of dive sites presenting a nice gradient level. From easy shallow reef in front of the dive resort, to easy dirft walls, deep dives but also challenging current dives. Sharks, rays or turtles and beautiful underwater sceneries were always present! So, after these days if you let the relax and easy lifestyle of BluePlanet Dive Resort get into you, you'll find yourself bubbling in front of the sunset everyday with a nice drink in your hand and your head full of sweet memories. What a feeling!
Special thanks to all the team, I had a thriilll, BISOUS from France <3 !

I’m 41 years old traveler, I’ve seen a lot but being with IOP for more than 3 months was one of my best experience of my life.

I’ve been trained to be a divemaster, what I am now, from Zero. The scuba diving courses were very professional and safe.

The marine conservation part is awesome, we learn so much and practice as much. I’ve been teached on different topics as sharks, dolphins, Mola 🤙, fish families, mantas…

What is awesome is that everyday you have something to do and someone is telling you what to do hahaha

I've spent 12 wonderful weeks in the marvelous Nusa Penida with Indo Ocean and my expectations have been highly exceeded!

This was my third internship in the marine conservation field and it has been no doubt the best by miles. The diving is amazing, I've lost the count of mantas and turtles I've seen after the first week! In the 12 weeks you'll dive so much that you'll end up being addicted to It; you'll meet so many great people and learn a lot. It doesn't matter if you have a background in science or not, you will manage to learn a lot anyway and actively contribuite to all the scientific projects.
The most amazing part Is the staff, it's a group of really passionate, professional, extremely organized, awesome people ! Thanks to them the project is truly special, the activities and workshop they organize are incredible! If you have a bit of interest in the marine world they will boost It, they will show you the threats it Is facing and will always show different solutions to face the threats in the best possible way.
I highly reccomend this program to everyone.I think it can defintely be a big first step to a great life spent admiring and protecting nature, and at the same time simply a great way to spend some months!!
See you soon,
Jonny

Trying to put my experience with IOP into words seems quite impossible, as no words can truly describe what an awesome time I had here!

For the past few years I have been talking about how much I wanted to get involved in marine conservation, watching all the documentaries I could get my hands on and just imagining how amazing it would be to actually be part of it… and then suddenly I came across a social media post from Indo Ocean Project. It was exactly what I was looking for, and I applied without hesitation.

As I already started doing my divemaster in 2019 at a difference place, I knew a little bit what to expect, but arriving here and starting the program I quickly realised that this was so much more than just a divemaster! So at the end, I was quite happy that I didn’t finish my divemaster in 2019 and could do it here.

My days were packed with so many activities, it was never boring. Apart from the regular divemaster training, we were having lots of interesting ecology workshops about Manta rays, turtles, Molas, sharks, corals and more. I got to learn so much from the incredibly knowledgable IOP staff! Apart from the workshops, we were doing awesome conservation stuff like dropping BRUVs, planting mangroves, conducting survey dives and coral restoration. I feel like a real conservationist now 🤓

And of course, there couldn’t be a better location then Nusa Penida! It’s such a beautiful place with the friendliest people. The dive sites are full of life, and it’s been indescribable seeing creatures like dolphins and Molas for the first time ever. The moments I shared with my fellow interns will stay with me forever!

I feel like my review sounds like a paid ad, so I guess I’m gonna stop here. All I wanted to say is that I would recommend this program to absolutely everyone who is interested in ocean conservation. You gain so much here - knowledge, experience, friends, advice, mentors, role models, inspiration and so much more. Just apply and see for yourself!

And of course, a big thank you to Lauren, Serena, Michaela and Pascal for running such an amazing initiative and sharing your passion with the world. I could’ve wished for better mentors during my time here. And not to forget the two most awesome dive guides Romy and Arya.

I wish I could do it all over again!

Wow, what can I say? I have honestly had the time of my life with Indo Ocean Project and I never want to leave!

Firstly, Penida is a beautiful place and I am so grateful that I got to live here for 10 weeks. But more than that, the people I have met, the things I have done, and the course itself have been indescribable (although I will of course try to describe it here..!)

I came to IOP as an Advanced Diver and completed my Rescue Diver and Divemaster program with them. The level of professionalism, organisation, and dedication of the staff is parallel to none - they even stayed open during the COVID-19 pandemic and made sure that all the interns were up-to-date on restrictions and guidelines, and the transition of coming from Ireland to Jakarta, then Bali, and then Penida, was seamless. The team are wonderful, warm, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and incredible divers and I am so lucky that I was able to look up to them as my role models.

The program is designed so that you get all of the necessary parts of a Divemaster program (either SSI or PADI) but also so so much more. The training you get is above and beyond other programs, and then you have research diving on top of that - making your diving experience even more enjoyable and worthwhile. We learn about sharks, molas, mantas, nudibranchs and more, while also getting the chance to see these beautiful creatures in real life and also helping to conserve and protect them. This can be through survey dives, BRUV drops, diving against debris... the list goes on!

I could not recommend this program more... if you are hesitating about applying, take this as your sign... Just do it!! You will have the best time and hopefully become an amazing diver and research diver, ready to venture into the world of professional diving! Thank you so much to my beautiful Penida and IOP family for making this such an outstanding experience <3