Program Reviews

I competed my Divemaster in Nusa Penida over the course of 2 months alongside Indo Ocean Projects and Reeflex Divers. Words cannot describe how incredible my experience was. The staff were fantastic, knowledgeable and helpful from the offset and throughout my time there. They paid so much attention to detail as well as being extremely professional. The equipment and the dive shop were superb. The instructors and dive guides were phenomenal and I have gained so much knowledge from doing my DM internship here. As I was interning, I got a behind-the-scenes view of the dive shop and saw how passionate the crew who work there are about diving and saw how much they put their customers first. The classes lead by Serena, Pascal and Michaela were so thorough and made so much fun, they were around to support and help you with any questions or concerns, no matter how big or small. I’d like to thank each and every person for their patience and guidance. Honestly, if I could I would just do it again and again and would never get tired of it. It was made to feel like home. 100% would recommend doing their DM with them!

I am forever grateful I leapt into this experience. After two years with no diving, I was just excited for 3 months of being in and talking about the ocean every single day. It wasn't until I arrived I truly understood what I was part of. What an inspiring group and purposeful body of work to immerse yourself in. You develop skills and discover new interests you never knew you had. As a marketer, I didn't come from a science background so I was worried about whether or not Id be a valuable member of the team which I quickly let go of. I could not be more grateful for the connections, new dive buddies and renewed sense of self and purpose driven by becoming a divemaster and ocean advocate through IOP 🙌

The Indo Ocean Project is completely mind blowing & life changing. I’ve been asked after graduating with my divemaster if i would really recommend someone to complete theirs and the answer is a million times YES! This is the most welcoming program that exists. Anyone can join with any number of dives, even zero, and achieve truly miraculous feats. There is so much guidance and understanding along the way, you will never feel alone!
I personally, really enjoyed the conservation that we as interns, were able to be apart of. The workshops are so well organized and educating. It’s very fulfilling to see the change that you’re making. By spending so much time in the water, your diving skills will improve immensely! I came out of the program a completely different and more confident diver than I could have ever imagined.
The experience that you’ll have during your divemaster program with Indo Ocean Project is priceless. It’s one of those choices that you’ll never regret and only wish you could do it over and over again because it changed you as a person. It connects like minded people in a beautiful atmosphere where you can add to each other’s knowledge and have amazing experiences together. I feel incredibly honored to call IOP family. 💙

I can easily say that interning with Indo Ocean Project at their Nusa Penida has been one of the seminal events and experiences of my life. The confluence of scuba diving and conservation makes this a unique experience. I was trained not just to be a fantastic divemaster but also trained with the tools and techniques to be a true conservationist. The divemaster program is very well structured to ensure that fatigue is limited and more time and exposure is given. I was allowed to lead more dives than strictly required by the SSI divemaster course requirements, I did multiple boat briefings and debriefings, dive briefings and debriefings. I assisted DSDs, open water course divers, and advanced open water divers with some great instructors. During the training I was glad to see special attention given to buoyancy and we had specific buoyancy training sessions which were very helpful to me figuring out my diving style. Diving with strong currents and in fast changing conditions made me a much better diver than I expected. It is obvious that Indo Ocean Project expects high standards from itself and trains their interns to rise above the regular divemaster programs and prepares them for professional diving careers.

The research and scientific diver training was what really elevated the program from its already high standards. Detailed fish identification classes, along with in depth ecology classes on sharks, rays and turtles elevated my understanding of these mysterious creaturesa and the marine ecosystem in general. I was trained to perform roving survey dives, BRUV drops, understand data collection, data entry and data parsing for research purposes which has given a strong boost to my research capabilities. I am particularly proud of the numerous Citizen Science initiatives that we were made a part of from dives against debris, to elasmobranch project, turtle and ray identification projects etc.

The training staff are true educators. They are patient, kind and enthusiastic about diving and conservation. They instill their passion and love for the ocean into their interns. They are always available for any issue and are truly compassionate people that I am humbled to have known.

My fellow interns were also all fantastic. The people who come to Indo Ocean Project to learn are diverse people from different nations and backgrounds but are all intelligent people drawn together by a love for the world they live in. I am enriched as a human being to have known and interacted with them and truly honoured to have them call me a friend.

I would highly recommend this project to anyone who wants to be a consummate dive professional and particularly for those who are interested in conservation of our world.

My experience with Indo Ocean Project was absolutely magical. This program taught me not only how to be a dive professional but how to care for our ocean on a extremely deeper level. I was always supported and encouraged. There was never a time where I felt I was alone. IOP is a family full of amazing people that look out for each other. They cheer for you and hope for your success!
Everyone in this program has so much knowledge that they share openly with everyone. They give you a plethora of additional materials to take your knowledge even further! In the program you participate in so many workshops. You get to do workshops about coral (one of my FAVS!), Mantas, Sharks, Mangroves, Turtles, Molas, Nudis and more! I enjoyed all the workshops just as much as the dives I did. :)
I truly wish I could redo this program 100 times over. The experiences I had with IOP were life changing for me. If you want a to do your DM or have an interest in conservation I recommend this program 1000%!!! APPLY!!!! I hope you love it as much as I did!!! :)

I came to Indo Ocean Project as an advance open water diver. The experience I had here was beyond incredible, the best I've ever had. The instructors and educators over here made sure the student divers learned perfectly how to dive in the ever changing currents of Nusa Penida. The amazing educators taught us in detail about various fish and corals, which made my diving experience infinite times better. I have nothing but love and gratitude for this amazing place and these amazing educators. Sending them oceans of love forever.

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!