Indo Ocean Project Reviews

Very grateful to have found this place to do my DM. Mette and Elise are amazing teachers, learned a lot from everyone in the program. Felt empowering to be surrounded by passionate and interesting people from different backgrounds and cultures. The crew in Scuba Republic were very kind and helpful and the food was delicious. I loved being challenged and learning new things everyday. Enjoyed the local experience and sharing moments like a big family.
Raja is a magical place to dive, is a must see!

The moment I found out about the Indo Ocean Project online and knew that this was going to be a decision that I would not regret.

And that was true, being underwater surrounded by corals, mantas, turtles, different fish families, and amazing people has made this experience unforgettable. The workshops in coral and mangrove restoration, placing baited remote underwater videos, and doing dives against debris increase your knowledge and awareness of the marine environment. This program showed me that I want to pursue this and hopefully, I can start my own research one day.

Thanks to IOP it led me to be hired as a divemaster in Koh Tao in Thailand. Due to their well-structured program, I had an advantage and I could easily lead dives and be a professional diver due to their training. I am diving every day now and I'm IOP really thankful for that.

I highly recommend this adventure, the staff is amazing and the intern group turns into your new family. I made friends for life!

Thank you to everyone who made this experience so wonderful!

Being an intern at IOP has been an incredible challenge. As a Zero to Hero, I had never dived before, and here I am Divemaster. The team that supervises us is very professional, diving with them was a pleasure. I always feel safe and well prepared for each new stage of training. Big up to Arya, if you want to do the program in Nusa Penida you will have the chance to dive with this amazing Divemaster who knows the ocean like the back of his hand. I loved my time in Penida, there is so much to discover on this island! We are amazed, both on land and under water.
Thank you IOP for everything you have brought me

My experience with IOP was incredible! I spent 8 weeks on Nusa Penida participating in the Divemaster + Research Diver course. The professionalism and support of the staff guided me to become a more confident diver and knowledgeable conservationist. All ecology and conservation workshops are educational and engaging, learning of the stunning animals seen around Nusa Penida. From great Manta rays to tiny Nudibranchs, all the wildlife is spectacular.
My favourite activities were the dives including scientific research, such as BRUV drops, fish surveys and coral restoration. Being involved in these has given me an understanding of data collection and entry for marine research, increasing my passion for research diving.
My fellow interns and all the people I met during my stay on Penida were all so welcoming and friendly creating a very social atmosphere.
I would 100% recommend this course.

My experience with IOP was incredible! I spent 8 weeks on Nusa Penida participating in the Divemaster + Research Diver course. The professionalism and support of the staff guided me to become a more confident diver and knowledgeable conservationist. All ecology and conservation workshops are educational and engaging, learning of the stunning animals seen around Nusa Penida. From great Manta rays to tiny Nudibranchs, all the wildlife is spectacular.
My favourite activities were the dives including scientific research, such as BRUV drops, fish surveys and coral restoration. Being involved in these has given me an understanding of data collection and entry for marine research, increasing my passion for research diving.
My fellow interns and all the people I met during my stay on Penida were all so welcoming and friendly creating a very social atmosphere.
I would 100% recommend this course.

Being part of the first project located in Raja Ampat with Indo Ocean Project as intern was amazing. The expectation is really high when you go in one of the best places where to dive in the world especially for the corals biodiversity. I was already dive master once I started my program so I did 6 weeks only as researcher. We studied all the marine life that lives in West Papua New Guinea such as elasmobranchs, mantas, rays turtles, corals, nudibranchs, key species and species of interest. The organisation and the knowledge exceeded my expectations. In particular I want to congratulate with Mette Carlsen and Pascal Sebastian for everything they taught to me whilst I was there. Everybody must try this experience to learn more about marine biology, how to help the environment and to raise awareness about this topic. Nothing better than do great dives, explore, travel surrounded by the nature, make friendships and collaborate with professionals. I highly recommend this experience. Hope to be back next year and help you again!

I joined the 8 week divemaster and research programme in Raja Ampat with IOP just after the start of the project in November 2022. It was a truly incredible experience to dive Raja Ampat almost every day and see the unrivalled abundance and variety of the marinelife that inhabit the coral reefs there, whilst researching the key marine species there and learning about their biology and conservation from the IOP team.

The location of the Scuba Republic dive centre where we stayed is remote, with only a tiny village next door and a few other quiet resorts between it and the main town of Waisai, but with this comes opportunity to be fully immersed in nature in the heart of the coral triangle. On one side it is backed by pristine rainforest rich in wildlife (with birds of paradise a short walk away and hornbills, parrots and frogmouths overhead) and on the other by a shallow coral reef that is still for the most part in remarkably good condition. Just off the jetty we saw epaulette sharks, various rays, sea snakes, octopus, cuttlefish, batfish, schools of trevally, the occasional dugong and countless smaller reef fish to name just a few! The dive sites offshore are quite varied and include a mix of sloping reefs, underwater pinnacles, sandy night dives with some awesome macro critters and a shipwreck of an old liveaboard alongside a jetty. Most dives had minimal or mild current but occasionally there are stronger currents, creating drift dives which were a great experience to have for the divemaster training. We also did night dives and guided dives ourselves once we had gotten to know the sites.

The training aspect for the divemaster is very well organised and good fun, with it being spread out enough not to feel rushed, but you are definitely always kept very busy with the combination of training, learning and research. With the density of marinelife the research aspect was sometimes challenging with so many species to record and keep track of on the surveys or BRUV playbacks (!), but also meant we learnt so much about the different creatures and the research techniques. The reefs are clearly very healthy, but even here there are challenges - from plastic pollution and illegal fishing to the early signs of coral bleaching and the impacts of tourism - for which projects like this, in collaboration with the local communities and stakeholders as IOP are doing, will be essential in ensuring that this spectacular marine ecosystem can continue to thrive.

Finally a big shout out to the staff at IOP who are all incredibly helpful, from the organisation and planning (I arranged it quite last minute and they made sure everything went smoothly and that I had everything prepared for visas, learning materials etc. before arriving) through to the divemaster training and all the different workshops on the fish species, conservation and research techniques. I would highly recommend this to anyone who has a passion for marinelife and wants to develop their dive skills to the next level.

For anyone wanting a blend of beautiful diving, scientific research, and hands-on conservation, Indo Ocean Project is for you! Not to mention the chance to dive with the elegant Manta Rays.

The team are friendly and very supportive, and always down for a chat. Fellow interns were all of like-mind and very easy to get on with, all of a variety of ages and nationalities.

Day to day life is varied and full on (in a good way!), with dives almost everyday. But there’s always time to relax so you never feel overwhelmed.

You cannot beat diving in paradise everyday!

I started my scientific program as a Divemaster SSI in order to complete my internship for the university.
I never thought this experience could be so constructive from every point of view. Each dive was something unique, both for the different conditions I was used to and for the incredible biodiversity that the ocean offers.
The staff was incredible! Super kind and helpful.
I learned a lot thanks to them.
I 100% recommend this experience to anyone who wants to have unique weeks learning and having fun like never before.

P.S. Take a camera with you 🤩🦈🌊

I started my time at IOP as an open water diver with just 4 dives, and left as a divemaster with over 100 dives in just 12 short weeks! The staff are friendly, encouraging, and like to push you to do your best and become a great diver. The marine life you encounter on every dive never fails to amaze you, from the mantas to the nudibranchs, and the scientific workshops help you understand and appreciate it even more! I would recommend this course to anyone interested in diving and/or marine biology, and wants to explore a beautiful part of the world!