Research Assistant Program @ Gili Shark Conservation in Indonesia

I reached out to Rose at GSC and the team at Oceans5 in the hopes of completing my PADI Divemaster program in a destination where I could also help with conservation work concurrently. After some correspondence and personal back-and-forth brainstorming between destinations I decided to spend 9 weeks on Gili Air and I never looked back.

My time with Oceans5 and Gili Shark was easily some of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences of my life. The standard of teaching on both ends—from dive practices, safety and divemaster mentorship with oceans5 to methodology, species ID and coral restoration with GSC—was stellar, only to be exceeded by the sense of humor and warmth of the team members themselves.

Rose and Andreas have started something special with Gili Shark Conservation (and Coral Catch!) and working with Maisy, Musa, Katon, Cakra and Delya everyday felt more like spending time with friends than laborious work. You do everything from harvesting coral and cleaning restoration structures, to IDing turtles, surveying coral health and building anchors or cleaning beachfronts; all of it with a laugh and a smile.

The HQ team (Joe, Ifan, Mira, Anto, Faizal, Salma and more) make you a part of the family and provide a second home. It is a true joy to share time with them each morning and evening.

And what can I say about oceans5 dive resort beyond that they’ve become a family to me? To Sander (course director and owner), all the instructors (Ary, Waz, Al, Irlando, Yunus!) to Chelle (shop matriarch/manager) and the boat crew (Oja, Din, Jini, Kian and Yudi) and dive guides (Sury, Jay, Dedi..) I can’t express my gratitude and love strongly enough. It broke my heart to leave them—feeling that I was leaving home more than when I set out in the first place.

I now have an Indonesian home and family to return to and I cannot wait to do so.

Bonus points for not having a single bad meal in my entire stay and for the across the board friendliness of the entire island and its inhabitants.

Joining Gili Shark Conservation as a research assistant was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. A special thanks to Rose, Maisy, Musa, Katon and Cakra whose energy and passion is inspiring. Everyone at GSC is not only kind and willing to help, but also friendly and funny- you will spend every single day with a big smile on your face! The program is a great opportunity to approach marine conservation with the best team and to do that in paradise! Finally, if you wanna learn diving or improve your diving skills, Gili Shark and Oceans 5’s instructors are top-notch. I am really grateful for this experience and I hope to go back soon to do my divemaster!

My time with Gili Shark Conservation was easily one of the best experiences I have ever had and I’ve never felt more welcome than I did at Villa Nangka and Oceans 5. Each and every staff member is incredibly kind and they are extremely passionate about the work they are doing and I feel very fortunate to have been a part of it. I loved every single second I spent on Gili Air and I didn’t expect to find people and experiences that would be so hard to leave. I cannot recommend this amazing program enough and would go back in a heartbeat.

You can tell that everybody working as staff at the Gili Shark project absolutely love what they are doing and are doing an amazing job at sharing that with others. Living on Gili Air has been one of the best times I have had in my life. The people there are incredibly nice and welcoming. I have felt very lucky to be part of something so special. Also, if you love diving as much as I do you will probably never want to leave again and if you are thinking of doing your divemaster you will have some of the best instructors I have met in my life, both from Gili Shark and Oceans 5.

I really enjoyed my time volunteering with Gili Air Shark Conservation. Gili Air is a beautiful island with many restaurants, spas, and activities to explore. During the project, it was so special to be in the water twice a day, discovering the underwater world. I learned about all the different species of tropical fish, made friends with many sea turtles, and even saw a couple sharks up close! But more importantly - the facilities and the staff were amazing. Villa Nangka, where volunteers are set to stay, is a short bike ride to Oceans 5 dive shop, where volunteers work. Both were clean, with friendly staff and quality places to be partnered with. As mentioned, I was also truly touched by the staff. They made you feel right at home, comfortable and special, and as if you were part of the family instantly. I caught a bug while there, and the way they took care of me was nothing short of how my own mother would. I’m really lucky I found this project, and would highly recommend! It warmed my heart to be surrounded with likeminded people, making a difference for our planet’s oceans.

My overall experience with Gili Shark Conservation was amazing. I've never done a program quite like this. I was quite nervous to join the team because I didn't know what quite to expect. I definitely didn't think that I would get to work with a group of people that were so fabulous. Not only did all of them make me feel welcome, but I learned so much about conservation and the Indo-Pacific area from them in general. I never expected that I would connect with a group of people so quickly before and I truly miss each one of them so much. Before I came to the program, I thought that I would only be a part of Gili Shark Conservation just this once. After my stay, I know that I definitely want to come back and work with the team again. Thank you so much for all the experience and memories Gili Shark!

Joining the research team at Gili Shark Conservation for 6 weeks is the best decision I’ve made, and I am so grateful I had the privilege to work with Rose, Maisy, Musa, Katon, Cakra, and everyone else on the project. They are incredible mentors, whose love for the ocean and community is contagious. I always dreamed about being a marine biologist, but my experience went above and beyond what I could’ve imagined. I loved every second of it and find it inspiring how easily fun and conservation go hand-in-hand. Thank you for the adventure of a lifetime, and I hope to be back soon!

I had the absolute best time staying on Gili Air and supporting the Gili Shark Conservation in their efforts to save the ocean, one day at a time. Thanks to the program I had the opportunity to live my childhood dream of being a marine biologist and add something meaningful to one of the best leisure activities: diving! The cooperation with Oceans5 dive center also worked seamlessly. All staff, guides/divemasters and instructors there are top notch! On top, everyone I met on the program was always super friendly, helpful and came with a positive mind, but especially Maisy, Musa and Katon made the experience a special one. Thank you and please stay exactly as you are! :)