Incredible Experience as a Project Laut Intern

I’ve been working in the conservation field for the past six years. I recently decided to pursue a more marine focused route. The Project Laut Divemaster and Conservation Internship was a perfect fit! It allowed me to further advance my dive and marine field skills. I started out the internship often nervous on drift dives, but left feeling confident guiding others in the same conditions. One of my favorite aspects of the internship was coral “spider” building and restoration - in just 3.5 months there was a noticeable difference in the coral growth at the project’s house reef. Additionally, I loved assisting in the hawkbill sea turtle recording and identification to help assess the size and movement of local population.

Joma, the project founder and lead instructor, is simply an amazing person! He has an incredible amount of patience and gives great direction as an instructor. His calm presence and skill in the water also allow you to feel safe and confident in the sometimes challenging dive conditions on Nusa Penida. His passion for conservation and dedication to the project also should not be overlooked.

Lastly, the community and friendships had a major impact on my experience. We had an extremely close intern group during my time, which made surface intervals on the boat and exploring the island on days off even better!