Program Reviews

I am already trying to find the quickest way to return! I loved my time with Gili Shark more than words can describe and I would not have traded it for anything different. The staff and the other volunteers quickly became my family away from home. Everyone is so passionate about the work that they are doing, it is truly awe-inspiring. There is no doubt in my mind that they can achieve anything they put their minds and hearts into. They are making the world a better place and inviting others to be part of it.

I’ve had the absolute best time spending a month with GSC. It was the first time for me coming to Indonesia, doing volunteer work at an organization and diving as well! So I was a bit nervous coming in, but from the moment I arrived on Gili Air I felt welcome and at ease. Everyone was super nice and open, and I immediately looked forward to spending a month with GSC. I got my PADI Open Water and Advanced in the first week at Oceans5, with the nicest and most patient teachers. After that I dove for 3 weeks as a sharkie, with an amazing team of people. In that time I learned a lot on underwater research methods, and diving with the group was always super chill and a lot of fun. Looking back on the whole experience, I’m really happy and grateful I got to spend a month with GSC.

My type at the Gili Shark Conservation was incredible! The whole team is so helpful, kind, and knowledgeable. I had no diving experience before going and learning with the team at Oceans 5 made me feel so safe and excited before going out to work with the Sharkies and learning even more. I will forever be grateful for this experience and it is absolutely one of the best experiences I've had! If you have any interest in ocean conservation, want to explore a beautiful area of Indonesia, and make great friends, this is the program for you.

Having minimal diving experience or education regarding ocean habitats before arriving at GSC I was unsure of what to expect. Three weeks and 27 dives later, I was sad to leave but extremely satisfied about a fantastic experience with a great program ran by wonderful people.
I was treated so well while there, the folks running the program were knowledgeable and fun to be around. To top it all off, it was easy to see the positive impact that the organization had on it's community. I fully recommend that anyone curious about helping out the ocean take some time out to visit the chill island Gilil Air and support the Gili Shark Conservation. The only bad thing about it was having to leave

Joining Gili Shark Conservation was truly a life-changing experience. As a recent college graduate looking to gain experience in the field of marine biology, working with Gili Shark Conservation was a great way to reaffirm that I was on the correct path. Everyone who worked there was extremely friendly, helpful, and most importantly, very obviously passionate about marine conservation. The 3 months that I stayed with Gili Shark Conservation was one of the most valuable experiences I have ever had, and I fully intend on coming back and visiting sometime in the future.

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.